Syracuse Basketball: Judah Mintz forecast in 1st round of 2024 mock draft

A new mock 2024 NBA Draft includes Syracuse basketball sophomore point guard Judah Mintz.

The 6-foot-3 Mintz, who made the Atlantic Coast Conference’s All-Freshman team during the 2022-23 season, tested the 2023 NBA Draft waters while maintaining his collegiate eligibility.

At the end of May, SU Athletics announced that Judah Mintz would return to the Hill for his sophomore season in the upcoming 2023-24 campaign, a huge boost for the Orange’s roster under first-year head coach Adrian Autry.

Mintz participated in the 2023 NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, and some mock projections did have him as a mid-to-late second-round pick in this past June’s draft. However, he’s coming back to Central New York for a second term.

I recognize it’s super early to begin giving a lot of serious thought to the 2024 NBA Draft, when Mintz hasn’t even started his 2023-24 season for the ‘Cuse, but he is getting some draft buzz for next summer.

Syracuse basketball point guard Judah Mintz is forecast in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft.

Earlier this week, Kyle Boone of CBS Sports published a mock first-round for the 2024 NBA Draft. Boone placed Mintz at No. 29 in the first round, going to the Denver Nuggets. By the way, in mid-June, Denver won its first NBA championship, as the Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in five games in the NBA Finals.

"Boone had this to say about the Orange point guard in his write-up. “Mintz flashed big-time scoring ability as a freshman at Syracuse, where he averaged 16.3 points to lead all freshmen in the ACC. He’s not a flashy athlete but he’s a smooth operator who can playmake and score from all three levels.”"

Not long after the 2023 NBA Draft took place, some super early mock projections came out for the 2024 draft.

In those 2024 NBA Draft predictions from late June, both Judah Mintz and Syracuse basketball sophomore guard J.J. Starling, a Central New York native and transfer from Notre Dame, received some buzz, according to an article from Mike Waters of Syracuse.com.

It’s certainly feasible that both Mintz and Starling could depart for the NBA following their sophomore seasons in 2023-24 with the Orange.

When the ‘Cuse went 17-15 a stanza ago, as a freshman, Judah Mintz averaged 16.3 points, 4.6 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 2.4 turnovers per game, while connecting on 44.3 percent from the field, 75.1 percent from the free-throw line and 30.3 percent from beyond the arc.

In his latest mock 2024 NBA Draft, Boone included several other players who held ‘Cuse scholarship offers before heading elsewhere.

No. 1, 2023 five-star guard/wing Matas Buzelis of the G League Ignite to the Detroit Pistons

No. 5, 2023 five-star guard D.J. Wagner of Kentucky to the Oklahoma City Thunder (pick acquired via a trade with the Houston Rockets)

No. 8, UConn sophomore center Donovan Clingan to the Indiana Pacers

No. 10, 2023 five-star small forward Justin Edwards of Kentucky to the Oklahoma City Thunder

No. 15, Duke sophomore power forward Kyle Filipowski to the Chicago Bulls

No. 17, Kentucky sophomore power forward Ugonna Onyenso to the Oklahoma City Thunder (pick acquired via a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers)

No. 26, 2023 five-star point guard Elmarko Jackson of Kansas to the Memphis Grizzlies (pick acquired via a trade with the Golden State Warriors)