NBA Mock Draft: Surprising new prospect has risen to No. 1 in recent mocks

Is a new prospect beginning to separate himself from the rest of the 2024 class in recent NBA Mock Drafts?

With the NCAA College Basketball season officially underway, so is the 2024 NBA Draft season. There are still a few months before the NBA Draft and the pre-draft process, but the new draft class is already beginning to make a name for itself.

While there isn't a headling name in this year's draft class thus far, unlike last season with Victor Wembanyama, that doesn't mean one can't arise between now and next spring. While there were certainly a few names to watch heading into the start of this basketball season, one specific prospect hasn't moved head and shoulders above the rest of the pack. However, that could be slowly changing.

After an extremely hot and impressive start to the season, Isaiah Collier is a name that could seemingly begin to separate himself from the rest of the class. Collier has emerged as the new No. 1 prospect in ESPN's latest NBA Mock Draft.

Through the first seven games of the season, Collier is averaging 18 points and four assists on 54 percent shooting from the field and 42 percent shooting from 3-point range.

Isaiah Collier could emerge as the next great guard prospect

Collier falls in line with the new era guards that are continuing to take the NBA by storm. He's already beginning to prove that he can be a three-level scorer and would be an intriguing prospect for any team that's selecting near the top of the draft in need of a backcourt leader.

Collier is exactly what a team like the Washington Wizards or San Antonio Spurs could use to jump-start their respective builds. The fact that his biggest question heading into his freshman season at USC revolved around his 3-point shooting, it's encouraging to see that he's come out red-hot from distance so far this season.

If he can continue to play at this high level for the Trojans, there's no question that Collier is going to continue to remain in the conversation to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick, no matter which team ends up with the spot.

But, again, a lot can change between now and June. It'll be interesting to see how Collier either builds off this hot start to the season or if he begins to slow down. There's no question that he's begun to turn some heads, however.