NBA Draft prospects take stage at Under Armour showcase as Brooklyn Nets look on
Under Armour’s Elite 24 event was held this weekend in Brooklyn. Here are some standouts from the event, and musings on trusting a bunch of kids to save a franchise. Under Armour held their flagship Elite 24 event over the weekend, where the next generation of Brooklyn Nets saviors — I mean high school basketball players — competed in a series of practices and scrimmages at HSS Training Facility before the showcase game was held on Sunday evening at Duggal Greenhouse in Brooklyn’s Navy Yard.
Under Armour Elite 24 practice in Brooklyn. Interesting mix of US and international high school prospects. pic.twitter.com/4UKOYN0DS9— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) August 8, 2024
On the boys’ side, all 18 American players ranked in the top 50 of either the 2025 or 2026 high school classes, meaning we’re potentially looking at picks in the 2026 and 2027 NBA drafts, in which the Nets currently own a total of three first-rounders.
These high-profile showcase events are indeed just snapshots, far removed from the trenches of high school and AAU basketball — and club basketball in the case of international prospects. They aren’t as noteworthy as full seasons of high school, AAU, and in the case of international prospects, club basketball, but it’s still worthwhile to put a bunch of top teenagers in a gym and let them compete.
And, as they practiced and scrimmaged on Brooklyn’s own practice floor, surrounded by Nets logos, that’s what stood out: They are still a bunch of teenagers, however skilled and athletic they may be.
Brooklyn's future is in the hands of some 17-year-old. He just doesn’t know it yet. For now, he is an awkward kid who either speaks in five-word or run-on sentences, a professional athlete in everything but name before his prefrontal cortex, among other body parts, is even in the fourth quarter of its development.
Elite 24 and events like it are the tip of the iceberg. A one-off setting that doesn’t reveal tendencies a series of different opponents can bring out, what happens if his shot isn’t falling like it normally does, what he’s doing against smart coaches who have game-planned for him rather than a very exuberant Greivis Vásquez or Brandon Jennings talking to the cameras on the sidelines. To say nothing of the hours of intel work the crate-diggers of the scouting world put in. Are his parents going to hover? Has he ever not been The Guy on a team, and how did he handle it? How would he handle it? Is he going to treat female staffers with respect?
The Rebuild, five Summer League games old, has already liberated the Nets. The fans, the organization can dream again. But to truly dream, you have to ignore reality, like the probability of Cooper Flagg playing his first NBA game for the Brooklyn Nets being only 14.3% ... and that’s if they finish with the league’s worst record. For the sake of comparison, Nic Claxton has made 15.8% of his career 3-point attempts.
It’s scary that even if you only have to suck for a year or two, the reward still probably what be what you dreamt. It’s scary to rely on some kids, talented as they may be.
Shon Abaev is one of those talented kids, a potential 2026 draftee who will certainly be moving up in recruiting rankings after his weekend in Brooklyn. He’s a lanky, 6’7” shot-maker who handled the ball extensively at Friday’s scrimmage and Saturday’s showcase game, winning MVP in the latter...
4⭐️ Shon Abaev went to work tonight at UA ELITE 24 and earned MVP 22 PTS 10 ASTS 7 REBS @shon_abaev I @UANextBHoops pic.twitter.com/f41UDKuGEW— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) August 11, 2024
Abaev was better on Friday, where he consistently worked high pick-and-roll to make some real impressive reads, on top of scoring both inside and outside. He’s a real name to watch, but despite winning MVP on Saturday, we saw why he’s not ranked toward the top of his class. Abaev’s shot off-the-dribble can be inconsistent, and despite the playmaking, it’s tough to imagine him getting to the bend/flexibility/burst intersection suitable for most big-time initiators. Also didn’t go to his off-hand once.
Deron Rippey Jr. is Brooklyn’s best bet to produce a bonafide NBA guard in quite sometime, though he attends Blair Academy in New Jersey where Luol Deng and Royal Ivey honed their NBA craft. Still, the potential 2027 draftee did a bit of everything this weekend, beginning with a monster dunk on Thursday...
One of the youngest players (8/1/2007)! Fast rising Brooklyn native 2026 Deron Rippey Jr. will rep the city ️ on Saturday at Elite 24! On Team 8/10/2024 #uanext @UAbasketball #NYCBasketball @rippey_deron pic.twitter.com/lHIIV0iaX8— Stacey Davis (@NYCHoopsnball) August 9, 2024
...and culminating with 15 points, seven assists, and three steals on Saturday. Athletic point guard, better driver than shooter, passing is good-not-wow but if he’s gonna be blowing by the point-of-attack this easily, the reads will be pretty easy. Can really play.
Nate Ament was one of the highest ranked prospects visiting Brooklyn on the weekend, up to #10 on Rivals as a potential 2026 NBA’er. He’s exploded in the past year, both in height and in prospect status, growing into your prototypical wing prospect at a legit 6’9” with a shot that frequently swishes.
He scored 16 points on 5-of-13 points on Saturday, a performance which quite clearly displayed his game. Similar to Abaev, he’s lacking some of the ideal burst/flexibility athleticism you want in a true jumbo-sized creator, but possesses great hand-eye coordination and moves real smoothly getting to his spots. Tries to get to the rim. Didn’t have the best weekend, but a year from now, don’t be surprised if that’s a name attached to the 2026 lotto.
Karim Lopez is a name you know if you have Woj notifications on...
Karim Lopez — the top-ranked international prospect in the 2026 NBA draft class — has signed with the New Zealand Breakers as part of the NBL’s Next Stars program, he tells ESPN. At 6-foot-8, Lopez is considered the future face of Mexican basketball and a potential lottery pick. pic.twitter.com/p8HGN5UAUt— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 9, 2024
NBL’s Next Stars alumni include first-round picks LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey, RJ Hampton, and Ousmane Dieng, to give some examples of expectation-setters for Lopez in the 2026 draft. Didn’t really stand out this weekend, though certainly not an event tailored to his strengths as a savvy, 6’8” forward whose sell is versatility and quick processing.
Remember how Sean Marks traveled to Australia and New Zealand two seasons ago to watch French prospect Rayan Rupert play for those same NZ Breakers? Don’t be surprised if we get a repeat performance sometime before the ‘26 draft. Always good to spend some time at home.
Lastly, Xavion Staton made an impression as one of the more fun potential draftees in 2026, fun to root for at least. Particularly in a class lacking in big-man depth, Staton stood out as an insatiable floor-runner who tries to dunk and block everything. Has a big ‘ol smile, former volleyball player who didn’t hoop until he got to high school and realized he was damn-near seven-feet tall. Doesn’t do anything he’s not good at/he’s not asked to do.
Question marks don’t begin to describe the evaluation process for the the talent at Under Armour’s Elite 24 event. None are surefire star bets, the kind that come around once every half-generation or so. Knowing this, you might as well root for your team to take the guys that are fun to root for.
The showcase game was held right in the Nets’ backyard, the practice and scrimmage held in their own facility, fitting for a team looking at the 2026 and 2027 NBA Draft classes as closely as any team. These are classes that’ll arrive on the big stage much sooner than you think, its members kids whose leaps to adulthood aren’t actually accelerated by the contracts they’ll sign.
The Brooklyn Nets will hand the keys over to one or a couple of these kids. With any luck, they’ll be the right ones.
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