2024 NBA mock draft: Ignite's long-term future and Matas Buzelis' rise

It was an eventful 24 hours for G League Ignite at NBA All-Star Weekend.

On Friday night during the Rising Stars competition, Team Detlef (G League) upset Team Pau (featuring rookies Victor Wembanyama and Brandon Miller) thanks to a game-winning shot by Ignite prospect Matas Buzelis.

On Saturday morning, Andscape's Marc J. Spears reported that Ignite's Ron Holland would miss the rest of the season with a right thumb injury. And in addressing the media Saturday night, NBA commissioner Adam Silver called into question the long-term future of Ignite because of the emergence of name, image and likeness deals in college basketball.

In the meantime, the Ignite program has four prospects projected to go in the first round in our latest 2024 NBA mock draft, topped by the recent rise of Buzelis. The 6-foot-10 forward is likely to have more of a platform to showcase his game with Holland sidelined.

ESPN NBA draft insiders Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo look at all things Ignite, including the team's long-term future and the development of current prospects.

2024 NBA mock draft

The draft order is based on ESPN projections and reflects the current state of picks owed and owned: