In the spring of 2023, Syracuse guard Judah Mintz had a decision to make: enter the NBA Draft, or come back to play another year for the Orange. In the end, he decided to return, but Mintz’s draft stock didn’t rise much over the following year. Still, Mintz went all in on the 2024 NBA Draft, and less than a week before the event, he’s not expected to be one of the 60 players picked.
ESPN just updated its list of the top 100 players entered in the draft. In the latest installment, Mintz is ranked all the way down as the 39th guard, which is the 81st player overall. Unless that projection is very off, it seems like Judah Mintz won’t be picked. However, he should be in a good position to sign with a team as an undrafted free agent..
In terms of his strengths, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony highlighted Mintz’s offensive talents.
“Mintz is a relentless slashing combo guard who was the ACC’s second-leading scorer as a sophomore, getting to the free throw line at a tremendous rate,” said Givony.
However, there are concerns with how that style will translate to the NBA.
“His ball dominant, inefficient offensive style was not particularly aesthetically pleasing,” said Givony. “He struggles to make 3-pointers effectively, relies heavily on tough midrange pull-ups and turns the ball over excessively, lacking length on the perimeter with a middling 6-foot-3 wingspan.”
The worries about 3-point shooting stick out in particular. Judah Mintz shot 28% as a freshman and 30% as a sophomore from behind the arc. Between that and some intangibles, ESPN ranked Mintz low because of how much improving he still has to do.
“Mintz had some impressive moments as a scorer using his aggressiveness, touch and footwork to draw fouls and finish through contact, but he doesn’t have great physical tools,” said Givony. “He has a ways to go with his decision-making and isn’t a good enough shooter to compensate.”
If this projection is correct, 2024 will be the fourth straight year that a Syracuse player isn’t selected in the NBA Draft. That would be the longest gap since the early 1960s. The only caveat: Jesse Edwards, who transferred from SU to West Virginia, is ranked around 70th.
