Following Julian Phillips' selection in the second round of the NBA Draft on Thursday, it's time to turn the attention to next year's draft.
Tennessee will have a collection of underclassmen who have the chance to be selected along with two standout fifth-year seniors.
However, just one player has cracked ESPN's opening mock draft for the 2024 NBA Draft.
Coming in at the No. 24 pick is redshirt freshman Freddie Dilione. The pick is projected to be owned by the Boston Celtics after being traded to them by the Warriors.
This first-round selection makes him the fourth SEC player projected to be taken off the board. He would be the 18th player with college experience selected, as well.
This would mark the school's eighth selection in a six year span and four-straight seasons with a pick in the draft.
Dilione will play in his first college season next year with the Vols. He joined the team in January of the 2022-23 season after reclassifying but didn't see any in-game action. Instead, he opted to redshirt for the campaign while traveling and practicing with the program.
This arrival in Knoxville comes after a standout high school career. He was given four stars by Rivals while being considered the No. 33 player in his class. He chose Tennessee over offers from programs such as Alabama, UConn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Houston, Indiana, LSU, Maryland, NC State, Pitt, Texas, Texas A&M, Virginia and Virginia Tech among others.
Now, Dilione will enter the 2023-24 season as a key contributor. He will take the experience he has gained as a practice player and hope to turn it into an effective redshirt freshman campaign.
He also gained experience at a high level this summer while participating in the 2023 USA Basketball Men's U19 World Cup Team training camp along with 35 other players including teammate Tobe Awaka. He survived multiple cuts before being one of the final two players to miss out on the 12-man roster.
Dilione will begin his career as a Vol in November when Tennessee begins its season. The full schedule has yet to be released.
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