NBA Draft prospects compare themselves to current players: From Kawhi to Harden

Every year, an NBA draft prospect finds himself compared to a player or two already in the league. It’s how most of us find ourselves making sense of the draft and of the dozens of players in it. It might be a little lazy, but it can also be instructive. It allows us to create models in our heads of how to think of players and who they can ultimately become. That can be based on play style, size or similar skill sets.

But here’s the big reveal: NBA scouts and executives do it, too. So do the players. It can make for an interesting plot point.

Teams also occasionally ask prospects for NBA player comparisons in the interviews held during the draft combine or during the pre-draft process. The answers occasionally can be instructive. Sometimes they’re self-defeating. But they also hint at which players are or could be models around the league for younger athletes wanting to emulate parts of their game

This month, The Athletic spoke to or stood in on interviews with 13 draft prospects to learn which NBA player (or players) they compared themselves to. The answers were pretty interesting.

“I don’t really compare myself to anybody. I feel like I’m just trying to be myself all the time when I’m on the court. I’m not trying to be anybody else, do anything I can’t do. I just try and be myself. I’ll let other people make those comparisons.”

Dylan Harper, 6-4 guard, Rutgers, No. 2

“It’s probably big guards like Cade Cunningham, James Harden, Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander). Just big guards who know how to control the game, control the pace and just know when they need to score, when they don’t need to score. Then they know when they need to give someone a touch, they ain’t touch it. The most important thing that I like about all of them is that they make the team around them a lot better.”

Carter Bryant, 6-7 wing, Arizona, No. 12

“I see myself describing it as almost like a progression. Early in the league, I feel like I’m a guy that can guard multiple positions. Obviously, I want to be able to guard one through five. I feel like I’m capable of guarding one through four now. I need to get a little bit stronger, but eventually I see myself being a guy that can guard all five positions on the floor. I watch a lot of Toumani Camara right now, Trey Murphy. I watch Herb Jones, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White. But I see myself becoming one of the stars in this league, so I watch a lot of film on Kyrie (Irving), Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum, as well.”

Liam McNeeley, 6-7 wing, Connecticut, No. 21

“The one I’ve been using more frequently is Gordon Hayward, mainly before the injury, but even after, he’s such a great player. (He) has such great feel, very talented. I’ve said Keegan Murray a little; just his size and his floor spacing. He’s a really good shooter, great size.”

Cedric Coward, 6-5 guard, Washington State, No. 22

“I think there’s a lot. Kawhi (Leonard) is one, Mikal Bridges is another. We’re both long and lanky. Jalen Williams from the Thunder — you know, mid-major guy. But I think what all those people have in common, to my game at least, is the ability to do it on both ends of the floor, the ability to be all around, the ability to have that dog mentality. I don’t think you can look at one of those players when they’re all healthy and be like, ‘Well, he doesn’t do this well.’ As they’ve elevated their games and continue to elevate their games, they’re known as some of the best players in the world. I also think Cade Cunningham is a good one. A big guard being able to control the floor, control the game and, you know, developing into that for myself. I see myself as a big guard. If you go watch Washington State film, I played a lot more of the one this year than I have in the past. I was getting a lot more comfortable doing that. It sucks that I got hurt because I felt like I was really just clicking, and I was ready to go off, but at the end of the day, God has a plan for everybody. But if I were to compare myself, those (players) would be it.”

Walter Clayton Jr., 6-2 guard, Florida, No. 25

“I don’t have, like, any direct comp. I just talk about taking bits and pieces from other players’ games. You got (Jalen) Brunson, just with his patience in the paint. He gets down there, plays off two feet, uses all of his space. (Jrue) Holiday just beats people to spots on defense, and his IQ. And a floater definitely will be a big part of my game at the next level, so Donovan Mitchell. He is just great with all the Euros, the hop-steps and the footwork getting to that floater.”

Thank You Walter Clayton Jr 🐊

The GOAT of Gator Basketball 👀 pic.twitter.com/5lTTWBeyoh

— Florida Gators 🐊🔥 (@gatorsszn) April 10, 2025

Labaron Philon, 6-3 guard, Alabama, No. 28

“Jrue Holiday. I just have to hit the chest like he does, and the arms and stuff like that. The physical aspect. … I watched a lot of (Andrew) Nembhard, the way he uses his shoulders, and Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander), the way he uses his drives. It’s really fun to watch the other guys and try to put some of that in my game. But really, it’s just having the physical aspect down pat.”

Ryan Kalkbrenner, 7-1 center, Creighton, No. 30

“I tell them I don’t try to be anyone but me. Obviously, you can take little bits and pieces from people, but I want to be me. I don’t want to be anyone else. I want to be me.”

Tahaad Pettiford, 6-0 guard, Auburn, No. 32

“I like to say a lot of De’Aaron Fox. I try to take some things from Darius Garland and James Harden, some parts of their game. But I would probably say De’Aaron Fox is someone I play like a lot.”

John Tonje, 6-5 guard, Wisconsin, No. 41

“I don’t compare too much to other guys, and I don’t really have an NBA comparison. But if I had to give an answer on that, I would say like a Desmond Bane, or Quentin Grimes, as well. Just two names out there that I feel are pretty similar. They were just guys that matched with their role right when they got there and then expanded after and had a lot of success growing in the league.”

JOHN TONJE COMING IN CLUTCH 😤

(via @MarchMadnessMBB) pic.twitter.com/jlBqMIsnaV

— ESPN BET (@ESPNBET) March 23, 2025

Chaz Lanier, 6-4 guard, Tennessee, No. 49

“I really like Devin Booker’s game. Throughout this past season at Tennessee, I was really studying his footwork and his ability to create space and get his shots off, and just the quick reads that he makes. So, I say Devin Booker. And, I steal a lot of Buddy Hield’s footwork, and I admire the way he gets his shot off so fast and how simple he keeps the game.”

Hunter Sallis, 6-4 guard, Wake Forest, No. 56

“I say Tim Hardaway Jr. (Nickeil) Alexander-Walker, he’s a good one, just how he defends. I like (Donte) DiVincenzo. There’s a lot of guys I feel like I try to take little pieces of their games and stuff, for sure. I don’t think I play like a certain someone, but definitely, there’s flashes, for sure.”

Jalon Moore, 6-6 wing, Oklahoma, undrafted

“I feel like a P.J. Washington, Jonathan Kuminga. A person who can get out and stretch the floor. I became a more able knockdown 3-point shooter, so I said guys like them who can impact the game even without scoring the ball and just rebounding the next possession. I feel like that’s an important role in any NBA team.”

(Top photo of Dylan Harper: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)