Duke
• Fr
• 6’8″
/ 221 lbs
Projected Team
Dallas
PROSPECT RNK
1st
POSITION RNK
1st
PPG
19.2
RPG
7.5
APG
4.2
3P%
38.5%
The one pick you can already write in permanent ink. Dallas lands its foundational piece after blowing it up midseason after dealing Luka Doncic to the Lakers.
Rutgers
• Fr
• 6’5″
/ 213 lbs
Projected Team
San Antonio
PROSPECT RNK
2nd
POSITION RNK
1st
PPG
19.4
RPG
4.6
APG
4
3P%
33.3%
It’s possible San Antonio uses this pick as trade bait, but also possible: San Antonio sticks at No. 2 and picks the clear No. 2 prospect in the class despite potential fit questions around Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox. Increasingly, this seems like a situation where you select the best talent and figure out fit later.
Rutgers
• Fr
• 6’8″
/ 203 lbs
Projected Team
Philadelphia
PROSPECT RNK
3rd
POSITION RNK
2nd
PPG
17.6
RPG
7.2
APG
1.3
3P%
34.6%
I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if Philly considers other players here such as VJ Edgecombe, Tre Johnson or Kon Knueppel. But most view the draft dropping off in talent *after* Bailey — even if his prospect profile is a bit more volatile than others. He’s a big wing and talented shot-maker with tremendous size and athleticism.
Baylor
• Fr
• 6’4″
/ 193 lbs
Projected Team
Charlotte
PROSPECT RNK
4th
POSITION RNK
1st
PPG
15
RPG
5.6
APG
3.2
3P%
34%
With LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller in place, Charlotte adds a two-way guard who can make shots at a respectable clip and give the Hornets an athletic downhill driving threat. Most importantly he gives this team a complementary weapon to fit neatly around the team’s top stars.
Texas
• Fr
• 6’5″
/ 190 lbs
Projected Team
Utah
PROSPECT RNK
5th
POSITION RNK
2nd
PPG
19.9
RPG
3.1
APG
2.7
3P%
39.7%
Johnson led freshmen in Division I last season in scoring and made more 3-pointers than any player in his class to boot. He’s a bucket-getter who has opened eyes not just with his versatility as a scorer, but with his rounded skill set as a playmaker, too.
Oklahoma
• Fr
• 6’3″
/ 180 lbs
Projected Team
Washington
PROSPECT RNK
7th
POSITION RNK
2nd
PPG
17.1
RPG
4.1
APG
4.1
3P%
28.4%
Fears is arguably the biggest boom-or-bust proposition in this draft with flashes of stardom in his one season at Oklahoma mixed in with some worrying red flags tough to overlook. He’ll need to develop his shot to be a threat at the next level and cut out errant passes that were too frequently a feature of his game.
Duke
• Fr
• 6’5″
/ 219 lbs
Projected Team
New Orleans
PROSPECT RNK
6th
POSITION RNK
3rd
PPG
14.4
RPG
4
APG
2.7
3P%
40.6%
New Orleans snags the Robin to Cooper Flagg’s Batman in Knueppel, who is the most skilled shooter in the draft after hitting 40.6% on 3-pointers last season at Duke and rating out in the 90th percentile or better on both jump shots and catch-and-shoot attempts. He was very good playing next to a star in Flagg and there’s more room for him to expand his game in a bigger role.
Illinois
• Fr
• 6’5″
/ 205 lbs
Projected Team
Brooklyn
PROSPECT RNK
9th
POSITION RNK
3rd
PPG
15
RPG
5.7
APG
4.7
3P%
31.8%
With a hard reset likely incoming for Brooklyn, I like the idea of the Nets refreshing their backcourt around Jakucionis — a lead guard with great size and shooting potential.
Duke
• Fr
• 7’1″
/ 253 lbs
Projected Team
Toronto
PROSPECT RNK
11th
POSITION RNK
2nd
PPG
8.6
RPG
6.6
APG
0.5
3P%
25%
A former soccer obsessive who only began playing basketball as a teenager after a massive growth spurt, Maluach’s 7-2 frame and 7-6 wingspan make him an enticing bet for a Raptors team that is positioned to begin pushing its chips to the table. He’d make for a nice, and hard to miss, lob threat in Toronto for Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley.
South Carolina
• Soph
• 6’7″
/ 239 lbs
Projected Team
Houston
PROSPECT RNK
8th
POSITION RNK
1st
PPG
16.8
RPG
8.3
APG
2.4
3P%
26.5%
Defense, defense, defense. Houston’s already got a strong unit on that end and an investment in CMB is a doubling down of what has worked already with the Rockets. He’d give this team an identity in the frontcourt and could fit well alongside Alperen Sengun down low.
BYU
• Fr
• 6’8″
/ 199 lbs
Projected Team
Portland
PROSPECT RNK
12th
POSITION RNK
4th
PPG
10.6
RPG
3.9
APG
5.5
3P%
27.3%
A potential shakeup for Portland’s backcourt may give its brass reason to invest in a playmaker of Demin’s caliber at No. 11. He has tremendous passing ability, though limitations with his defense and struggles with his shooting consistency has his range anywhere between mid-lottery to the 20s.
Maryland
• Fr
• 6’9″
/ 248 lbs
Projected Team
Chicago
PROSPECT RNK
10th
POSITION RNK
1st
PPG
16.5
RPG
9
APG
1.9
3P%
20%
Chicago adding youth and size to its young roster makes Queen a perfect match of fit and need at No. 12. He has tremendous skill and feel for a big man whose passing and playmaking could open up opportunities to be an offensive hub in the NBA.
Michigan St.
• Fr
• 6’1″
/ 178 lbs
Projected Team
Atlanta
PROSPECT RNK
17th
POSITION RNK
1st
PPG
12.1
RPG
3.3
APG
1.9
3P%
41.2%
Richardson has a wide draft range because of an underwhelming height measurement at the NBA Draft Combine but it wouldn’t surprise if he still snuck into the lottery. He plays bigger than his measurements with a silky scoring game and long reach on the defensive end to impact winning at a high level.
Connecticut
• Fr
• 6’7″
/ 215 lbs
Projected Team
San Antonio
PROSPECT RNK
21st
POSITION RNK
5th
PPG
14.5
RPG
6
APG
2.3
3P%
31.7%
It’d be hard to find a better fit for the Spurs at No. 14 than McNeeley. He’s a competitive wing who plays a selfless style and has the makings of a glue guy to help in San Antonio.
Washington State
• Sr
• 6’5″
/ 213 lbs
PPG
17.7
RPG
7
APG
3.7
3P%
40%
A late-riser whose steam over the last month has pushed him firmly into the lottery conversation, Coward and his versatility as a multipositional wing with athleticism and scoring fits the archetype that’d make perfect sense for a contender like OKC.
Colorado State
• Sr
• 6’5″
/ 202 lbs
Projected Team
Memphis
PROSPECT RNK
15th
POSITION RNK
4th
PPG
18.9
RPG
9.6
APG
4.4
3P%
37.7%
Memphis bid adieu to Desmond Bane in a blockbuster deal that shipped its sharpshooter to Orlando last week. Here the Grizzlies recoup some firepower in the backcourt with an older prospect — similar to how Bane was coming out of TCU — who has proven at the college level to be a dynamic shooter.
Arizona
• Fr
• 6’7″
/ 215 lbs
Projected Team
Minnesota
PROSPECT RNK
13th
POSITION RNK
2nd
PPG
6.5
RPG
4.1
APG
1
3P%
37.1%
Bryant was merely a bit player in his one season at Arizona but his big frame and promise as a two-way wing who can defend and shoot make him a potential lottery pick in this year’s class.
Michigan
• Jr
• 6’11”
/ 252 lbs
Projected Team
Washington
PROSPECT RNK
16th
POSITION RNK
3rd
PPG
13.2
RPG
9.7
APG
3.6
3P%
33.6%
Washington adds more size to its frontcourt for a second consecutive draft with a complementary weapon to pair with Alex Sarr. Wolf has the tools of a point guard inside a 7-foot frame, and his playmaking would help elevate the young and fun pieces already in place in Washington.
Georgia
• Fr
• 6’9″
/ 224 lbs
Projected Team
Brooklyn
PROSPECT RNK
20th
POSITION RNK
4th
PPG
15.4
RPG
6.9
APG
0.9
3P%
29.2%
Brooklyn adds a lob-finishing shot-blocker at No. 19 to add next to top-10 pick Kasparas Jakucionis. Newell is an athletic above-the-rim big who showed promise as a floor spacer in his one season at Georgia.
Nolan Traore
PG
France
• 6’4″
/ 175 lbs
Projected Team
Miami
PROSPECT RNK
14th
POSITION RNK
5th
PPG
11.7
RPG
1.7
APG
5.1
3P%
31.7%
Love the idea of Miami adding playmaking to its roster and love the idea, specifically, of Traore with the Heat. He’s crafty with the ball in his hands and his decision-making could help Tyler Herro play more comfortably off the ball.
Noa Essengue
PF
France
• 6’10”
/ 200 lbs
Projected Team
Utah
PROSPECT RNK
22nd
POSITION RNK
5th
PPG
17.7
RPG
7
APG
3.7
3P%
40%
Essengue is a French prospect with great positional size. As the second-youngest player available in this class, he’s a long-term bet with defensive tools and shooting upside to grow into a potential steal in the coming years — a luxury only a team like Utah can afford to be patient seeing through.
Georgetown
• Fr
• 6’9″
/ 263 lbs
Projected Team
Atlanta
PROSPECT RNK
19th
POSITION RNK
3rd
PPG
14.5
RPG
8.5
APG
2.4
3P%
16.2%
This is a bit lower than where Sorber could wind up on draft night, with buzz that he could land late in the lottery, perhaps with Atlanta. That’d make landing him at No. 22 a steal for the Hawks.
Joan Beringer
C
France
• 6’11”
/ 235 lbs
Projected Team
New Orleans
PROSPECT RNK
27th
POSITION RNK
5th
PPG
15.4
RPG
6.9
APG
0.9
3P%
29.2%
New Orleans acquired this pick from the Finals-contending Pacers, and there is an immense amount of value in bigs of varying types in this range. Beringer with his 7-4 wingspan provides defensive versatility and the ability to rim-protect. There’s a lot to like with this 18 year old, and pairing him with a player like Kon Knueppel or Jeremiah Fears would lay the groundwork for a stellar duo to build around long term.
Creighton
• Sr
• 7’1″
/ 257 lbs
PPG
19.2
RPG
8.7
APG
1.5
3P%
34.4%
There is a lot of potential value in this range for big men prospects and Kalkbrenner’s fit in OKC could be tough to pass on at No. 24. He’s a four-time DPOY winner in the Big East who improved every season in college and is ready to contribute right away in the NBA.
Florida
• Sr
• 6’2″
/ 199 lbs
Projected Team
Orlando
PROSPECT RNK
26th
POSITION RNK
7th
PPG
18.3
RPG
3.7
APG
4.2
3P%
38.6%
Opinions vary among evaluators on Clayton and his NBA prospects but all agree on one thing: he can be a scorer at the NBA level. I like the idea of Orlando keeping him in Florida and asking him to be a sparkplug for its offense, which rated 14th among 16 playoff teams this postseason.
Ben Saraf
PG
Israel
• 6’5″
/ 200 lbs
Projected Team
Brooklyn
PROSPECT RNK
23rd
POSITION RNK
6th
Saraf is an Israeli guard who has acquitted himself well overseas as a scorer and playmaker at just 18 years old this season, and he’s crafty in using his smarts to find open teammates. Brooklyn has four first-round picks in this draft and could use Saraf and Jakucionis to change the trajectory for the better of its backcourt.
Hugo Gonzalez
SF
Spain
• 6’6″
/ 205 lbs
Projected Team
Brooklyn
PROSPECT RNK
30th
POSITION RNK
8th
PPG
18.6
RPG
10.8
APG
2.9
3P%
27.8%
Gonzalez hasn’t played or produced much for Real Madrid this season, which is mostly the byproduct of being a 19 year old on a first-place team in a legitimate professional league. But the athleticism and high-motor that’s made him an intriguing prospect for years still exists and will likely be enough to get Gonzalez selected in the first round.
Noah Penda
SF
France
• 6’8″
/ 225 lbs
Projected Team
Boston
PROSPECT RNK
30th
POSITION RNK
8th
PPG
10.2
RPG
5.1
APG
2.6
3P%
30.4%
A French prospect putting together a strong season with Le Mans, Penda checks several boxes as a long forward who can score inside and out and match up well physically defending multiple positions. He could give Boston some long-term flexibility as it enters a potential transition year next season.
Stanford
• Sr
• 7’0″
/ 237 lbs
Projected Team
Phoenix
PROSPECT RNK
25th
POSITION RNK
4th
PPG
20.2
RPG
10.6
APG
1.7
3P%
34.5%
Raynuad quietly flourished on a floundering Stanford team last season as one of the best players in all of college basketball. The center has remarkable movement skills for his size and can not only space the floor with his shot, but can put the ball on the deck and create. A rare skill for a player his size.
Penn State
• Jr
• 6’11”
/ 243 lbs
PPG
12.9
RPG
6.3
APG
0.8
BPG
2.3
No veteran college big man had a stronger May than Niederhauser, culminating with a strong showing at the Combine. He blocked 2.3 shots per game at Penn State last season and looks the part of a late-blooming center who can provide real impact at the center position.
