College basketball recruiting has changed. With the rise of the transfer portal and the well-chronicled influx of international prospects, high school players aren’t evaluated quite the same way during the spring. But one thing hasn’t changed: July is still the most important month for discovering the next generation of stars.
Each summer, top high school players showcase their skills on circuits backed by major shoe companies like Nike, Adidas, Under Armour and now even Puma and New Balance. While talent is more spread out than in the past, Nike and Adidas events still attract the biggest crowds and deepest pools of elite players. The two biggest stages? Nike’s EYBL Peach Jam in South Carolina, and Adidas’ 3SSB finale — this year branded as the Earn Your Stripes Invitational in California.
Over the past two years, these events have launched future top NBA Draft picks into the spotlight. Cooper Flagg became a household name at the 2022 Peach Jam before starring at Duke and going No. 1 to the Dallas Mavericks in 2024. The rest of 247Sports’ top six players in that class — Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, Khaman Maluach, VJ Edgecombe and Tre Johnson — also used July to make their names, then followed with strong freshman seasons and top-10 draft selections.
The class of 2025 looks just as loaded. No. 1-ranked Darryn Peterson has been drawing raves this summer at Kansas and will battle No. 2 AJ Dybantsa, of BYU, for the top spot in the 2026 NBA Draft. Duke-bound Cameron Boozer, Arkansas’ Darius Acuff, Tennessee’s Nate Ament and Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. all look like future lottery picks as well.
So this summer, with two bountiful crops of high school basketball talent in the rearview, attention shifted toward the classes of 2026 and 2027 — which feed into the 2027 and 2028 NBA Drafts.
If Peach Jam and Adidas are any indication, there’s a talent gap compared to recent years. The top-ranked player in 2026, Tyran Stokes, is a strong and athletic 6-foot-7 wing playing for the Oakland Soldiers. He’s earned the No. 1 spot for good reason, but in comparison to recent stars like Flagg or Peterson, he’s a step below. If he were in one of those stronger classes, Stokes might be seen as a borderline top-five prospect.
As for the class after, Baba Oladotun was the clear standout among 2027 prospects in North Augusta last weekend. Playing up an age group in the 17U Division, the 6-foot-9 small forward was one of only two five-star prospects to make it out of pool play while leading Team Durant into the quarterfinals.
Skinny and skilled, Oladotun’s growth and maturity on the court really shined on his team’s run to the quarterfinals. He was second on his team in scoring, posting 13.2 points per game, but it was the attitude and approach, commitment to team, and effort on both sides of the floor that stood out.
Oladotun can score from all three levels, but still needs to get stronger and further improve his jumper to improve in that area. Regardless, Oladotun held his own and showed why he is among the best 2027 recruits in the country. There’s also a great chance he reclassifies up to the 2026 class, which would at least boost that year.
I teamed up with my 247Sports colleague Travis Branham for a deep dive on what we learned about the next wave of basketball talent this summer. Barring a major breakthrough talent, the top-level American offerings for the 2027 and 2028 NBA Drafts are going to be more in line with 2023 and 2024 than 2025 and what we’ll see in 2026.
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