NBA Draft stock rising for UConn’s Karaban, Reed

UConn’s Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed Jr. have been two of the biggest stock risers in the 2026 NBA Draft class over the last few months.

The Huskies’ frontcourt duo has made quite an impression so far at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago this week, where they hope to continue improving their draft position through the various physical tests and shooting drills in front of NBA scouts and front office personnel.

Karaban, who put on a show and finished first in three different shooting drills when he participated in the combine before pulling out of the draft in 2024, continued to shoot it well at Wintrust Arena on Monday. The UConn captain ended the day tied as the top shooter in the 3-point star drill, making 18 of his 25 attempts (72%), and also finished first in the side-mid-side drill with 21 makes on 25 attempts (84%). He had the third-best results in spot-up shooting, making 18 of his 25 shot attempts (72%), was fifth in shooting off the dribble with 22 makes on 30 attempts (73.3%), and ninth from the foul line, where he went 8-for-10.

The Southborough, Mass., native measured in at 6-foot-6 3/4 without shoes and 225.2 pounds with a 6-foot-11 wingspan and an 8-foot-8 1/2 standing reach. He reached 28 inches in the no-step vertical jump, 33 inches in the maximum vertical jump, and finished the pro lane drill in 11.19 seconds, the 3/4 court sprint in 3.28 seconds and the shuttle run in 3.01 seconds – all of which were toward the middle of pack in Monday’s group.

Reed, who has seen his stock rise more than anyone since his dominant stretch in the NCAA Tournament, measured in at 6-9 3/4 and 263.6 pounds with a 7-4 1/4 wingspan and a 9-2 standing reach.

He was not in Monday’s testing group but is expected to participate in the 5-on-5 scrimmages on Wednesday and Thursday, which are set to begin around 2 p.m. on both days with Wednesday’s airing on ESPN2 and Thursday’s on NBA TV.

In the latest mock drafts, Reed has vaulted himself from a mid-to-late second-round prospect to a potential first-round pick after leading the Huskies back to the national championship game, averaging 19.5 points, 13.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 blocks per game throughout the NCAA Tournament. Draft expert Sam Vecenie has Reed being selected by the New York Knicks at No. 24 overall in his latest projection for The Athletic, while USA Today had him going No. 30 overall to the Dallas Mavericks. Reed was mocked as an early second-round selection by both ESPN, NBADraft.net and HoopsHQ, which had him going No. 31 overall.

Karaban remains a strong candidate to be chosen early in the second round. The Athletic has him first off the board on the second day as the No. 31 overall pick to the Knicks, while ESPN had him joining Cam Spencer in Memphis as the No. 32 pick by the Grizzlies. He was slotted at No. 36 (Los Angeles Clippers) on NBADraft.net and No. 40 (Boston Celtics) by HoopsHQ.

The NBA Draft will take place on June 23 and 24 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.