32. Marquette wing Kam Jones<\/p>\n
He\u2019s transitioning into being a true point guard. His passing really improved this past year. His shotmaking really did not. I think he\u2019s an elite-level finisher. He has a great touch, and obviously a lot of it is left-hand-dominant, but I believe in his finishing. His two-point scoring improved a lot as his career went on. Obviously he won\u2019t be able to get as deep as he was able to in college in the NBA because of the size, but he also can pass.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m concerned about his overall shooting. I think he\u2019ll be an off-the-bench guy, and his ceiling, if his shooting can come around, could be better than that. He\u2019s not very big. He has to get stronger just to compete against the size that exists in that league. So he\u2019s going to have to guard points and he\u2019s gonna have to continue to develop his playmaking and his shooting has to improve.<\/p>\n
33. Arkansas wing Adou Thiero<\/p>\n
Not a great offensive player. Straight-line driver, athletic, tough. When he led them in shot attempts and scoring, they were worse off as a team. So I don\u2019t know what his upside is in the league. Maybe a Lu Dort-type guy. Somebody you can just have be on the other team\u2019s best player and try to shut them down. He\u2019s one of those guys that\u2019s a really impactful college player, does a lot of things that impact winning. And for him to make it I think you would have to be on a very specific roster because offensively in the NBA, he\u2019s not going to be able to do a lot of the things that he did in college because physically he was able to overwhelm you and he was an elite athlete, but in the NBA you\u2019re going to see that every single night.<\/p>\n
He would have benefited from another year. But even if he had stayed another year, he was probably going to be the same guy. I don\u2019t know how much he\u2019s going to improve shooting the ball. So maybe it was the right move to capitalize on the season he had. Just don\u2019t think he\u2019s an NBA player. He\u2019s more of a G-League guy.<\/p>\n
35. Penn State big Yanic Konan Niederhauser<\/p>\n
His size and his motor are really good. He had two impressive dunks over top of guys in our game. He\u2019s a backup big. Can he develop into a guy that can play out of the short roll and make decisions, or is he just going to be a guy that rim runs and puts pressure on the rim? Can he be a professional and get better? What he is right now, is this his floor or is this his ceiling?<\/p>\n
36. Duke guard Tyrese Proctor<\/p>\n
He might be a Duke player that\u2019s undervalued. When\u2019s the last time you heard that, right? Can really shoot, can manage a game. Impressed me with his IQ, knowing which shots were good ones. He\u2019s a strong right-hand driver and we tried to push him to his left, but he is capable of going both directions. When he gets into the paint, he\u2019s a very capable passer as well. Likes to pull up in the midrange. Makes big shots. You can\u2019t go under screens with him at all. Active defender and someone that\u2019s capable of getting deflections. Good positional size.<\/p>\n
I think there\u2019s certainly an NBA role for him as a backup guard at a minimum. The shooting translates. He\u2019s competitive enough to be able to want to guard. Could he get into an Andrew Nembhard role and be a guy like that? I don\u2019t know. That\u2019s probably a little bit aggressive. As a bigger guard that can shoot, I think he\u2019s got that competitiveness and toughness about him that could allow him to exceed his draft rating.<\/p>\n
37. Wisconsin wing John Tonje<\/p>\n
Super impressive on film and equally as impressive in person. How Wisconsin played, there were times where you could kind of take him out of the game, but when it wasn\u2019t structured and the game got kind of ratted up, he was best. He excels in transition and on broken plays, which could be a good thing for the NBA with the pace and the timing. Now, is he a good enough athlete for the NBA? We\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n
40. Duke guard Sion James<\/p>\n
Oh man, tough dude. Physical. You go out to warmups and you see him out there, he\u2019s just such a specimen. Looks like a Lu Dort. He\u2019s got that type of body. Can he have an impact, not to the same level, but can he be like a Dort? Somebody that\u2019s just really not going to be screened, fights over everything and is really good on that end. He\u2019s not great in pick-and-roll, but he\u2019s a good cutter, and he shot it at a really good clip. He\u2019s gonna really have to be a specialist type to have a role in the NBA.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Sion James\u2019 physicality paid off down the stretch during the Blue Devils\u2019 Final Four run. (Scott Wachter \/ Imagn Images)41. Auburn big Johni Broome<\/p>\n
His athleticism is probably the thing that\u2019s gonna hurt him more than anything, and his age, but you can\u2019t tell me that he\u2019s not going to produce, even at the NBA level. Is he a starting center? Probably not. But is he a guy that can be in the second-unit rotation and wear people down with his size and his smarts and his ability? I think so. I don\u2019t think he\u2019s got a huge upside in the league. But I do think there is a place for veteran guys that can have an imprint on a franchise.<\/p>\n
43. Florida guard Alijah Martin<\/p>\n
He\u2019s going to be a G-League guy. He\u2019s a 6-2 small forward, and I just don\u2019t think that really translates in the NBA. The one thing that could be said about him is that he\u2019s a winner. He\u2019s been to two Final Fours, won a national championship, and so he impacts winning on both ends of the floor.<\/p>\n
45. Georgetown wing Micah Peavy<\/p>\n
I love Peavy. From a defensive standpoint, his versatility is real. He has a competitive spirit. He could impact the game just by being an elite defender. He was probably the best defender in our league on the perimeter. He could impact the games without scoring<\/p>\n
His offense really improved this year. He\u2019s really worked at it through all the stops (Texas Tech, then TCU, then Georgetown). He seems to have an understanding of who he is as a player, which allows him to play to his strengths really well. Shooting is still going to be a question. Decision making is always gonna be a question, but his size and tenacity on defense can impact the game. He\u2019s old, so his ceiling is a little bit limited, but physically he\u2019s so ready.<\/p>\n
46. VCU guard Max Shulga<\/p>\n
He was so ball-dominant at VCU, and I think there\u2019s teams that probably look at that and will be very intrigued. You can tell he\u2019s a high-IQ player. He makes good decisions in the pick-and-roll, whether it\u2019s for himself or the proper reads first level, second level and beyond. He\u2019s the guy I hated to guard or play against because he knew the game and had those European tricks \u2014 the push-offs and a lot of different things that help you win games. I hated it, but I respect it. I just don\u2019t know if that s\u2014 helps in the NBA.<\/p>\n
The questions are: How does he play in a system where in the NBA his usage rate will be much lower? Then, how does he hold up defensively against quicker, more athletic guards? He is a good, not great 3-point shooter. He\u2019s an awesome college player because of the way (former VCU coach Ryan Odom) used him, but if you can crawl into him and be physical and do certain things to him that you can\u2019t really do in the A-10, I just don\u2019t know if he\u2019s an NBA player. He\u2019ll be a high-level guy in Europe.<\/p>\n
47. Tennessee wing Chaz Lanier<\/p>\n
His inconsistency on a night-to-night basis could hurt him. He doesn\u2019t handle the ball very well. But without question, NBA range, size, can make a pull-up in the lane. The way they were running off screens was very reminiscent of how UConn and Detroit used Rip Hamilton all those years. But Rip could really put the thing on the ground. That was the difference. Lanier\u2019s not a great ballhandler. He\u2019s a specialist. Somebody you have to identify and know where he is at all times.<\/p>\n
Defensively, I thought he made some strides this past year under (Tennessee coach Rick Barnes). But I think he\u2019d be more of like a 3-and-D guy in the NBA, more of a role player. Not that you\u2019re gonna put the ball in his hands and ask him to make plays. But physically, definitely checks off some boxes. And then obviously has a unique ability to make shots at a really high clip.<\/p>\n
48. Michigan center Vladislav Goldin<\/p>\n
He\u2019s strong. Could be a rotation big. Probably could be a starter on some teams as he matures and gets better. I think he\u2019ll be a legit NBA player because of his size, his ability to score around the basket and his ability to defend at the rim.<\/p>\n
At Michigan, I didn\u2019t love some of the histrionics, but he could almost be like a goon in the NBA, the big man version of Jose Alvarado. He comes in and picks up 94 feet. Vlad Goldin is the big who comes in and beats the mess out of people, gets a couple fouls and a double technical, changes the mentality of the team and sets the temperature a little bit hotter.<\/p>\n
49. Kentucky wing Koby Brea<\/p>\n
I always thought he was an NBA player, and I didn\u2019t realize until we played them that he was 6-7 and he\u2019s legit 6-7. That\u2019s a guy I can see in the NBA for a long time. I don\u2019t know how you can replace what he can do with it. He gets it off so quickly. Can\u2019t really play-make for anyone else but himself, but if you need a guy to go out there and just make shots, at one point he was shooting 50 something percent from 3 during the year.<\/p>\n
Now, he\u2019s a horrible defender. I get that. And so you\u2019re gonna have to protect him on the other end. He\u2019s got to learn how to defend by taking deep angles. His feet aren\u2019t great as a defender, but man, as a shooter, not a lot of guys that could do what he does and shooting at that high of a clip in this league and throughout his college career. There\u2019s got to be a place for that.<\/p>\n
50. Florida State wing Jamir Watkins<\/p>\n
Love him. I talked to a lot of scouts about him during the year, and I was surprised that people were not as high on him. He is big. He can handle the ball. You could say he\u2019s a jump shot away from being an impact NBA player, but I believe in his shooting. His body type\u2019s different. He can be an elite defender. Plays hard. He\u2019s tough. He can guard multiple positions. He\u2019s switchable. That is a guy that I would absolutely take and think that he will make it and has a high ceiling.<\/p>\n
51. Nevada wing Kobe Sanders<\/p>\n
Super talented. Long and rangy. Can handle the ball, shoot the ball, pass the ball. But in my opinion, no toughness. His numbers are really good and he\u2019s able to do a whole bunch of stuff and he looks the part, but something\u2019s just kind of missing. I think part of his deficiency is he doesn\u2019t defend. He\u2019ll give you 17, but he\u2019ll give up the same, and when it\u2019s time to win the game he\u2019s just not going to do it. He doesn\u2019t shoot it well enough, doesn\u2019t handle and burst well enough for that level.<\/p>\n
Potentially he could be a Kyle Anderson-type guard, but is he worth building stuff around? He was the main guy at Nevada \u2014 him and Nick Davidson \u2014 and they were just OK and they were supposed to be really good. He\u2019s going to have to really find a way to impact the game with his length and athleticism in more ways on the defensive end and on the glass to make it.<\/p>\n
52. Louisville guard Chucky Hepburn<\/p>\n
He has the stuff within him to be able to figure it out to be a backup point guard in the league. Always comes up with a big shot. Good defensively. We called him Chucky the Gambler. He was so disruptive on defense and active. Got steals. Played with such a high motor. He has a good feel for how to play. Doesn\u2019t force anything. Makes pull-up jumpers, 3s, good in transition. Every time we made a mini run, he was the one that would stem the tide because he would make a big play. He\u2019s undersized, and he\u2019ll need to be a guy who picks up 94 feet. He\u2019s going to figure out a way to make it. I\u2019ll never bet against that kid.<\/p>\n
54. Northwestern wing Brooks Barnhizer<\/p>\n
Skilled, tough, nasty. He\u2019s one of those dudes that\u2019ll carve out a role. If he makes it to the NBA, it\u2019ll be because it\u2019s straight toughness and his relentlessness. It won\u2019t be because he\u2019s overly athletic. It won\u2019t be because he can shoot better than this person. It\u2019ll be just because he\u2019s just nasty and he\u2019ll get s\u2014 done.<\/p>\n
55. Wake Forest guard Hunter Sallis<\/p>\n
Tough one because he\u2019s a high-usage guard that won\u2019t be in that role anymore, and so how does he scale down and really impact the team? He does have good size as a lead guard\/combo guard. A legit three-level scorer. Strong finisher at the rim. I just don\u2019t know if he has that NBA skill \u2014 any one particular \u2014 that\u2019s really going to allow him to hang. Could he be somebody\u2019s backup point guard? Maybe. He\u2019s not necessarily a driller that you\u2019re going to play off the ball. He\u2019s not going to be good enough to run second-unit offense through. He\u2019s not an outstanding defender. What is that guy gonna bring?<\/p>\n
56. St. John\u2019s wing RJ Luis<\/p>\n
A boom-or-bust type guy. Great rebounder and excellent defender. He improved as a shooter, but I don\u2019t know if I fully trust his shot yet. I do trust his motor, his competitive spirit, his energy. I think that\u2019ll translate really, really well. Probably wouldn\u2019t say I\u2019d predict he was going to be Big East Player of the Year, but he has a toughness to him. He has all the tools to do everything that\u2019s needed at that level. It seems like he\u2019s a guy that really, really wants to score the ball and kind of bases how his game is going on that, and he\u2019ll probably be a role guy at that next level. How does that go? Who knows?<\/p>\n
57. Gonzaga guard Ryan Nembhard<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t think there\u2019s many players in the league that can make other people around them better like he does. He\u2019s an incredible pick-and-roll player. He sees every pass. Guys don\u2019t even know they\u2019re open, and he throws to a spot where he gets them open. You play him as a passer, and he still gets every pass. In the last 10-15 years, I can\u2019t remember a point guard that enjoyed passing the ball the way that he does. People always say, well, he didn\u2019t score enough. I think he can score. I just think he has an incredible ability to see a pass ahead and takes great pleasure in making other people better. I don\u2019t think there are that many guys at the next level that can pick defenses apart the way that he can.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s really, really small up close. Can he consistently keep defenses honest by just being able to make an adequate amount of 3s? He\u2019s streaky as a shooter, and I think that\u2019s gonna be something that he\u2019ll need to improve on if he wants to really stick. But he\u2019s as elite as they come from a passing standpoint. Can he be a guy like TJ McConnell? He\u2019s a pest on the ball. He can get steals. He just kind of knows how to play and has a knack for it.<\/p>\n
59. Kentucky big Amari Williams<\/p>\n
Love his physicality, love his motor, love his ability to pass the ball. Kentucky would use him in the middle of the floor and have him initiate different actions, and he was great at that. His decision making was questionable at times. Obviously one of the best rebounders in the country this past season. He doesn\u2019t shoot the ball, but physically he was one of the more imposing players in our league.<\/p>\n
He was one of those guys that I thought really stood out in the SEC, somebody that has really continued to improve and somebody that I think could have some success at the next level because he does a couple things at a really high level.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The RestAlabama guard Mark Sears<\/p>\n
Too small. Offensively, does a lot of good things, but I think he really took a step back from last season. He dropped 9 percent from 3 in a year and dropped 10 percent from 2. He doesn\u2019t have the point guard\u2019s mentality he\u2019s gonna need in the NBA. Not fast enough and doesn\u2019t have enough wiggle to be able to really get by you at that level. And he\u2019s not very good defensively. He was a great, great college player. I just don\u2019t think it translates to the next level because athletically, physically, he\u2019s just not really gonna be able to do much with his stature.<\/p>\n
Kentucky wing Jaxson Robinson<\/p>\n
He was very soft coming out of high school, but he had the talent to really shoot the ball, instincts were pretty decent. Just not tough, not gritty. And then I see him over the last couple years what he did at BYU and Kentucky. He\u2019s gotten better, but he\u2019s always had those dimensions as an NBA player.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s going to have to play more off the ball. And defensively, he was solid, not great. So I think he\u2019s the guy that could potentially develop in the G-League and find his way onto a roster.<\/p>\n
St. John\u2019s guard Kadary Richmond<\/p>\n
RJ Luis was an absolute load to deal with, and Zuby Ejiofor was good too, but I think Richmond was such a domino in them winning. He has real size as a point guard and great feel defensively. At times it looks like he\u2019s somewhat lost out there, but then he makes these plays that are incredible.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to play guys who can\u2019t shoot. That\u2019s going to be something that is going to get scrutinized to the highest level because it\u2019s so important up there. But playing against him, he feels like a guy that over time as you\u2019ve coached and watched guys who have made it, you watch him and think, that guy makes it. If you were to look at his stats over his career, when he actually played versus when he didn\u2019t play and the impact it had on his team, even going back to Seton Hall, he impacts winning. It seemed like his decision making really improved this past year. He was just more sound, not as loose with the ball. His deal might be a guy that has to bounce around some, but wouldn\u2019t be shocked if he gets up there and finds a role somewhere.<\/p>\n
Villanova big Eric Dixon<\/p>\n
The numbers he put up this year were crazy. He showed that he can do more than just post up and shoot 3s. I think he\u2019s a high-floor guy, limited ceiling. Shotmaking was real. He does take some bad ones and struggles to create his own one against better athletes. Positionally, what will he be at that level? He seems to be OK with a lot of different roles, which I think would benefit him for the next step. On a winning team, I could see him making it, at least for a cup of coffee where he can make shots as a small-ball four. He\u2019s got to prove he can guard perimeter at that level. For a guy his size, he can really move his feet. He could switch and move in college.<\/p>\n
Clemson guard Chase Hunter<\/p>\n
Another one I like and mentioned to NBA guys during the year and didn\u2019t quite understand why people didn\u2019t like him. So smooth. Gets to the rim. He can play in pick-and-roll. He rejected us a couple times and got to his pull-up and made it look effortless. Good size for a guard. Can really defend. I did see a couple of times when physicality hurt him. But he was one of the best guards in the ACC. I would bet on him for the mix of toughness, athleticism, offensive skill that he is going to stick at least as a backup point guard.<\/p>\n
Iowa wing Payton Sandfort<\/p>\n
Unbelievable shooter. He\u2019s got a rifle. When he gets that thing going, it\u2019s automatic. Probably can\u2019t guard me or you, and I think he\u2019ll have trouble guarding in the NBA, but he can really shoot the ball. Kind of like a Duncan Robinson.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/USATSI_25745342-scaled-e1750261519509.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Will Gonzaga\u2019s Ryan Nembhard (left) or Houston\u2019s L.J. Cryer catch on at the next level? (Kirby Lee \/ Imagn Images)Deep sleepers<\/p>\n
Houston guard LJ Cryer<\/strong><\/p>\n Because he can flat out score and shoot. There\u2019s a niche for a guy like that to have a bench role and come in and make baskets.<\/p>\n St. John\u2019s wing Aaron Scott<\/strong><\/p>\n Aaron Scott will surprise some people in workouts. Not to get drafted, but I could see him playing Summer League and getting an Exhibit 10 or a two-way and making it from there, because he\u2019s a better shooter than his percentage.<\/p>\n Butler wing Jahmyl Telfort<\/strong><\/p>\n He didn\u2019t impact winning at the level you thought he was capable of. Who knows all the reasons, but his versatility and his size were always something hard to deal with. He really improved his shooting. Defensively, I do think there\u2019s some limitations.<\/p>\n Missouri guard Caleb Grill<\/strong><\/p>\n He might have a place in the league as a specialist. I know he\u2019s old, but man can he shoot that rock. And he\u2019s an asshole\u2026 in a good way. He came in and just lit our ass up. Some of the shots he was making, they were ridiculous shots. With his quick release and ability to sprint off screens and still get his feet set, he\u2019s got to have a role somewhere with that skill set.<\/p>\n San Francisco guard Marcus Williams<\/strong><\/p>\n He\u2019s got NBA size at the position. He\u2019s really athletic. He\u2019s tough. He can defend. And he makes big, big shots. Like big shots. I don\u2019t know what happened with him at the end of the year, but I thought he would be a guy that would have a chance to play at that level because he\u2019s got the whole package.<\/p>\n (Top illustration photos: Emilee Chinn, Sam Hodde \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Throughout the year, NBA scouts ask questions of the college coaches who face the prospects they\u2019re evaluating to…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":978,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[1376,1373,1372,1382,1384,1379,1377,1385,1260,1380,1381,62,1378,1383,67,132,68,1375,1374],"class_list":{"0":"post-976","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-butler-bulldogs","9":"tag-clemson-tigers","10":"tag-duke-blue-devils","11":"tag-florida-gators","12":"tag-gonzaga-bulldogs","13":"tag-iowa-hawkeyes","14":"tag-marquette-golden-eagles","15":"tag-mens-college-basketball","16":"tag-nba","17":"tag-northwestern-wildcats","18":"tag-penn-state-nittany-lions","19":"tag-sports","20":"tag-st-johns-red-storm","21":"tag-tennessee-volunteers","22":"tag-united-states","23":"tag-unitedstates","24":"tag-us","25":"tag-villanova-wildcats","26":"tag-wake-forest-demon-deacons"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}