Now that we have reached March Madness’ Final Four, all eyes are on the NBA Draft prospects in action. There are upwards of a dozen players in action this weekend who could hear their names called during June’s draft — or, at the very least, draw interest at the professional level heading into the 2025-26 regular season.
Who projects as the best options at the next level?
NBA Draft Prospects: Ranking the Top Remaining Players
1) Cooper Flagg, Duke, Wing
Cooper Flagg’s name was at the top of boards 12 months ago, and he’s delivered on every ounce of that hype during his time in Durham, N.C., leading the most talented team in the nation.
On top of his gaudy statistics (he tops the Blue Devils in points, rebounds, assists, and steals in addition to a 48-37-83 shooting split), his feel for the game jumps off the screen. The versatile skill set is something executives at the next level wanted to see translate from high school to college, and they got that in spades during every second of this season.
With guard-like tendencies in the open court and a 6’9” frame that allows him to finish in the paint at a high level for a capable ball handler, there’s nothing not to like here. Zion Williamson is the prospect-hype barometer to which he has been held, and I think that’s legitimate if you exchange some athleticism for finesse.
READ MORE: March Madness Final Four Preview: Are the Florida Gators and Duke Blue Devils on a Crash Course?
Off-the-court things aside, Flagg’s floor, for me, is a mix of what we’ve seen from Miles Bridges through his six seasons: a 20-point-a-night option that can average 1.5 blocks-plus-steals while threatening defenses in a variety of ways with a third of his shots coming from 3.
The ceiling is impossible to quantify. I don’t think he’s LeBron James, but he’s the only player in this draft who can single-handedly make a team competitive like Victor Wembanyama did from the jump.
The sky is the limit, and without extreme size or risk-taking athleticism, he projects to be on the safer side of health variance as he gets set to fulfill his destiny as a centerpiece for an NBA franchise.
2) Khaman Maluach, Duke Center
What were you doing in 2019?
My guess? Probably not starting a new thing that will change the course of history for your family a few short months from now.
Did I get that right?
Khaman Maluach didn’t pick up a basketball until he was 13 years old, and to say the growth in his game has been that of a prodigy would be accurate. Human beings at this size (7’2”) aren’t supposed to move fluently and pick up a coordination-based sport in a hurry, if ever. But just six years later, Maluach has the eye of every NBA team, even in an era that tends to shun big men.
This season, he’s making over three-quarters of his free throws; while he’s not a dead-eye shooter, it’s easy to see a path to him threatening defenses with a set shot. Donovan Clingan went seventh overall to Portland last season. He’s near 30 points-plus-rebounds per 40 minutes as a rookie, and I’m more confident in Maluach’s ability to be a threat from 20+ feet than I was Clingan coming out of UConn.
Maluach has good hands and is remarkably relaxed during action on both sides of the court, something that can’t be taught. His NBA size had people take notice initially, but as this season has progressed, it’s become clear that we are talking about a rare skill set to complement his measurables.
Flagg is a great fit for any team in the NBA, and some other players further down this list may have a greater number of suitors, but Malauch is my second favorite in action this weekend in terms of a player I’d want to add to a rebuilding situation.
3) Kon Knueppel, Duke, Guard
If Peyton Manning played basketball, I think it would look something like what Kon Knueppel puts on tape. His ability to process action in real-time is impressive for anyone, let alone a true freshman, and that innate ability will make him an option for all 30 NBA teams.
His athleticism isn’t prohibitive, but given the direction of NBA backcourts, he’s going to be at a disadvantage most nights in that regard. That said, if we’ve learned anything from the NBA over the past few years, it’s that if you can play winning basketball on the offensive side of the court, teams are willing to take their chances.
I don’t think Knueppel is too dissimilar from Keegan Murray, the fourth overall pick by the Sacramento Kings just three years ago. Murray has done well for himself early in his NBA career, knocking down over 37% of his triples while earning over 32 minutes per game, but he’s yet to establish himself as a go-to option that the offense can funnel through (career: 11.1 shots and 1.4 assists per game).
There’s nothing wrong with that.
Many fans want the explosive, franchise-changing talent, and while I don’t think Knueppel comes out of college with that profile, his archetype is that of a valuable piece on a team that plays at a high level, and that is something every fanbase wants.
4) Tahaad Pettifrod, Auburn, Guard
Knueppel’s elevated floor likely results in him coming off the board well ahead of Tahaad Pettiford, should the freshman declare, but if a team is swinging for the fences, I could see them falling in love with this undersized playmaker’s ceiling.
Athletic guards who can shoot the rock have a funny way of seeing the court in the NBA, no matter their size, and that is what we are looking at here. Pettiford already threatens defenses at all three levels, a skill set that figures to only develop with time. He plays with the type of confidence and killer instinct that teams at the professional level fall in love with when trying to build their backcourt.
For me, he’s Mike Conley, but with more explosiveness and less refinement. What has made Conley a staple in the league (over 1,200 career games) is his creativity and understanding of self. For his career, he’s handed out 3.3 assists per turnover and has put his name on the list of both either-hand finishers in the league.
Pettiford’s athleticism gives him an upside that Conley didn’t have when he left Ohio State back in 2007; if he is willing to tweak his game around the edges, there’s no reason he can’t be a starting guard on a winning team for a long time in this league.
5) Alex Condon, Florida, Forward/Center
Flagg is in his own tier, and the next three are in their own category, leaving us with a pair of big men and a swing to fill out this third bucket of NBA prospects. Alex Condon stands 6’11” and checks the boxes someone at the height should (career: 12.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per 40 minutes), but his 2.3 assists and 1.6 3PA per game this year have NBA scouts taking notice.
Paint-locked bigs are going the way of the dinosaur, so the fact that this sophomore is already comfortable on the perimeter and with the ball in his hands is a major plus. He experienced a six-inch growth spurt in the middle of his high school career, and that helps explain his game some. He wasn’t pigeonholed positionally growing up in Australia.
Condon flashed his tremendous upside in the regular-season meeting with Alabama this year, a game played with the pace of an NBA contest. That night, he made two triples, attempted nine free throws, scored 27 points, and pulled down 10 boards (five offensive).
Every NBA team wants a player with elite size with a clear path to versatility on both ends of the court, something Condon has proven to have in spades during two seasons with the Gators.
6) Johni Broome, Auburn, Forward
For the first time in this exercise, college basketball fans and lovers of the pro game aren’t going to see eye to eye. Johni Broome has pushed Flagg all season long for Player of the Year honors and has been nothing short of spectacular in his fifth collegiate season (18.7 points on 51.2% shooting with 10.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks).
But that’s just it.
Broome will turn 23 in July, and that is a problem. Most NBA teams prefer a prospect 2-4 years younger that they can mold, understanding that it’ll take time but operating under the idea that, after a few years of seasoning, that player will be better in his age-23 season than Broome coming straight out of Auburn.
When evaluating his impact at the professional level, there are a few moving pieces. At 6’10” and 240 pounds, he won’t be able to physically impose his will in the NBA the way he has in college. He’s a fine athlete but not so advanced that he’ll create much of a problem for bigger opponents out in space.
At least, not until he adds consistent range to his offensive repertoire.
Could he do that? I think so. He’s made 53 3s over the last two seasons after attempting just 36 through his first three years, and the willingness to expand is the first step. It’s still a slow and inconsistent release, but training at the professional level could iron that out and make him a reasonable asset.
When I look at him, I see a Nikola Vučević-type of ceiling: a player who entered the league as a plus rebounder and developed into a 3-point threat who is also comfortable as a passer. Asking Broome to come in and meaningfully impact winning during his rookie season would be a lot, but it wouldn’t shock me if he’s a reasonable role player for a few years before leveling up.
7) L.J. Cryer, Houston, Guard
The NBA is always going to downgrade players who spend five years in college for the reasons mentioned above, but the ability to shoot the basketball is something that every team feels they need, and L.J. Cryer can certainly do that at a professional level.
Cryer is a high-floor, low-ceiling type of evaluation for me. I have questions about his athleticism and versatility that will prohibit him from profiling as a 30+ minute a night pro. That said, Donte DiVincenzo is a valuable commodity, and Isaiah Joe plays over 20 minutes per game for maybe the best team in the sport; there’s always a spot on a roster for a player like Cryer.
Wild Card NBA Prospects
Walter Clayton Jr., Florida, Guard
Walter Clayton Jr. has stolen our hearts during March Madness and, realistically, for the better part of the past three months. His Gators have looked like the biggest threat to the big bad Blue Devils.
He’s a heat check waiting to happen and seemingly capable of hitting any shot when called upon. That makes him a fun watch this time of year, but the NBA game is a different animal, and his style of play comes with a wide range of outcomes.
If I had to guess, I’d say that right now is the peak of his popularity. There are size/skill concerns, as he profiles as an off-ball guard at the next level but is the size of a point guard, and the athleticism isn’t overwhelming.
Of course, in the right spot, he could thrive. We know that confidence isn’t an issue, and should he land on a team that can try him in spurts, I think we could see some special nights at the professional level.
For me, he’s a version of Payton Pritchard, both in college production rates (below) and how he projects to be used at the next level.
That’s not a bad trajectory at all, but it’s probably not exactly what you had in mind in seeing him thrive recently. In the right spot, Clayton can be weaponized and make a serious impact — the landing spot will matter significantly.
Isaiah Evans, Duke, Wing
Who?
Every year, it seems that at least one of these uber-talented prospects on a powerhouse team goes unnoticed by the viewing public, only to be prioritized by the pros.
Isaiah Evans is likely to be that guy this year.
He’s a 6’6” shooter who is seemingly always on balance when given the opportunity to score. He’s a very toolsy freshman with plus athleticism, a profile that will draw the interest of most teams (potentially in the first round), but he hasn’t had much of a spot in Jon Scheyer’s loaded rotation (under 15 minutes per game).
We honestly don’t know enough about him to confidently evaluate him, but Evans (41.3% from 3 with 81.4% of his shots coming from downtown) is the type of player that a good team spends a luxury pick on, and I’m not betting against this profile should he land with a stable franchise.
NBA-Roster Worthy
These players have had their moments in this tournament and should find their way into an NBA organization one way or another —maybe as a late pick, or they catch on in the NBA G League. I think it’s fair to say that every remaining March Madness team has at least one player on the fringe of being drafted, and NBA fans should hold onto these names.
- Chad Baker-Mazara, Auburn, Wing
- Tyrese Proctor, Duke, Guard
- Emanuel Sharp, Houston, Guard
- Will Richard, Florida, Guard