With conference schedules wrapping up and March Madness on the horizon, the college basketball season is about to hit a fever pitch. That also means NBA front offices and fans alike will be tuning in, hoping to uncover their team’s next foundational contributor.
This is a talented class, ranging well beyond the much discussed three-headed monster of Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa. Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. is on a historic shot-making spree. Texas wing Dailyn Swain has really come into his during SEC play. Senior guard Bennett Stirtz is starting to produce more at Iowa than he did at Drake.
Let’s dive into our updated top 80 NBA Draft prospects:
1. Cameron Boozer, F, Duke
Height: 6’9
Weight: 235
Class: Freshman
Draft Age: 18
Cam Boozer is the best player in college basketball as an 18-year-old freshman. It’s that simple. Skeptics will nitpick over uneven finishing numbers and sparse defensive shortcomings, but Boozer is far ahead of the curve — physically, mentally, skill-wise. He can power through mismatches in the post, stretch out to the 3-point line and attack downhill, or rifle pinpoint passes on the short roll. There has been an adjustment period finishing against more athletic bigs, but Boozer’s coordination, touch and physicality lead me to believe that will all come out in the wash.
It’s hard to fathom a player as quick-thinking as Boozer at such a young age, not to mention with his physical tools. Boozer renders split-second passing reads and displays a keen nose for the basketball, whether it’s occupying the perfect position for a rebound or snuffing out a weak-side block. Boozer has precious few weak points, and those that exist are mostly solvable. He will never match the outlier explosiveness and agility of his lottery-level piers, but Boozer plays the game instinctually and offers an incredibly high floor.
2. Darryn Peterson, G, Kansas
Height: 6’5
Weight: 195
Class: Freshman
Draft Age: 19
Darryn Peterson has dealt with a lingering hamstring issue (as well as persistent cramping), but there’s no reason to fade the No. 1 overall recruit. Peterson is the best guard prospect in years, maybe decades. His size, twitch and dexterity is a devastating combo. Peterson gets to his spots almost effortlessly, able to switch gears, hit the turbo, and create space with picturesque footwork. He’s proficient on a high volume of 3s, electric in the mid-range, and there are no problems getting two feet in the paint as needed.
Peterson has earned a range of lofty comparisons, from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Damian Lillard. Perhaps it’s wise to pump the breaks a little bit, but it’s hard to remember a teenage guard this well-rounded before even setting foot in the NBA. Peterson is a hellacious defender. He’s not an outlier-good playmaker, but he’s more than comfortable setting the table out of pick-and-rolls and manipulating the defense to the advantage of an open teammate. If he can take the next step as a processor, in addition to his bevy of scoring talents, Peterson won’t take long to pop at the next level.
3. AJ Dybantsa, F, Brigham Young
Height: 6’9
Weight: 210
Class: Freshman
Draft Age: 19
AJ Dybantsa is the consensus No. 1 pick most other years due to his outlier tools and athleticism. An immensely talented scorer with plus NBA size, Dybantsa has put up prodigious numbers at BYU. He scores efficiently at all three levels, with a special knack for mid-range pull-ups and coordinated downhill attacks. His abillity to mix speeds, extend advantages and deploy equal measures of touch and acrobatics at the rim, all hints at a supremely high offensive ceiling. His footwork on spins, euro steps and the like leads to some extraterrestrial-feeling highlights.
Dybantsa should be an excellent defender — he can cover ground as well as anyone in the draft — but the buy-in isn’t really there at the moment. Too often, Dybantsa falls asleep off-ball and gets lazy in his rotations. That is totally fixable, but it will require a massive change in mindset, which is easier said than done when adjusting to the speed and physicality of NBA basketball. If Dybantsa continues to slack on defense, his odds of going No. 1 overall will slip.
4. Caleb Wilson, F, North Carolina
Height: 6’10
Weight: 215
Class: Freshman
Draft Age: 19
Caleb Wilson is an absolute menace for the Tar Heels. A phenomenal defender in high school, it didn’t take long for Wilson’s impact to translate to college. With elite size and agility on the wing, Wilson is a premium lurker, phasing in and out of the shadows to snuff out weak-side blocks or blow up passing lanes. The on-ball defense and switchability is often equally impressive. Wilson is also a voracious rebounder, able to consistently establish position and simply out-jump his opponents.
The offense is a bit more hit or miss at this stage, but Wilson has produced incredibly efficient results as a cutter and lob threat. He dunks everything — like, to an absurd degree. His finishing numbers below the rim are cause for concern, and he’s not much of a 3-point threat at the moment, but an athlete as bursty, coordinated and fluid as Wilson should figure it out one some level.
5. Kingston Flemings, G, Houston
Height: 6’3
Weight: 190
Class: Freshman
Draft Age: 19
Kingston Flemings burst onto the scene at Houston and immediately captured the attention and imagination of NBA scouts. He just moves at a different speed than everyone else on the floor, able to skate downhill past defenders and get wherever he needs to on the floor. Flemings’ burst, body control and footwork has made him one hell of a tough cover.
He’s still evolving as an on-ball engine, but Flemings can deliver basic reads out of the pick-and-roll. He’s at his best attacking closeouts, probing and spinning it to a backdoor cutter. If Flemings can speed up his decision-making without slowing down as a ball-handler, he’s going to take off at the next level. Flemings is due for some 3-point regression, but the mid-range and at-rim numbers are bonkers. The next step is using all that speed and gear-shift ability to fully collapse the defense and draw fouls.
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