2018 NBA Draft: In or out? Evaluating the draft prospects of every underclassman who has declared (2024)

Need to know which underclassmen declared for the NBA Draft? Or better yet, who should stay in the draft, go back to school or potentially start packing to go overseas? We’ve got you covered here at The Fieldhouse. NBA Draft expert Sam Vecenie has been scouting and evaluating players throughout the college season and has the lowdown on every prospect of even minor consequence who has entered the NBA Draft early.

Deng Adel | 6-7, F | Louisville | 22 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: mid-to-late second/undrafted
Key stats: 15.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.8 APG, 44.8/35.0/78.6
Comment: Adel, despite strong stats that say otherwise, always left evaluators wanting more. He’s a creator who can handle in pick-and-roll as well as play some small-ball 4, but his jump shot needs greater consistency if he’s to make a next-level impact. It’s also worth noting that his fluid athletic gifts haven’t quite yet translated on the defensive end. The Cardinals were much better defensively when he wasn’t on the floor in two of his three seasons. If he shows that he can knock down shots in workouts, it’s possible he could work his way into the late second-round mix. Given the NBA’s desire to find more combo forwards who can play multiple positions, he seems like a tailor-made candidate for a two-way contract next season.

Rawle Alkins | 6-5, W | Arizona | 20 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 13.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.3 SPG, 43.2/35.9/72.4
Comment: Alkins tested the waters last season and decided to return to what was ultimately a tumultuous season in Tucson. He broke his right foot in September and didn’t return until about midseason. Upon re-entering the lineup, Alkins took a small step back from being a terrific role player in his freshman season. Much like the rest of Arizona’s team, he was bad defensively, really struggling to keep players in front of him. Offensively, he was just about the same scorer and distributor but turned the ball over at a higher clip. Wings are highly sought-after commodities, so Alkins will certainly get a chance at the NBA. But he needs to improve as a shooter, needs to prove that he can return to his freshman year level defensive effort, and he’ll need to avoid getting flagged once NBA teams look at how his foot injury healed.

Deandre Ayton | 7-1, C | Arizona | 19 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: Top 3
Key stats: 20.1 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.9 BPG, 61.2 FG%, 12 3PM
Comment: Ayton is considered one of the safest prospects in the 2018 class, and a potential multi-time NBA All-Star. A physical marvel at 7-foot-plus with long arms and a physically developed 260-pound frame, Ayton will be selected in top three after a dominant season at Arizona that saw him terrorize Pac-12 competition. He has fluid body control, can defend on the perimeter for his size and has a burgeoning 3-point shot that should become a weapon at some point. The big question is his defensive instincts, but Arizona was such a mess on that end this year on the perimeter that it’s difficult to gauge just how far behind he is there. Teams should feel confident selecting him and finding their center of the future, even in an NBA that is becoming increasingly perimeter-oriented.

Marvin Bagley III | 6-11, F/C | Duke | 19 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: Top 6
Key stats: 21.0 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 1.5 APG, 61.4 FG%, 23 3PM
Comment: Bagley is an elite-level athlete even by NBA standards as a combo big man who should see time at both forward and center. He combines that with a tremendous motor that buys his team easy buckets on the offensive glass, with a second and third jump that rivals the best the NBA has to offer. He’s also improved at knocking down 3-pointers throughout the year and has the ability to attack closeouts when space is provided to him. He’s an excellent offensive player who should be trusted to produce wherever he goes. The big question in regard to his value comes on the defensive end. Bagley has not yet shown the capacity to be a high-level rim protector and isn’t technically sound defending on the perimeter yet. He has the athleticism and potential to provide resistance both on the interior and perimeter with good coaching. It just hasn’t happened yet, and his skinny frame and shoulders give some evaluators pause. Still, Bagley won’t wait long to hear his name called on draft day.

Mohamed Bamba | 6-11, C | Texas | 20 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: Top 10
Key stats: 12.9 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 3.6 BPG, 14 3PM
Comment: Bamba is seen as one of the top two defensive prospects in this class, along with Jaren Jackson Jr. With a 7-foot-9 wingspan and terrific instincts for timing shot blocks, he’s a legitimate game changer on that end. He also moves well on the perimeter and should not be a liability in pick-and-roll settings despite his length and size. The questions come on offense and with his frame. Bamba struggles to establish position at times, owing to his high center of gravity and still-improving lower body strength. On offense, he can finish far above the basket but isn’t a great screen setter in pick-and-roll settings and is still developing his jump shot. The hope for the team selecting him is that he can quicken up his mechanics and become something like a league average 3-point shooter in his prime. Bamba is a bit riskier than some of the other guys at the top, given the league’s move away from the interior. But if he hits, he’ll be about as valuable as anyone.

Keita Bates-Diop | 6-7, F | Ohio State | 22 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 15 to No. 35
Key stats: 19.8 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 48.0/35.9/79.4
Comment: Bates-Diop is a polarizing prospect around the league. Some believe he is a prototypical modern day forward, possessing the ability to face up and knock down shots with his tremendous length and shot creation ability. He’ll allow teams to stay relatively big while playing with skilled players on the floor. Where the concerns come in are his defensive ability and athleticism combination. Bates-Diop is a smart, instinctive defender who knows where to be and also provides a bit of rim protection with his 7-foot-plus wingspan. But he’s slow-footed, and some executives are worried about him in the switching scenarios that many coaches now employ. I’m more willing to take a flier on a guy like Bates-Diop in the middle of the first round, given that his overall skill set is becoming more important daily in the pace-and-space NBA. He’ll be a guy that some executives really like, and that others won’t touch.

Tyus Battle | 6-5, W | Syracuse | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: No. 25 to No. 45
Key stats: 19.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, 39.9/32.2/83.9
Comment: Battle’s stock requires an awful lot of context. His efficiency numbers may not look all that impressive, but he was basically the only person on Syracuse’s roster who could create a reasonable shot for himself. That led to him taking a lot of contested shots, which drove his field-goal percentage down to a level that is not indicative of his actual skill. Battle should be trusted to hit shots at a solid clip. The key to whether or not you buy into Battle as a first-rounder comes with his defense and passing. At the prep level, Battle was known as a high-feel player who could act as a lead ball-handler. Additionally, his defensive abilities have been hidden in the zone, but he was known to have good potential there that came up in flashes. These are skills he hasn’t showcased at the ACC level though in large part because of situation and role. Predraft workouts will be critical for that reason. Can he show that he has a well-rounded game? If he does, it’ll be worth him staying in the draft.

Leron Black | 6-7, F | Illinois | 22 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 15.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 22 3PM, 54.7/51.2/80.0
Comment: Throughout the season, I felt that Black was probably the most underrated player in the Big Ten and among the most underrated nationally. He’s tough, physical, quick for a big man and has improved as a shooter from deep. He just didn’t have any help at Illinois this past season. It’s possible he could have helped himself a bit as a senior if he took another leap forward in his game, but he earned his degree in December and simply seems ready to just start a professional career. NBA teams will take a look at him, and he’ll get workouts predraft and a spot in Summer League. Ultimately though, he’ll likely head off to Europe, where he should be a relatively sought-after commodity as a small-ball stretch-5.

Mikal Bridges | 6-7, W | Villanova | 22 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: Lottery pick
Key stats: 17.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 51.4/43.5/85.1
Comment: Bridges is tailor-made for the modern NBA. At 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, he’s one of the best catch-and-shoot scorers in the draft. The best part about those guys — and Villanova players in general — is that they understand how to score efficiently without upending the flow of the offense. This season, the best step forward that he took was in his ability to attack closeouts, but he’s still a bit loose with his handle. He’ll absolutely be able to provide value there. Additionally, Bridges is certainly a plus defender because of his versatility. He gets blown by a bit more than you’d think, and his physical strength will need to continue to improve at the next level. But he’s a smart team defender that teams should be able to use in multiple different schemes and get results. Bridges will be a clear top-10 player on my board by the end of the process, and the team that drafts him should feel comfortable it’s getting a longtime starter.

Miles Bridges | 6-7, W | Michigan State | 20 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 7 to No. 15
Key stats: 17.1 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 45.7/36.4/85.3
Comment: One of the most explosive leapers in the class and a terrific, powerful athlete overall, Bridges didn’t really hurt himself much by returning to Michigan State. He solidified his jump shot, improved his handle slightly and was a key piece of a top-10 team in the country. Defensively, he’s smart but a bit slow-footed and will need to work on his footwork. At the next level, he’s always profiled best as a terrific connecting piece, a versatile threat who could allow teams to go big by playing him at the 3, or play small by using him at the 4. It would be fair to call him a bit limited at this stage, and he has a tendency to settle beyond the arc instead of applying his athleticism on the game in half-court settings. But many NBA executives believe that his gifts will translate better to the wide-open NBA. That’s a strong enough package of skills to profile him well in the lottery.

Bruce Brown | 6-5, G | Miami (Fla.) | 21 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 22 to No. 45
Key stats: 11.4 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 4.0 APG, 41.5/26.7/62.9
Comment: A physical freak at 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, Brown is tough and uses his frame best on the defensive end. He’s a multipositional guy who can slide 1 through 3 in primary coverage and is strong enough to battle in switch scenarios. But he had an extremely tough offensive year in a messy situation at Miami. His shooting fell off a cliff, his ability to finish at the basket didn’t improve and he didn’t quite show enough distribution skill to fit in as a primary ball-handler. He’s also a bit older for a sophom*ore. Still, a lot of NBA teams are fans for what they hope he can become on offense, given his ability to handle the ball, get penetration and make smart decisions in pick-and-roll settings. If he becomes anything resembling a league-average shooter, he’s a highly valuable role player at the next level because of the value he brings on defense. He’s a mature, emotionally intelligent kid, so that might be something worth betting on. He might fall to the second round after many — including myself — projected him as a potential lottery pick in the preseason. But Brown still has upside and should be selected.

Troy Brown Jr. | 6-7, W | Oregon | 18 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 13 to No. 25
Key stats: 11.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, 44.4/29.1/74.3
Comment: An elite-level high school prospect who has been scouted to death over the last three years, Brown had an up-and-down freshman season in Eugene. On the plus side, he has a terrific frame at 6-foot-7 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan. He showcased his ability to handle the ball and create both for himself and others under Dana Altman this year. He’s also a smart, instinctive defender with high basketball IQ and a strong feel for the game. But he’s not an elite leaper or a hyperquick twitch athlete, and his shooting ability really gives teams pause. If he can iron out his jumper, it’s easy to imagine him becoming a high-level rotation player who could even develop into a starter. Age is on his side, as he doesn’t turn 19 until July, and the situation at Oregon wasn’t exactly the best to showcase his gifts. I’d guess he ends up in the first round, and with a strong predraft process could jump into the late lottery mix.

Jalen Brunson | 6-2, G | Villanova | 21 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 25 to No. 45
Key stats: 18.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 4.6 APG, 52.1/40.8/80.2
Comment: College basketball’s National Player of the Year, it’s difficult to imagine a player with a better feel for the game than Brunson. He’s the most polished player in the draft, possessing terrific footwork, impeccable decision-making and great mechanics. Pair that with his tremendous touch around the basket, ability to knock down 3s, and his pinpoint passing ability, and there’s an awful lot to like about Brunson as a long-time backup point guard in the league. The reason he’s not seen as anything more than that from most executives, though, is that he’s a below-average athlete who does everything gathering off of two feet, which could lead to a decrease in efficiency against higher-level NBA athletes. He’s also a pretty poor defensive player who doesn’t have much in the way of lateral quickness. Still, it’s tough to imagine a world where Brunson doesn’t find a niche in the NBA. There are too many positives that he can bring to a team.

Elijah Bryant | 6-4, G | BYU | 23 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 18.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, 49.4/41.5/85.0
Comment: Bryant is already 23 and coming off of a breakout season in which he was the best perimeter player in the WCC. He’s a professional scorer who can get to his spots with ease and knock down shots all over the floor, throwing up a 64.7 true-shooting percentage this season. Bryant was one of six players nationally to average 18 points this season on that level of efficiency. He’s probably not quite athletic enough to play in the NBA and consistently get efficient looks — although he’ll certainly get a look in workouts and Summer League — but he should be highly sought after on the European market for a rookie college player. Barring injury, he’ll play pro ball for as long as he wants.

Tony Carr | 6-5, G | Penn State | 20 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 25 to No. 60
Key stats: 19.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 5.0 APG, 40.8/43.3/79.9
Comment: Carr is another polarizing player in NBA circles. Some teams like him because of his size and ability to make plays. That size makes him a lot easier to move up and down the lineup defensively, which should give teams more chances to get his offensive creativity on the floor. But what you think of Carr largely depends on what you think of his jump shot. He took an awfully big leap as a shooter in 2018, going from 32 percent from 3 as a freshman to 43 percent as a sophom*ore. He absolutely needs that shot to maintain a level of efficiency in the NBA, as he’s a poor finisher at the basket and can be goaded into inefficient, contested midrange shots. Despite that high-level 3-point shooting, he still only posted a 52.7 percent true-shooting percentage this season, nearly three points below the national average. If he can shoot, he has a chance to carve out a solid role as a bench playmaker. If not, he’ll be in the G League for a while.

Wendell Carter Jr. | 6-10, C | Duke | 19 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: Lottery
Key stats: 13.5 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 2.0 APG, 2.1 BPG, 19 3PM, 56.1/41.3/73.8
Comment: Carter is a versatile big man who has an awful lot of tools in his toolbox, making him a very fungible player who could fit in variety of schemes and with a lot of different player types. He’s got a strong back-to-the-basket game to take advantage of mismatches against switching defenses. He sets solid screens on the perimeter and has the ability to both roll to the basket or pop out and knock down 3s, which he did at a 41 percent clip this year. Defensively, he’s a load inside who protects the rim well with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and gobbles rebounds. He makes really good decisions and is extremely productive in his time on the floor. His weakness, though, is one that has crippled an awful lot of big men around the NBA in the 2018 playoffs: footspeed. Carter has great footwork but isn’t the most fleet of foot. It’s easy to envision a circ*mstance where he doesn’t improve his quickness enough to where he gets head-hunted in pick-and-roll coverage, making him tougher to play when coaches get time to gameplan for him. He brings enough value everywhere else to where he won’t ever be useless to an NBA team, but it’s possible that his value gets muted in the most important circ*mstances.

Eric Davis | 6-2, G | Texas | 21 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 8.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 39.7/34.8/74.5
Comment: There’s really just not enough skill here for Davis to be considered a draftable prospect. Unfortunately, he’s been pushed into this situation by the FBI investigation into the NCAA and being held out of Texas’ last six games after being accused of taking $1,500 from a runner for an agent. He’ll have a tough road to start his career in basketball.

Marcus Derrickson | 6-8, F/C | Georgetown | 22 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 15.9 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 50.5/46.5/86.3
Comment: Largely known for “HAVE YOU EVER SHOT THAT SHOT?” fame, Derrickson is an underrated prospect in this draft, given the way the NBA has shifted toward perimeter play. Possessing a 7-1 wingspan and a massive frame, Derrickson was Georgetown’s linchpin this season. Not only were his per game averages strong, but he allowed the Hoyas to play versatile defensive lineups both with and without Jessie Govan. He’s not a great player on that end, but his versatile offensive game and size brings a lot of potential lineup options to a team. He can post smaller players, knock down midrange jumpers, and has extended his range out beyond the 3-point arc. He’ll be outside of my top 60, but it’s easy to envision Derrickson being worth a two-way, developmental contract next season for an NBA team using its resources well.

Hamidou Diallo | 6-5, W | Kentucky | 19 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 22 to No. 50
Key stats: 10.0 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 42.8/33.8/61.1
Comment: Oh, boy. Where to begin with Diallo, the player responsible for such spectacular flashes in addition to mind-numbingly silly mistakes? On the plus side, he has tremendous size for the wing position with a 7-foot-plus wingspan, and nearly set the record for highest vertical jump in predraft history when he went to the NBA Draft Combine last season. He’s a remarkably explosive athlete, and when he wants to use those gifts defensively, he is really impactful on that end. But he doesn’t utilize his athleticism on offense other than in transition because he can’t really handle the ball, doesn’t have a terrific feel for the game and really struggles to shoot, with a pronounced hitch at the top of his jumper. The situation at Kentucky was tough because of a lack of offensive spacing, but he needs an awful lot of development time to reach what he’s capable of, given his athletic gifts. It’s definitely an interesting project for a team to undertake given his tools and the NBA’s need for wings, but it should probably happen in the second round.

Trevon Duval | 6-3, G | Duke | 19 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: second round
Key stats: 10.3 PPG, 5.6 APG, 1.5 SPG, 542.8/29.0/59.6
Comment: Duval is a tough evaluation. He has all the physical tools to play at the next level, with a great build at 6-3 with a 6-9 wingspan and powerful yet fluid athleticism. Additionally, he’s a great open-floor passer who pinpoints teammates out on the break. But he just doesn’t quite know how to play within the construct of a team yet and often struggles in half-court settings because of a faulty jumper and poor decision-making. His 48.9 true-shooting percentage was more than seven points below the national average, in large part because he can’t shoot. Additionally, despite his length and explosiveness, he really struggled to finish at the basket this season, making only 48.5 percent of his shots around the rim in the half court. Defensively, he can be a difference-maker, but he’s often over-aggressive and creates unnecessary scramble situations. Basically, there’s not a lot of polish to his game. He’s tailor-made for a two-way contract next year, as a G-League team and personal training could really take some time with him on his jump shot and decision-making. Nobody doubts the athleticism and handle. He needs to improve upon the little things, though, to make an NBA impact.

Drew Eubanks | 6-10, C | Oregon State | 21 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 13.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.7 BPG, 62.4 FG%
Comment: Eubanks needs some time and development, but there’s reason to believe that this athletic center could be a bit of a late bloomer worth developing. He got to hyper-competitive basketball late as a former baseball player and has quickly become one of the better rim protectors and rim-runners in the Pac-12. There’s probably not enough skill here yet to expend a draft pick on him, but he could be a really interesting G League affiliate player or a good target for overseas teams to take a chance on while he potentially builds his base of skills and polishes his game. The thing that will probably hold him back from reaching the highest level, though? His defensive rebounding ability.

Jacob Evans | 6-6, W | Cincinnati | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: No. 20 to No. 45
Key stats: 13.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.1 APG, 42.7/37.0/75.4
Comment: Evans is a high IQ wing at a time where NBA teams are desperate for them. He has terrific ball skills, he’s a smart passer and a good shooter. It would help him to become a slightly more confident and consistent shooter from distance, but the outlines are there for him to reach the level he needs to. Additionally, he’s an incredibly smart team defender who can also take on tough assignments at the 1 through 3 positions. The questions with Evans are in regard to his production — why wasn’t he more willing to be “the guy” at Cincinnati? — and his foot speed/athleticism. It’s possible that in the spaced-out NBA, Evans struggles a bit more defensively against good wings because he can’t stick in front of them. Still, Evans is a very well-rounded prospect who has a good chance to hear his name called in the first round, and probably should not fall outside of the top-40. His position is one of need, and his skill set fits just about everywhere.

Melvin Frazier | 6-7, W | Tulane | 21 years old

Agent:Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 20 to No. 45
Key stats: 15.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.9 APG, 2.1 SPG, 55.6/38.5/71.2
Comment: An elite-level athlete with superb length, Frazier is coming off of a terrific season at Tulane, where he established himself as a very interesting NBA prospect because of his diverse skill set. With a 7-2 wingspan, Frazier has become one of the toughest perimeter defenders in the country with the versatility to slide down and check 4s. Offensively, he’s moves well away from the ball and can really keep the ball moving with passes — although he can get a bit turnover prone because of a rudimentary handle and occasional poor decisions. The swing skill on whether or not you believe Frazier should be selected in the first round is his jump shot. If a team trusts that they can iron out his jumper’s consistency, then he will be a worthwhile investment. If they don’t, he’ll be a tough player to keep on the floor offensively. Still, Frazier will likely be a top-30 player on my board by the end of the process, simply because of positional need and versatility.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 6-6, G/W | Kentucky | 19 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 10 to No. 15
Key stats: 14.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.6 SPG, 48.5/40.4/82.2
Comment: Gilgeous-Alexander was something of a breakout prospect in college basketball this season, a stud at the lead guard position who led Kentucky to the Sweet 16 and steadied its season after a rocky start. Possessing something nearing a 7-foot wingspan, Gilgeous-Alexander uses his length exceedingly well on both ends. Defensively, he’s a versatile player who can guard 1 through 3, close out hard with strong contests on jump shots, and work around screens with ease. On offense, he uses his long strides and great extension to get into the lane and finish at the rim. Alexander’s versatile skill set and great size/length — with the ability to play both on- and off-ball — will be of intense interest to nearly every NBA team. The key to reaching that potential will be becoming a more confident shooter who is willing to pull up more consistently, as he averaged less than two 3-point attempts per game. Still, it’s tough to see him falling outside of the top 15, given the way teams are in a constant search for wing-sized players with guard-like skills.

Mustapha Heron | 6-5, W | Auburn | 20 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: mid-second round to undrafted
Key stats: 16.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 43.1/33.9/80.3
Comment: Heron has a strong two-year college career, averaging more than 15 points per game while playing a premium position of need. So why isn’t he higher on draft boards? He’s in my top-100, but there are a couple of factors that hold back his play. First, he doesn’t have great feel for how to play with teammates. He takes tough shots at the expense of passing after drawing defensive attention, and his 6.8 assist rate would be among the lowest rates for any perimeter player ever selected in the NBA Draft if he were to be picked. Additionally, his jump shot isn’t quite as consistent as it needs to be for him to reach his 3-and-D potential. Still, Heron has a great frame at 6-5 with a 6-8 wingspan, and is built like an NFL player. If he decides to really lock in on the defensive end to make his mark, he has the tools to be effective there. Heron could develop into an NBA player and seems like a good two-way contract candidate as a wing. But he’s still a ways away from reaching that place. The good thing, though? He’s regarded as an extremely mature person and player and should be someone trusted to work hard on his game.

DJ Hogg | 6-8, W/F | Texas A&M | 21 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 11.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.6 APG, 41.0/37.8/71.8
Comment: Hogg is a fascinating player. I can’t remember a guy whose shooting percentages are more incongruous with his mechanics than the former Aggie. At 6-8, Hogg has picturesque mechanics that would make one believe he should hit well over 40 percent of his 3-pointers. However, in three years at Texas A&M, Hogg’s 3-point percentage never crossed 38 percent and was 36 percent in total. If a team thinks they can bring that ability out of him, it would be worth considering him for a two-way contract. But if they think he is what he is, Hogg will be headed over to Europe. He has really high feel for the game and is an excellent passer for his size, but he struggles to create in anything other than a straight line, doesn’t have a terrific first step and isn’t exactly a great defender. NBA teams want to like the tools Hogg brings to the table. In the end, he needs to simply be more consistent and aggressive.

Aaron Holiday | 6-1, G | UCLA | 21 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 16 to No. 40
Key stats: 20.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 5.8 APG, 46.1/42.9/82.8
Comment: Holiday profiles as one of the best role players in the draft. He carried UCLA to the NCAA Tournament this season, becoming the first high-major player since 1995 to average more than 20 points, 5.8 assists and 3.7 rebounds on over a 60 true-shooting percentage. The brother of Jrue and Justin, he’s a tremendous leader and mature player, having waited his turn behind Lonzo Ball last season after starting 32 games as a freshman the previous year. He’s a knockdown shooter both off of the catch and off the dribble, with his 3-point percentage never having dipped below the 40 percent mark. As a ball-handler, he’s shifty and quick, makes smart decisions and knows how to get his teammates involved. Defensively, he’s a bit undersized but makes up for it with great length at a 6-6 wingspan and high-level tenacity at the point of attack. Basically, Holiday profiles as a borderline starter/high-level backup point guard at the next level, and his ability to play both on and off the ball should make him an attractive option to nearly every team picking in the second half of the first round.

Jaren Jackson Jr. | 6-11, C | Michigan State | 18 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 3 to No. 6
Key stats: 10.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 3.0 BPG, 38 3PM, 51.3/39.6/79.7
Comment: The best defensive player in the draft class. Jackson paired a 14.3 percent block rate — second in the country — with terrific lateral quickness and footwork on the perimeter to become the Big Ten’s defensive player of the year as a freshman. His instincts on that end are sublime, from knowing exactly where to be in gap defense, to the way he shadows the footwork of guards when he’s on an island, to the way he rotates over from the weak side to block shots. He’s a natural difference-maker all over the floor on that end, and it’s not outrageous to say that his ceiling is NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Then pair that his shooting skill on offense, and we have what is referred to as the perfect archetype for a modern center. He is comfortable hitting from distance — although his low release point and push shot mechanics give some evaluators pause — and can handle the ball and attack a closeout off of a couple of dribbles. His feel for the game on that end isn’t superb yet, as he isn’t a natural playmaker for others and he doesn’t display the confidence to be a go-to scorer. But the hype for Jackson is real. It wouldn’t be out of the question to see him end up in the top three players selected.

Justin Jackson | 6-7, F | Maryland | 21 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 9.8 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 36.6/25.0/82.8
Comment: After heading to the combine last year and getting preseason buzz as a potential top-20 pick, Jackson had a bit of a lost season before deciding it was time to be done with college. At 6-7 with a 7-3 wingspan, the Canadian forward has exactly what teams are looking for from a frame perspective. He combines that with fluid athleticism, which allows him to play across the forward line, with some NBA teams wondering if they could eventually play him in super-small lineups at center. But there are complications. First and foremost, Jackson tore his labrum in his right shoulder this year, causing him to miss the final three months of the season. He’ll need to get a clean bill of health long-term from team doctors, and additionally need to prove that he can be a consistent shooter. Following a big step forward from his prep days as a freshman that saw him shoot 43.8 percent from 3, Jackson took a step back to the 25 percent level as a sophom*ore. Was this the injury, was it reversion to the mean, or a little bit of both? Tough to say, and there’s not yet enough evidence to tell us. He’s a flyer for a team to take in the second round, put on a two-way contract, and see if he can come of anything.

Kevin Knox | 6-9, F | Kentucky | 18 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 10 to No. 17
Key stats: 15.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.4 APG, 44.7/34.1/77.4
Comment: Knox was an extremely tough evaluation this year because of his situation at Kentucky. At the prep level, he thrived as a straight-line driver who used his powerful build and fluid, explosive athleticism to get to the rim with ease. Unfortunately, he wasn’t really capable of doing that on a Wildcats roster that featured worse floor spacing than any other high-major team in the country. Scouts have seen him excel in this manner throughout a variety of prep showcases, as he was a five-star prospect, but they’ll need to remember the context in college. How you feel about Knox largely comes down to what you think of his jump shot. He hit only 34 percent, but his mechanics are clean, simple and easily repeatable. I’d expect him to be a better shooter than what his numbers indicate because of that. Defensively, there are some concerns that might confine him to the 4, as his hips aren’t particularly fluid and he struggles to change direction quickly. Knox profiles well as an athletic, modern stretch-4 who can hopefully hit jumpers, attack closeouts and leak out on the break. How he develops beyond that will likely be dependent on who drafts him and what role he plays. Knox will certainly be a lottery prospect for me and shouldn’t have to wait terribly long to hear his name called on draft night.

Terry Larrier | 6-8, F | Connecticut | 22 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 13.9 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 39.8/37.8/78.9
Comment: Larrier’s career was one filled with stops and starts. Following Shaka Smart’s departure from VCU to Texas, Larrier transferred to Connecticut and had to sit out a year. Then four games into his sophom*ore season, he tore his ACL, meaning he essentially sat out two straight competitive seasons. He did average nearly 14 and 5 this season, but he did it on poor shooting and didn’t display the explosiveness teams would be looking for from him. He graduates in the spring and turns 23 in August — plus was about to go through yet another coaching change from Kevin Ollie to Dan Hurley — so it makes sense why he’s decided to move on and begin a pro career. He seems like a G League-type who will have to prove his worth there before getting a real payday overseas. For his sake, hopefully he can get his career back on track after a promising start as a prep player and freshman at VCU.

Makinde London | 6-10, F | Chattanooga | 22 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 13.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 39.8/33.6/73.0
Comment: A former transfer from Xavier, London had a solid season at Chattanooga but not a spectacular one. He’s a stretch-4 who didn’t hit a high enough percentage of his shots and can’t finish inside. He does have terrific length with a 7-3 wingspan, but he doesn’t use that length as well as he should on defense. Basically, London is a stretch-5 over in Europe at some point. He’s signed with Hoops Management, an agency that has exclusively overseas clientele. He’ll certainly have interest over there.

Brandon McCoy | 7-1, C | UNLV | 20 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: second round
Key stats: 16.9 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 0.5 APG, 54.5 FG%
Comment: McCoy is a prospect born in the wrong time. Just 10 years ago, McCoy would likely be seen as a potential lottery pick. He was remarkably productive this year, becoming one of just seven freshmen in the last 23 years to average 16 points, 10 rebounds and 54 perfect from the field. All of the previous six ended up being first-round picks. I’m betting on McCoy not becoming the seventh, though. His game is a throwback to past times, a back-to-the-basket scorer without a ton of game otherwise. About 88 percent of McCoy’s shots in the half court came either off of post-ups or shots at the basket. Given the lack of usage of post-ups in today’s NBA, it’s tough to see how translatable that is, and it’s telling that UNLV’s offense was about nine points per 100 possessions better when he was off the floor. On defense, McCoy doesn’t move well in space, and teams actually shot better from 2-point range when he was on the floor. If he can develop any sort of perimeter game, he’s probably a useful rotation big. But there’s a long road to that.

De’Anthony Melton | 6-4, G | USC | 20 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 20 to No. 35
Key stats: (in 2016-17) 8.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.9 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 43.7/28.4/70.6
Comment: The most important suspension of the college basketball season in connection with the FBI investigation, Melton entered the season as a player NBA scouts wanted to get a significantly closer look at. Analytically inclined organizations were all over Melton last season, as his overall mix of contributions on both end of the floor saw him perform extremely well in most of their models. The best place Melton helps is on defense, where he’s a capable game-breaker who can get into passing lanes, cut off penetration from players at 1 through 3 with his length, and even block shots at a high rate for a guard. On offense, he’s a really smart ball-mover both in transition and in half-court settings, playing an unselfish brand of basketball that gets everyone involved as a combo guard. He plays under control with smart pace and can operate in the pick-and-roll. The key to him becoming a real difference maker in the NBA is the jump shot. He hit just 28 percent from 3 as a freshman, with mixed mechanics. He needs to work on getting his elbow in instead of flaring out, which can lead to an inconsistent release on the move. On the whole though, Melton is a tremendous prospect who should hear his name called in the first round as NBA teams look for skilled ball-handlers who can also defend wings.

Chimezie Metu | 6-11, C | USC | 21 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 25 to No. 50
Key stats: 15.7 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.7 BPG, 52.3/30.0/73.0
Comment: Metu slightly dropped on draft boards throughout the season after a mixed performance. On the plus side, the big man improved his jump shot and ability to attack closeouts from the perimeter. He has a good little spin move for his size after a pump fake, and he finishes well at the basket. He’s still not quite consistent enough to step away and be counted on to knock down 3s, but he has potential to reach that ceiling. His athleticism also showed up a bit better on defense this year as a rim protector, but he wasn’t asked to do much away from the basket after USC moved to more of a zone look midway through the season. But the mixed bag starts with rebounding, where his skinny frame still puts him in tough situations establishing position consistently. He also makes poor decisions on the floor a bit too often, including mistakes due to immaturity. Teams will want to speak with him about slapping Carter Skaggs in the groin and Payton Pritchard in the back of the head last year. But he’s extremely bouncy, and his athleticism should translate well, making him a likely draft pick.

Shake Milton | 6-6, G/W | SMU | 21 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 20 to No. 40
Key stats: 18.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 4.4 APG, 44.9/43.4/84.7
Comment: The more I look at Milton as a prospect, the more I can’t really understand why he’s not considered a sure-fire first round pick. At 6-6 with a near-7-foot wingspan, the SMU point guard has the ability to handle the ball at his size, make smart passing decision and provide the offensive versatility every NBA team is looking for right now as a consistent career 43 percent 3-point shooter. Defensively, that length and size allows him to slide up and down positions against different opponents depending on what makes sense and allows you more flexibility as a coach to play big or small depending on what role you want to employ him in. He announced that he will stay in the draft after hiring an agent, and my guess is that Milton either ends up in the first round, or ends up being seen as one of those players folks look at and wonder why he didn’t end up in the first after his first couple of seasons in the league. He’s tailor-made for the modern NBA.

Doral Moore | 7-1, C | Wake Forest | 21 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 11.1 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.0 BPG, 68.9 FG%
Comment: Moore was one of the more underrated guys in the country this year, as a lot of folks didn’t really recognize the leap or development he made on a Wake Forest team that wasn’t great. He became a legit scoring threat inside, he swallows up rebounds on the glass with ease and really improved his hands and ability to hang on to the ball. Wake Forest was much, much better statistically when he was on the floor. He’s still not a guy that will create his own shot much, though, and he suffers like many big-bodied bigs do in space defensively. On offense, he also doesn’t really seem to have much potential as a shooter. He’s decided to declare for the draft with an agent, which means that he’ll probably be playing in the G League or in Europe next season. He’ll get a summer league chance, though, and he’ll need to show evaluators on both sides of the Atlantic (or Pacific) that his size, touch at the basket and rebounding outweigh the concerns about his defense in space and lack of perimeter game.

Malik Newman | 6-3, G | Kansas | 21 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: second round
Key stats: 14.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.1 APG, 46.3/41.5/83.5
Comment: The former top-10 recruit in the country had a terrific season in Lawrence that included being the Jayhawks’ best player in an NCAA Tournament run that concluded in the Final Four. The most important thing Newman did for his stock this year was become a more consistent 3-point shooter. Throughout high school and in his year at Mississippi State, Newman was always a bit more comfortable getting to his spots off the dribble in the midrange and knocking down shots. Bill Self and the guard’s run through the predraft process in 2016 made him realize the importance of the 3-point shot, where he’s become lethal both off the catch and off the bounce. His decision-making was also considerably better, excising a lot of the bad shots from his game while also turning it over less often. It’s also worth noting that he became a stronger defender throughout the course of the season for Kansas, eventually being able to take on the team’s toughest wing assignments. At this stage, Newman likely fits best as a bench scorer. It would help if he could take over a bit as a lead guard — something he didn’t show this year — as making it as a pure scoring guard in the NBA is a really tough ask. He has a good chance to carve out a career as a bench microwave scorer as long as he keeps working hard to improve his change-of-pace handle and make smart decisions.

Ajdin Penava | 6-8, F | Marshall | 21 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 15.6 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.9 APG, 3.9 BPG, 56.2/34.0/75.3
Comment: Penava is such a fascinating prospect, especially now that he has officially decided to declare his intentions to turn professional. A native of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Penava will have a massive market as a small-ball center in Europe. He handles the ball like a forward, often initiating Marshall’s offensive actions as a point center either in the high-post or simply out on the perimeter. Then he mixes that skill set with hitting 34 percent of his shots from distance, while also blocking nearly four shots a game with his tremendous sense of timing from the weak side. That mix of ball skill, shooting ability and defensive acumen — paired with a European passport — will make him one of the most sought-after college rookies on the European market this season. But I’m not so sure it’s not worth an NBA team taking a chance on him as a two-way player or potential draft-and-stash late in the second round. This is a weak European class, and his combination of skills could make him an interesting prospect as a stretch-4 to track long-term if his body keeps filling out and he starts to really knock down shots from distance at a higher clip.

Michael Porter Jr. | 6-10, F | Missouri | 19 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: Top 10
Key stats: 10 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 33.3/30.0/77.8, 3 GP
Comment: Porter entered the season as a potential No. 1 overall pick, but a back injury in November limited his season to three games. He underwent a microdiscectomy, an injury with which NBA teams will need to take a significant look at before investing a top-10 pick in him, as the analytics on recurrence of such an injury are not particularly positive. When he’s at 100 percent, Porter is a three-level scorer who can attack the rim with fluid athleticism, attack the rim with authority and pull up from anywhere on the court because of his natural deceleration ability. He also has a nose for the basketball as a rebounder and his natural size/athleticism combination gives him potential to be a nuisance defensively. The two major concerns aren’t really even about his game. First, prior to his senior year of high school, Porter had a bit of a rep for being “soft,” in basketball terms. He largely dispelled that late in his prep career, but it’s still something NBA teams will want to get to know more about. Additionally, there are worries that Porter was not a particularly good teammate at Missouri this season while sitting out — something that was not known to be a problem for him in his prep career. Still, expect Porter to be picked in the top 10 as long as his medical reports clear. His scoring acumen and ability and athleticism make him a potential 20 point-per-game scorer at the next level, and those guys aren’t easy to find.

Billy Preston | 6-10, F | Kansas/BC Igokea | 20 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: N/A
Comment: Having written extensively about Preston prior to his time in Bosnia — and with that time largely being uneventful — we’ll let our previous evaluation of Preston stand.

Jerome Robinson | 6-6, G | Boston College | 21 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 24 to No. 45
Key stats: 20.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.3 APG, 48.5/40.9/83.0
Comment: Robinson announced in the last weekend of April that he’d be sticking in the draft officially after getting solid feedback about his standing. It’s easy to understand why that was the case. He averaged more than 24 points a night on a ridiculous 66.6 true-shooting percentage in ACC play, establishing himself as arguably the best offensive player in the league. He has tremendous feel for the game and plays at his own pace, never getting flustered and rarely making mistakes. The big leap he took this year was as a shooter, knocking down 41 percent of his near-200 attempts, while also continuing to crush teams off the bounce in the midrange. He finishes well inside, changes speeds and direction well, and has the size to play up and down the lineup on the perimeter. What’s the downside? Well, he’s not an explosive athlete and questions remain about his ability to get separation against elite ones. Also, he hasn’t really established himself as any sort of defender. Still, he looks to be a great option in the late first or early second round as a bench scorer who can be relied upon to get efficient offense and make good choices with the ball.

Mitchell Robinson | 7-0, C | Western Kentucky (sort of) | 20 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 14 to No. 40
Key stats: n/a
Comment: Wide range of potential outcomes here for Robinson, who will be one of the more interesting prospects in the draft to track. A five-star prospect seen as a surefire one-and-done prior to his season at Western Kentucky, the 7-footer decided to spend the year prepping for the draft instead of playing college hoops. In his high school career, Robinson was one of the best rim protectors in his class, along with Mohamed Bamba and Jaren Jackson, possessing great timing, leaping ability and length with a 7-4 wingspan. He’s also a tremendous rim-runner as a pick-and-roll weapon and can run out on the break with most guards. Overall offensive feel and skill have always been the concerns, as Robinson isn’t a player who will put the ball on the deck or shoot from distance. But if he can provide gravity as a roller, protect the rim inside and use his mobility on the perimeter to defend in mismatch settings, that will be enough to make him valuable. The high-end for him is a starter in the DeAndre Jordan mold (probably not quite as good as the 3-time All-NBA center, but similarly stylistically), with the low end being out of the league in a few years if the basketball sense doesn’t translate. He’s a roll of the dice, and has always been seen as such. And with him sitting this year out, NBA teams in the 10-20 range will want to do a significant amount of research before committing to him.

Corey Sanders | 6-2, G | Rutgers | 21 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 15.2 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.3 SPG, 40.1/22.4/70.8
Comment: Sanders has seemingly wanted to turn pro for the last couple years and finally decided to go through with it after his junior season at Rutgers. On the plus side, he’s a lightning quick creator who can handle the ball and score. Unfortunately though, there’s not really much else here. He’s terribly inefficient, posting a 45.5 true-shooting percentage in 2017-18 that was 10 percent below the national average, and that was actually a step up from his sophom*ore season. He can’t shoot it from distance, and is too small to consistently finish among the trees inside. He’s a score-first player, though, and not really much of a distributor. On the plus side, he’s pesky defensively, but his lack of bulk is a hindrance. I’m not even sure what his European market would look like given those factors. He’s going to have to prove himself in the G League, in all likelihood. A team will almost certainly be willing to draft him there, and from that point it will be on him to improve the questionable aspects of his game.

Collin Sexton | 6-2, G | Alabama | 19 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: Lottery
Key stats: 19.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.6 APG, 44.7/33.6/77.8
Comment: Sexton is one of the top prospects in the draft in large part because of his athleticism, handle and demeanor on the floor. He has a tremendous first step that allows him to get past even the most seasoned defenders. In regard to his handle, he has a terrific hesitation dribble and feel for changing pace on point-of-attack defenders, as well as a wicked crossover that he can use to blow by opposing players side-to-side. Then comes the demeanor, where Sexton is unquestionably one of the most competitive players to enter the draft in the last decade. He fights and claws for every single inch on a basketball floor and wants to have the ball in his hands in every single moment. He has a great feel for putting the ball in the basket at the rim and from the midrange with a nice floater game, as well as drawing contact to get to the rim. The big questions for Sexton as a lead guard revolve around him getting extreme tunnel vision while looking for his own shot, and with his jump shot, which can be markedly inconsistent. NBA evaluators have seen Sexton pass at a high level before when surrounded by good teammates, specifically at Nike Hoop Summit, where he did a good job of getting teammates involved. Still, this hasn’t been a consistent skill he’s shown. He has a case as the top point guard in the draft, with his game comparing favorably with a lot of what Terry Rozier has shown this season for the Boston Celtics.

Landry Shamet | 6-4, G | Wichita State | 21 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 25 to No. 50
Key stats: 14.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 5.2 APG, 48.9/44.2/82.5
Comment: Shamet profiles as a really nice role player as long as the shot translates at the same level it did in college. As a 6-4 lead guard who makes terrific decisions with the ball in his hands, he should be able to play both on- and off-ball. He battles defensively, but his frame leaves some evaluators concerned if he will translate on that end on-ball. Still, his ability to play solid team defense and help defense should translate even if the on-ball stuff doesn’t. Offensively, he’s not particularly explosive as a ball-handler who can get penetration to break down a defense. Rather, he gets by with his jump shot. As a shooter, Shamet was arguably among the best in college hoops this season, but his shot is pretty flat and could be a bit less consistent the further back it stretches. If the shot works well, he’ll be a rotation player who can help teams regardless of his defense and athleticism concerns. His feel for the game is just off the charts and makes him a guy coaches can trust to do the right things.

Anfernee Simons | 6-4, G | IMG Academy | 19 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 18 to No. 40
Key stats: n/a
Comment: This season’s prep prospect to declare, Simons is considered a top-10 player in the 2018 recruiting class. He’s a scoring guard with quick-twitch athleticism who can get to the paint and finish above the rim when he has some space to leap. Additionally, he pairs it with terrific body control and a solid handle that allows him to create a shot basically whenever he wants at the prep level. But there are some cracks in the armor. He thinks of himself as a combo guard, but his game profiles best as a true 2-guard right now. His extremely skinny frame may get him swallowed up early, though, against the tough, physical wing defenders of the NBA. Also, he’s a good shooter, but not the elite one that he’ll need to develop into if his frame doesn’t ever come along. Basically, Simons is a home run swing in which the team that selects him will need to have a long-term plan in place to foster his growth. The ceiling is an extremely high-level scoring guard because of the athletic tools at his disposal. The floor is that he never makes a real NBA impact. Good luck, NBA executives.

Zhaire Smith | 6-5, W | Texas Tech | 19 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 11 to No. 25
Key stats: 11.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 55.6/45.0/71.7
Comment: Every year, a player comes from outside of the top-40 of recruiting rankings and establishes himself as a one-and-done prospect. This year’s example is Smith, a consensus borderline top-200 prospect in high school who immediately leapt onto the scene for NBA evaluators to rush down to Lubbock to get a look at him. He’s an elite athlete at the wing position, who applies that athleticism to the floor at an extremely high level. Even at 18 years old, Smith is a terrific defensive player with strong versatility who can defend a lot of different positions. He has great reaction time and recognition defensively, allowing him to help all over the floor because his recovery speed. Things are a bit murkier on offense. He has a good feel for the game in terms of spacing and cutting, but doesn’t necessarily have a terrific skill level yet in his development. Not yet overly confident with his jumper, he took just 40 3-point attempts this season. Additionally, his handle is still mostly just straight-line to the basket without much in the way of change of pace or direction. Still, in a wing-starved NBA, his athleticism, motor and defensive package of skills makes him a very attractive prospect to teams, even if it’ll take some time on offense. He’ll be picked in the first round, and with a strong predraft process has a chance to go late in the lottery.

Ray Spalding | 6-10, F/C | Louisville | 21 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 12.3 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.7 BPG, 55.6/45.0/71.7
Comment: Spalding is an interesting prospect largely because of his physical tools on the defensive end. When engaged, he uses his length and ability to move his feet well to block shots from the weak side and deflect balls out on the perimeter to blow up offensive actions. Offensively, he has potential to shoot it eventually and has good feel for when to dive to the basket. The big issue with Spalding is that his frame is still extremely skinny and causes issues with how he establishes position inside. He gets pushed around at the college level and isn’t quite skilled enough as a face-up 4 to play as a 4-man in the modern NBA. He’s not a bad choice as a potential two-way contract player, but he’s not quite ready for the NBA yet.

Khyri Thomas | 6-3, G | Creighton | 22 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: No. 18 to No. 35
Key stats: 15,1 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.7 SPG, 53.8/41.1/78.8
Comment: One of the best defenders in the NCAA, Thomas is a bulldog on the perimeter, both at the point of attack and when defending bigger players with his 6-10 wingspan. He was the rightful winner of the Big East Defensive Player of the Year award each of the last two seasons and should immediately translate to being a strong NBA defender. But the reason he’s considered a likely first-round pick is because of the growth he’s made on the offensive end of the floor. Prior to this season, Thomas was seen as a streaky shooter who went through cold spells. This year, Thomas became a consistent 41 percent 3-point shooter, in addition to the value he provides as a driver and as a smart off-ball distibutor. Basically, Thomas is one of the best and most translatable role players in this NBA Draft. He has the look and intensity of a Patrick Beverley-type who should play a role in the NBA for a long time. He should stay in the draft. Even if he was to become an All-American next season, I’m not sure the upside exists for him to jump into the top 10, meaning he’d just be passing up on a season of real earning potential while putting off free agency for another year.

Gary Trent Jr. | 6-6, W | Duke | 19 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: second round
Key stats: 14.5 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 41.5/40.2/87.6
Comment: Trent is an absolutely terrific shooter who could legitimately grow into an elite one off the catch with some development. He hits shots coming off of screens, in spot-up situations, off of handoffs. His mechanics are terrific, his footwork is elite and his balance is perfect. But the problem is that he just has no giddy-up athletically. He really struggles to get separation from defenders off the bounce and doesn’t have a great sense of shot selection in those cases. His lack of ability to finish around the basket was apparent this year, as he only hit 42.5 percent of his shots around the basket in the half court. And that’s before we get to the defensive side, where his inability to stay in front of folks was among the reasons Duke had to shift to a zone defense. The shooting ability and size at his age alone makes him a worthy gamble in the second round, but it’s tough to see much more than that for him, given the other deficiencies of his game currently.

Allonzo Trier| 6-5, W | Arizona | 22 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 18.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.2 APG, 49.9/38.0/86.5
Comment: Trier is a professional scorer. He’s a terrific shooter who can get his shot from all three levels, and over his three years in college has become just about the most efficient player in college basketball. He scored 18 points per game while posting a 65.4 true-shooting percentage, one of just two high-major guards in the last nine years to accomplish that (Buddy Hield). These are things that Trier knows, as he’s one of the more observant and analytically-inclined players I’ve come across. He’s a hard worker who genuinely wants to be great at basketball, something that will likely showcase itself well to NBA executives. But he really needs to improve defensively and needs to get better as a shooter directly off the catch. Much more comfortable as a one-dribble, step-back shooter, Trier won’t get that time in the NBA and still be efficient. If I were an organization, I would be happy to take Trier in the second round and hope to get a bench scorer. But there’s a chance he ends up undrafted.

Lagerald Vick | 6-5,W | Kansas | 19 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 12.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 48.8/37.3/67.3
Comment: Vick’s career at Kansas was one of inconsistency, and that continued throughout his junior season. He started on a tear, looking like a potential All-Big 12 player. Then he completely tailed off during Big 12 play, averaging nine points and four rebounds a game on 29 percent shooting from 3. Throw in that Vick is also a particularly poor defender, consistently losing players off ball and causing Kansas into read-and-recover scramble situations, and it’s tough for me to see how valuable Vick is as a prospect. He plays a premium position on the wing and is athletic, so he’ll get looks because of that. But I would not tie myself to him as a draft pick.

Moritz Wagner | 6-11, C | Michigan | 21 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 25 to No. 50
Key stats: 14.6 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 52.8/39.4/69.4
Comment: Wagner is a pretty well-defined prospect at this stage. He’s a terrific stretch-5 for the modern NBA as he’s a remarkably efficient shooter for his size from outside, and he can attack closeouts well when defenders get overzealous. His body control is great at his size, and his feel for when to dive or pop in pick-and-roll is outstanding. It’s also worth noting that Wagner took the predraft process to heart last year. He went back to Michigan and improved markedly as a rebounder, leading the Big Ten in defensive rebounding percentage. Additionally, he at least made strides on defense to where he is no longer a total sieve. But he’s still not exactly strong on the perimeter defensively, and teams will certainly look to exploit him out there in the NBA. It’s worth wondering if the German native would be willing to stash himself overseas for a year if a team late in the first round wanted to keep an asset there for a year in order to either hoard cap space for this summer or to not have too many rookie contracts on the roster. He could legitimately boost his stock with such a decision. But if he wants to play over here next year, he’s a second-round prospect because of the concerns on defense.

Lonnie Walker | 6-4, G | Miami (Fla.) | 20 years old

Agent:Yes
Projected draft slot: No. 11 to No. 22
Key stats: 11.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.9 APG, 41.5/34.6/73.8
Comment: Walker was a pretty complicated evaluation this year. First and foremost, he missed a decent portion of his offseason after undergoing knee surgery in the summer — something that NBA teams will certainly want to get a look at in the predraft process. Then, Bruce Brown got hurt, taking away the team’s best passer and initiator. From there, things were kind of a mess, as Ja’Quan Newton struggled quite a bit, Chris Lykes got acclimated to college hoops and Jim Larranaga only played one other floor-spacing threat next to Walker. That meant that any time Walker wanted to try to attack closeouts — something that was an integral part of his prep career — defenses closed in on him and either forced him into a contested look or made him pass it off. Basically, the situation in Miami was not necessarily conducive to what Walker being able to show what he did in high school, where he was considered a potential top-10 pick. When the flashes came this year, you saw a player who could consistently get hot from distance, attack off the bounce to finish above the rim and provide defensive impact. He’s the prototypical spot-up threat in the modern NBA on offense, and with a 6-10 wingspan has potential to provide solid defense, too. The Philadelphian is also considered to be a terrific, mature kid in terms of the work he puts in, meaning he should be expected to put in the work necessarily to improve. He’ll be a solid mid-first-round pick for someone.

Robert Williams III | 6-10, F/C | Texas A&M | 20 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot:No. 12 to No. 25
Key stats: 10.4 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 2.6 BPG, 63.2 FG%
Comment:It was a bit of an up-and-down year for Williams, who had the opportunity to be a lottery pick had he entered the draft last season. The uber-athletic center has a penchant and flair for the highlight, swatting shots around the basket with impunity. But it’s worth noting that Texas A&M was actually eight points per 100 possessions worse when he was on the floor defensively, which questions just how much of an impact he had. He has a lot of potential as a pick-and-roll dive man, with the ability to catch lobs far above the high-point of where most defenders will be able to reach, but he sets poor screens. Generally, his attention to detail and his work ethic waver from time-to-time, something he readily acknowledges and has worked to improve over the last year. From an athletic and frame perspective, Williams has everything that NBA teams are looking for. But he needs to play hard and needs to work on the little things more consistently. He could end up being a steal if he falls outside of the top 15, a legitimate potential starting center at his ceiling. Or, if he coasts once he gets to the NBA, he could be out of it in a hurry.

Trae Young | 6-2, G | Oklahoma | 19 years old

Agent: Yes
Projected draft slot:No. 3 to No. 14
Key stats: 27.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 8.7 APG, 42.2/36.0/86.1
Comment:Much like he was the most polarizing player in college basketball this season, Young will be a pretty polarizing NBA Draft prospect. Some scouts consider him the clear top point guard in the class. Others think he profiles best as a backup. Young is an elite-level shot creator with legitimate range out to about 30 feet. That makes him a floor-spacing weapon who warps how the defense has to guard his team. He led the country in scoring and assists, a ridiculous and impossible thing for a freshman to do, especially when considering that he still had a positive true-shooting percentage of 58.5 despite a late-season swoon. His vision — particularly out on the break — is absolutely superb. There are several concerns. First, his frame leaves a lot of teams concerned. He’s quite skinny, and doesn’t particularly look like he’ll fill out all that well. That shows itself most on the defensive end, where Young gets bullied consistently by opposing guards, and he will be a magnet for switches in the NBA until he proves he can slow them down. Also, he’ll occasionally try to do too much and turn the ball over at far too high a clip. Young is the prospect most likely to get a general manager fired. Whether or not that GM gets fired for passing up Young on his way to superstardom or for selecting him and the guard not living up to the hype remains to be seen.

Kostas Antetokounmpo | 6-10, F | Dayton | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 5.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 57.4 FG%, 15.1 MPG
Comment: Coming off of a relatively weak year, the third Antetokounmpo brother is testing his draft stock. Currently, Antetokounmpo is nowhere near ready for the NBA physically. He’s 190 pounds and doesn’t have nearly the perimeter game his brother does. But he’s a fluid athlete at 6-10 with good instincts and an interesting skillset for a modern 5, particularly if he follows the late growth spurt trajectory of his brothers. Throughout his development, he was typically seen as having a future somewhere in between Bucks’ superstar Giannis and current Panathinaikos defensive stopper Thanasis, who got a cup of coffee with the Knicks in 2015-16. As to why he’s declaring now after a substandard year, Kostas committed to Dayton during Archie Miller’s tenure and didn’t quite seem to fit in to what Anthony Grant wanted. He’d have a chance to be selected by a team with a strong developmental culture. But he’d need to have strong workouts, and there’s a high likelihood his future will lie in the G League for a couple of years if he decided to stay in the draft. Given those realities, this decision could go either way by the time the process finishes.

Udoka Azubuike | 7-0, C | Kansas | 18 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 13.0 PPG PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.7 BPG, 77.0 FG%
Comment: Azubuike is a prospect of extremes. In many ways, he’s not the kind of prospect that would be on my draft board, as he’s a slow-footed, big-bodied center who is a relatively below-average defensive rebounder for his height, who can’t move on the perimeter, and who can’t shoot outside of seven feet. As we’ve seen in this season’s playoffs, it’s awfully difficult to find a place in today’s NBA for guys like him. But not every NBA executive and coach feels the same way I do about traditional big men. And Azubuike is about as interesting as it gets if you’re going to value the oversized big man. He has terrific touch, establishes position literally whenever and wherever he wants on the floor due to tremendous lower body strength, and can cover swaths of ground as a roller in pick-and-roll settings. He needs work, but he’s probably worth taking a risk on developing on a two-way contract as a flier. His extreme youth doesn’t hurt, either.

Brian Bowen | 6-7, W | South Carolina/Louisville | 19 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot:second round to undrafted
Key stats: 15.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 22 3PM, 54.7/51.2/80.0
Comment: There is no more single complicated decision in the predraft process than that of Bowen. The most high-profile involvement with the FBI investigation into college basketball, Bowen was allegedly paid $100,000 to attend Louisville, then was suspended by the university, got his release from the university, then enrolled at South Carolina, where he sat out the rest of the year while waiting for clarity from the NCAA on his eligibility. That is clarity he is still waiting on, as the governing body still has yet to rule on his situation. It would behoove the NCAA to rule on this as soon as possible so as to give clarity to Bowen, as his NBA situation is just as foggy. Bowen was not considered a one-and-done prospect from a skill perspective entering his freshman season. He has good feel for scoring and a jump shot that should translate to the NBA, but that was basically the extent of his high-level skills. He needed the time in a developmental setting to round out the rest of his game. Now, with an NBA Combine invite waiting, Bowen will need to show evaluators what he has learned in his season off. Any player who is his size and can shoot the basketball like he can will get looks. But just how in-depth those looks end up being often are because of how many other skills you can round out your game with. This is a very awkward situation that hopefully works itself out for the best of the player involved. If he does end up having to stay in the draft, I’d say he’s likely to go in the second round, with the potential to be a two-way contract player.

C.J. Burks | 6-3, G | Marshall | 22 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 20.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.1 APG, 47.2/36.4/88.9
Comment: It’s tough to imagine a 20 point-per-game scorer getting overshadowed on his own team, but that’s the story of Burks on Marshall in 2018. Jon Elmore stirs the drink at the point and Ajdin Penava makes everything work as a do-it-all, small-ball center, while Burks mostly just filled it up as the third option. He’s a remarkably high-level shooter who excels in spot-up situations, both when shooting from distance and attacking closeouts. It’s worth noting that Burks is a fourth-year junior, so he might just decide to move on from college and start his pro career. He could be one of the nation’s top 10 scorers in Dan D’Antoni’s uptempo system if he was to return, though.

Jordan Davis | 6-2, G | Northern Colorado | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 16.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 3.2 APG, 51.5/23.9/63.8
Comment:Davis is a decent prospect due to his athleticism and ability to score the basketball. He can weave in and out of the lane, and finish far above the rim when he wants. But he has no jump shot, which makes it extremely hard to make a living at the NBA level. That’s ultimately not where his future lies, in all likelihood. However, like his teammate and fellow pro prospect Andre Spight, Davis has very real options in Europe due to his passport. Davis plays international hoops for the Azerbaijani national team, meaning he wouldn’t count against American roster limits overseas. That makes him a valuable commodity in Europe, so it wouldn’t be out of the question for him to decide to just start his pro career. He’d make solid money from the jump. But we’ll see what his final choice ends up being.

Terence Davis | 6-3, G | Mississippi | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 13.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.1 APG, 40.7/31.7/72.0
Comment: Davis is another player who took a bit of a step back in a tough situation this year. Ole Miss was a bit of a mess, leading to Andy Kennedy’s ouster prior to the end of the season. Davis’ play dropped off from where it was as a sophom*ore, when he was a dynamic, athletic playmaker who used his physical frame and explosiveness to live in the paint and score at the basket. This year, though, he struggled while surrounded by one of the worst shooting and least-spaced out offenses in the country — an issue he certainly contributed to. It’s possible he could go into workouts with his powerful build and ability to get into the lane and show out. Currently, I’d bet on him going undrafted if he was to continue through the process. Good player, but not at the peak of his stock.

Donte DiVincenzo | 6-5, W | Villanova | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: No. 20 to No. 50
Key stats: 13.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 3.5 APG, 48.1/40.1/71.0
Comment: DiVincenzo was already on NBA evaluators’ radar before he went off for 31 points and became the Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four. He can create his own shot with a terrific change-of-direction and change-of-pace dribble (particularly in step-back situations), and he knocks them down at an extremely high clip, as his 60.8 true-shooting percentage shows. He’s a terrific athlete who we know — from Villanova’s wide-open system — will translate to the spacing of the NBA. Defensively, there are some warts, and he’ll get lost. But overall, DiVincenzo is a gamer with an absolutely tremendous feel for the game. NBA teams love kids from Jay Wright’s scheme, too, because the way they’ve been coached allows for an easier transition. No choice that DiVincenzo makes here will be bad. If he goes, he’ll be selected. If he stays at Villanova, he’ll be the leading scorer on a preseason top-5 team. It’s all up to how he performs in workouts, and how he prefers to live the next year of his life.

Jarrey Foster | 6-6, W/F | SMU | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: second round
Key stats: 13.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.7 APG, 46.6/32.3/69.8
Comment: Foster likely would have had a simple decision had he stayed healthy this season. In January, Foster partially tore his ACL, ending his season right as he was starting to shoot up draft boards. He’s a remarkable athlete who can defend multiple positions and attack the rim with impunity, as well as a high IQ player who doesn’t make poor decisions. The key for him will be continuing to develop as a jump shooter, as he’s currently an extremely inconsistent player there. According to ESPN, Foster is looking to get assurances in the second round and will attend the NBA Draft Combine to go through medical testing. My guess is that a team is willing to work with him through his recovery as long as his long-term medical outlook comes back clean. His skill set is extremely valuable, and he knows how to play well with teammates, thanks to underrated passing ability. Still, the medicals will be the key.

Robert Franks | 6-7, F | Washington State | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 17.6 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.9 APG, 47.6/40.5/85.4
Comment: One of the underrated breakout players in college basketball this season, Franks shed a lot of weight last offseason and became a dynamic stretch-4 who could knock down shots and attack closeouts. With a 6-7 frame and a 7-2 wingspan, he has everything that an NBA team is looking for from the position from a physical perspective. Still, he’s a slow-footed defender despite the fact that he’s gotten into better shape. Franks is definitely a strong candidate for a two-way contract next year if he sticks in the draft. He’ll need to prove himself in workouts if he wants to go through with his plan of staying in the draft.

Wenyen Gabriel | 6-10, F | Kentucky | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 6.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 42 3PM, 44.2/39.6/62.5
Comment: I’d still consider myself something of a believer in Gabriel as a potential NBA role player. He’s a really good defender whose presence always benefitted Kentucky this year on that side of the floor. Kentucky was nine points per 100 possessions better this season when Gabriel was on the floor defensively as opposed to when he was off, as his motor, weak-side rim protection and mobility on the perimeter made him startlingly effective. Offensively, he also hit nearly 40 percent of his 3s this year, a combination of skills that makes him such an interesting NBA prospect given the way the league is going. He’s also known as a tremendous kid who everyone loves to be around when they get to know him. Still, Gabriel could really help himself by returning to Kentucky — that is, if he could be assured of playing time. With E.J. Montgomery and Nick Richards already in the fold, and PJ Washington and Jarred Vanderbilt also testing their draft stock, Gabriel is in a quandary. If Vanderbilt and Washington leave, he should return. If one of them goes and one of them stays, it gets really tough. If they both return, it might make sense for him to play the odds and try to get a two-way contract. Nothing about Gabriel’s decision is easy.

Ethan Happ | 6-10, C | Wisconsin | 22 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 17.9 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 3.7 APG, 52.8/9.1/55.0
Comment: Despite promise of working on his shooting ability last offseason and the desire to work on more of a perimeter game, none of that materialized in Happ’s junior year. Basically, he was what he’s always been: a remarkably productive interior presence with tremendous footwork and an active defender who plays incredibly hard and gets the most out of physical gifts. He still doesn’t handle heavy defensive pressure or double teams particularly well, and the question of how his defensive game will translate to the next level as an undersized center persists. Still, some folks love the way he sells out for the team, and he’ll get camp invites and a Summer League invite even if he is undrafted. Happ is set to graduate in May, meaning he might just decide to move on. If he returns, he’ll certainly be coming back to a more experienced roster than the one that was there this season. But as a back-to-the-basket big, he’ll be reliant on his guards improving significantly in terms of decision-making and distribution.

Aric Holman | 6-10, F/C | Mississippi State | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 10.9 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 37 3PM, 57.3/44.0/73.3
Comment: Holman is a very underrated prospect who has potential to be of interest to a lot of savvy teams who have done their homework. He only played 23 minutes a night — seemingly because of occasional inconsistency, but mostly for reasons unknown to this evaluator — but made an important impact on both ends of the floor in his time. The 6-10 Holman hit 44 percent of his 3s this past season as a terrific pick-and-pop, catch-and-shoot stretch big man who split his time at the 4 and 5. In addition, Holman is a really smart, intuitive defender both inside as a rim protector and outside on the pick-and-roll. His feet aren’t elite laterally, but he’s smart and has a mature sense of positioning. The weaknesses here are that he’s not necessarily a great creator with the ball, and he’s not a playmaker at all. Also, he’s slightly in between defensive positions at the next level, a bit too small to bang inside against the biggest defenders, but not quite quick enough to check the best stretch-4s. Still, Holman made a positive impact every time he took the floor. He’s the kind of player who could surprise folks by getting a combine invite or playing his way into a draft spot in pre-draft workouts. The jury is out on what his decision should be.
Verdict:Holman decided to return to school, in the end not even officially declaring for the draft through the league office.

Jalen Hudson | 6-6, W | Florida | 22 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: No. 25 to No. 60
Key stats: 15.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 45.4/40.2/66.2
Comment: Hudson gets buckets. And at 6-6 with good athleticism, that’s going to be enough to get him real NBA looks. The big leap Hudson took in his year off after transferring from Virginia Tech was as a jump shooter. A lacking shooter in his first two collegiate years, Hudson became an elite one both off the catch and off the dribble this season. And with a shifty handle, he can attack heavy-footed closeouts with ease. The big question: What else does he do? He’s not a good defender, with Mike White occasionally not playing him because of it. He’s playmaking for others has fallen off since a freshman season that showed promise. Is simply getting buckets while playing little defense going to be enough? That’s something NBA evaluators will have to ask as he works through the predraft process. I’d expect him to get a combine invite, then have a tough decision to make from there.

Kevin Huerter | 6-7, W | Maryland | 19 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: late first to undrafted
Key stats: 14.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.4 APG, 50.3/41.7/75.8
Comment: Along with teammate Bruno Fernando, Huerter’s stock is particularly tough to pin down. As a 19-year-old wing with tremendous basketball IQ, high-level shot-making ability and efficiency in shot selection for 6-7, there are plenty of teams out there who should like what he brings to the table as a prospect. These are all skills that the NBA needs as it moves more toward a perimeter-based game. But Huerter’s frame isn’t great, and he gets knocked off the ball easily. His decision-making can also be a bit questionable at times, as his 17.8 turnover rate shows. I’d bet on Huerter playing in the NBA at some point, but the question is whether that will be next year or further in the future. The predraft process will be important for him in that regard, but I’d bet on him being one of the high-level players to return. He’s the kind of guy that, with a year in the weight room and in the gym, could make a significant jump up draft boards as a young junior for his class.

Tramaine Isabell | 6-0, G | Drexel | 23 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 21.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 3.4 APG, 47.4/34.0/76.4
Stay or go? Depends what he wants
Comment: A transfer from the Kim Anderson days at Missouri, Isabell was a star in the CAA this year. He got absolutely wherever he wanted on the floor in pick-and-rolls with his quickness and handle, drew fouls at a high rate and was successful with his floater game. He pushes the ball out on the break well, too. He’s undersized for the NBA and isn’t quite a good enough shooter or decision-maker yet to really succeed at that level, but he’ll have plenty of options open to him this summer. Turning 23 just days after the draft, Isabell will graduate this summer. That leaves the world open to him. He could choose to explore a transfer to play immediately next year in the NCAA, could decide to simply move on from college with his degree and start his pro career, or return to Drexel and make a run at CAA player of the year. If he goes pro, he’ll be a prolific bucket-getter overseas, much like former University of Indianapolis guard Darius Adams.

Sagaba Konate | 6-8, C | West Virginia | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 10.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 3.2 BPG, 51.0 FG%, 79.0 FT%
Comment: One of the nation’s top-three shot-blockers last season, along with Jaren Jackson and Mohamed Bamba, Konate is in a fascinating situation as a draft prospect. On the plus side, NBA teams are always looking for rim protection, and few provide it better than he does. But how will it translate the next level? His physical tools aren’t great, as he is not overly long or explosive, but does have large, strong hands that make for spectacular blocks when dunkers try to challenge him. Outside of his shot-blocking, his larger frame does not bode well to him defending out on the perimeter. Offensively, he has good touch around the basket and can even shoot out to about 15 feet, but he doesn’t create much for himself and doesn’t have enough explosiveness to go up through players. He’s a polarizing prospect for many executives, with some really buying into the motor, shot-blocking and touch, while others worry about how he’ll age long-term. It’s possible he would be selected if he declared fully, but not clear.

Caleb Martin | 6-7, W | Nevada | 22 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 18.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.6 APG, 45.4/40.3/73.9
Comment: Following a pair of inefficient seasons, Martin transferred to Nevada in 2016 and blossomed under Eric Musselman. He’s a terrific shooter both off of the catch and off of the dribble, and at 6-7 can get his shot up over a variety of defender types, where he’s a terrific contested-shot maker comparatively. He’s not a great defender yet, but has the size to play against a wide variety of players. The problem, though, is that he’s not a wild athlete and could struggle to get any separation from NBA players. I’d bet on him not being drafted as opposed to him getting selected this year, but he’d certainly get an opportunity in Summer League and likely receive a camp invite. Ultimately, with Martin turning 23 later this year, it’s simply a matter of him choosing his future. Does he want to make money to play, or does he want to try to raise his stock for a weaker 2019 draft? Neither is a bad choice in his case.

Cody Martin | 6-7, W | Nevada | 22 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 14.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 4.7 APG, 51.6/29.4/70.1
Comment: A very different player than his brother Caleb and a slightly less effective college player. However, some NBA scouts believe that Cody is the better NBA prospect if he can spend the predraft process bringing his shooting around. Martin is a terrific defensive player who won the Mountain West’s Defensive Player of the Year award, where he provides positional versatility in addition to game-breaking big plays in the form of 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. Offensively, he’s also at tremendous passer who took over at point guard regularly for the Wolf Pack and used his size to see over defenses and make smart decisions. Those decisions also tend to transfer to his shooting, where he typically just takes smart shots. Much like his brother, what Martin wants to do is entirely of his own volition. It would make sense if he wanted to turn pro, as he’d be a tailor-made player for a two-way contract. It would also make sense if he’d want to return to Nevada, play for a preseason top-10 team and try to raise his stock.

Jalen McDaniels | 6-9, F | San Diego State | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: early second round to undrafted
Key stats: 10.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 58.6/21.1/78.8
Comment: McDaniels is a very interesting long-term prospect testing the waters. He’s a quick-twitch athlete with all sorts of bounce and quickness for his size, and constantly plays hard with a high motor and nose for the ball. Elite at finishing at the basket because of his ability to finish above the rim, McDaniels posted a 64.2 true-shooting percentage and drew fouls at an extremely high rate given his minute totals. There are a few concerns, though. One, he might a bit of a big “tweener,” too small to play the 5, but not quite quick enough to check stretch-4s in the modern NBA. Second, he could stand to improve the range on his jump shot, something he is hard at work on in his predraft workouts after shooting just 21 percent from 3 this year. Finally, his natural feel for the game might be just a touch lower than he’d need to stick at this level, particularly as it refers to the way he moves the ball (his 6.7 assist rate would be quite low for a modern 4 man). McDaniels could return and try to improve his stock in a weaker class, something that would be pretty easily accomplished with a normal Year 1 to Year 2 jump. But if he shows well enough for NBA scouts predraft, he could work himself into a top-40 pick based solely on the motor/athleticism combination. We need more information before making a call.

Christian Mekowulu | 6-9, F | Tennessee State | 23 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 12.7 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.5 BPG, 51.9 FG%
Comment: Mekowulu was the OVC’s defensive player of the year this season, a big man with a 7-3 wingspan who can block shots and guard well all over the floor. He’s also become better physically, and is now a strong rebounder on both ends. Unfortunately, he doesn’t quite have enough offensive game to get to the NBA, as he’s turnover prone, doesn’t read the play at a high-enough level and has yet to show anything in terms of a perimeter jump shot. Mekowulu might decide to just end up turning pro anyway, given that he just turned 23 in March and his coach this past season, Dana Ford, has moved on to Missouri State. That would be enough to make some decide it’s time to make money playing pro basketball, and teams in Europe would certainly be interested in him as a center.

Matt Morgan | 6-3, G | Cornell | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 22.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.2 APG, 49.2/36.9/81.7
Comment: There have been few more consistent scorers on the mid-major level than Morgan. He’s led the Ivy League in scoring each of the last three seasons, getting just a little bit more efficient every year on his way to 22.5 points per game on a 62.9 true-shooting percentage. Only 21 players over the last 25 years have accomplished that feat, and it’s a who’s who of college basketball elite, from national players of the year Buddy Hield, Doug McDermott and J.J. Redick, to NBA superstars such as Stephen Curry and Blake Griffin. Morgan’s a tremendous shooter with no conscience from distance, as well as a smart driver with an array of finishing moves inside, from floaters to using his body control to contort his way to a clean look right at the rim. Morgan has stated that he has his name in the draft with the intention of keeping it in if he’ll be a draft pick. I’d guess that he’s more of an undrafted type who would have to work his way in through the Summer League, meaning he might end up returning. But he’s a guy to watch, as it looks like he’d prefer to go pro if the right opportunity presents itself.

Josh Okogie | 6-4, W | Georgia Tech | 19 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: No. 25 to No. 60
Key stats: 18.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.8 SPG, 41.6/38.0/82.1
Comment: Okogie is a prospect of intense interest to NBA teams. At 6-4 with a 7-foot wingspan and a well-built frame, he looks a lot like an NBA player. Throw in that he’s hit 38 percent of his near-200 3-point attempts in his two seasons, and that he’s still not 20 years old, and there’s a lot to like about him as a 3-and-D prospect. He’s also crafty and creative off the bounce, although his lack of bounce and lack of shiftiness does occasionally cause some struggles for him finishing at the rim. Defensively, he can be hit or miss. When he’s engaged, his length and solid lateral quickness can swallow up opposing wings. But he’ll also get lost off the ball occasionally, and this year he particularly gave a bit less effort during a tough campaign. Still, the good far outweighs the bad when it comes to his current game and his potential as a 19-year-old. I think Okogie is an underrated prospect. With a strong predraft process, it’s not out of the question he could sneak his way into the first round.

Shamorie Ponds | 6-0, G | St. John’s | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 21.6 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.7 APG, 42.0/25.3/85.7
Comment: One of the tougher evals in this class, Ponds is about as creative a lead guard scorer as you’ll find — and as volcanic a college scorer as you’ll find. You want to see a couple of ridiculous performances? Watch him carve up Duke and send them spiraling into a zone defense for the rest of the year, or against Marquette when he popped off for 44 points. He uses his body in unique ways to create space for himself inside at the rim, where he finished at a 56.4 percent clip in half-court settings despite being 6-foot with shorter arms. His crossover is also lightning quick, and he knows how to change pace to control his defender and get him off balance. It’s worth noting his defense is pretty rough at the point of attack, and his lack of length will likely make him a magnet for switches and mismatches at the next level. But the biggest key to his potential as an NBA player is clearly the jump shot. He hit only 25 percent of his 3s this year, a number that likely understates his shooting ability because of the shot selection and shot difficulty he often undertakes. But is it good enough for him to consistently knock down shots at an above-average clip from NBA range, something that will be essential for him as a bench scorer at the next level? Probably not quite yet. Additionally, the strength of this lead guard class doesn’t help him. It might behoove him to return to St. John’s, potentially be the Big East Player of the Year (something he’ll likely be favored to win next season), and try his luck next year.

Jontay Porter | 6-11, C | Missouri | 18 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: No. 18 to No. 45
Key stats: 9.9 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.7 BPG, 43.7/36.4/75.0
Comment: Another extremely difficult evaluation in the context of the modern NBA. On the plus side, Porter is immensely skilled for a 6-11 player. He has terrific touch from all three levels, passes the ball at an extremely high level, has a smart, innate feel for spacing the floor in pick-and-roll and hand-off settings and has a great sense of timing when going up to block shots. But the big questions are about his frame and about his long-term athletic potential. A big-bodied center, Porter doesn’t have a ton of explosiveness athletically. Is this something he can improve upon by really reshaping his body? Additionally, in a spacing-conscious NBA, can Porter really be put out in space defensively and be counted on to consistently make a positive impact? He moves his feet well for his size in college because of his quick reaction time and high-level basketball IQ, but will the greater NBA expose his foot speed to an extent? His advanced metrics all look great and his skill set is very interesting from an offensive perspective, but will the lack of athleticism and defense hold him back? He’ll need to find a way to make a positive impact in those regards for NBA teams to solidify a spot in the first round. The same would be true for him, though, if he chose to return to Missouri next season, where he additionally faces the question of who will be responsible for getting him the ball, as the Tigers don’t have a ton of clarity at the point guard position at this stage. Return, and the upside is top-10 pick. The downside is that he looks bad in tough situation. He’ll have one of the tougher decisions of the predraft process. No option is particularly bad, but that doesn’t make it any easier.

Marcquise Reed | 6-3, G | Clemson | 23 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 15.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.3 APG, 43.0/35.4/84.5
Comment: Following a transfer from Robert Morris a few years ago, Reed showed this year that he was able to play up a level at Clemson in his second year while helping to lead the Tigers to a Sweet 16 berth. He’s a terrific creator with a skinny frame and great shiftiness, but where he gets by best is as a pull-up shooter. He hit his shots off the dribble at a near-50 percent effective field-goal clip, which was among the top 15 percent of all players in college basketball. He also improved an awful lot as a finisher inside this season and provided a solid impact defensively at the point of attack against 1s and 2s, using his quickness to disrupt opposing players. He’s not quite good enough to play in the NBA yet, as the physicality of the game would cause him some issues despite his toughness, but he is the kind of G League player who could take a couple of years of development and then potentially get a cup of coffee. He’d probably be best off, monetarily at least, if he decided to go over to Europe when he turns pro. Given that he’s already 23, it would be tough to blame him if he wanted to start playing professionally sooner rather than later. But at Clemson next year, he could be the leader of a team that has potential to be in the top 25 again. No bad choices here for Reed.

Omari Spellman | 6-9, C | Villanova | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: No. 31 to No. 60
Key stats: 10.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 47.6/43.3/70.0
Comment: Spellman is a polarizing prospect. On the offensive side, he’s a tailor-made fit for the modern NBA. He is a stretch-5 who can step away from the basket and knock down shots at a high clip from 3. Additionally, he can attack heavy closeouts with really good ball-handling ability for a center. He also establishes position well both defensively on the block and in rebounding. But his defensive game still has a lot of questions. He doesn’t move particularly well away from the basket and will be a liability in space. At the rim, he’s good with verticality but doesn’t have the length or height to really affect the biggest guys at the NBA level. It’s possible he can be a really nice bench scorer in the Marreese Speights mold. But you’ll need to work around the defense.

Deshon Taylor | 6-3, G | Fresno State | 22 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 17.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.5 SPG, 43.9/38.6/83.3
Comment: Taylor is a combo scoring guard who can really fill it up, much like many others around the country. He’s a really good shooter off the dribble who can get a lot of separation because of his ability to handle the ball. More than that, he’s also tremendous at getting to the foul line and has a nice little pull-up floater game. Oh, and he was first-team all-defense in the Mountain West as a tough point-of-attack defender. But he’s a 6-3 scorer without a ton of distribution skills, and those guys are a dime-a-dozen, particularly when they don’t really finish at the basket. Despite that, he’s efficient because of that ability to get to the foul line and a very real pro prospect for Europe and the G League. With development, it’s not impossible he could get an NBA cup of coffee. It’ll be interesting to see what Taylor does in terms of a final decision. His coach, Rodney Terry, left for the UTEP job. As a fourth-year junior, it’s possible he could graduate and go elsewhere if he so wanted to. He’d be among the most sought-after transfers as one of the most underrated guards in the country. It’s unlikely he’d be picked at this stage of the draft.

Reid Travis | 6-8, F | Stanford | 22 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 19.5 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.3 APG, 52.7/29.5/67.5
Comment: No one else in college basketball has the sheer breadth of options Travis does this offseason. He’s graduating from Stanford and could decide to take his talents to a college blue blood with an open scholarship for next season. He could stay at Stanford and lead a young team back toward an NCAA Tournament berth. He could stay in the draft, likely go unselected, but still become a priority free agent as a center overseas. Or, even still, he could decide to turn pro, go through football workouts and see if there’s a place for him in the NFL. The world is his oyster this summer. If he chooses to stick with basketball and turn pro, teams will like the fact that he’s a high-level rebounder who establishes position with ease inside, a good finisher with touch inside, a tough foul magnet and a good slasher from the elbow. He’s not a particularly good defender, though, because of his lack of explosiveness athletically. And it’s possible the finishing could really dissipate at the next level. But Travis has one of the most interesting decisions ahead, and it will have real reverberations throughout college hoops.

Jarred Vanderbilt | 6-9, F | Kentucky | 19 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 5.9 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.0 APG, 42.6 FG%
Comment: Vanderbilt had a tough year following a spate of injuries — something that is becoming all too common in his career. Vanderbilt has suffered multiple stress fractures over the last two years to his left foot, and a few additional ankle injuries. NBA teams will look closely at his medical testing results hoping to find that he can stay healthy. When he’s on the floor, Vanderbilt brings a few terrific aspects as well as one glaring weakness. Vanderbilt is a terrific defender, utilizing quick feet and length to cover ground on the perimeter with ease. He also has potential as a strong rim protector. Additionally, Vanderbilt’s nose for the ball can’t be understated, as he’s an elite rebounder for his size because of his motor and instincts. Once he gets that ball, he can grab and go and lead the break himself, and tends to operate best as a point-forward with strong passing ability. Still, the biggest issue is that he really struggles to shoot, to the point that NBA teams simply won’t guard him away from the basket if he were to enter the league. He’d be a liability in the half court. The feedback he gets from NBA teams will be beneficial to his development, but it would probably make sense for him to return. The upside is there for him to be a first-round pick in 2019 if he goes back to Kentucky and performs at the level that his talent showed in high school.

PJ Washington | 6-7, F | Kentucky | 19 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: No. 25 to undrafted
Key stats: 10.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.5 APG, 51.7 FG%
Comment: There are few players who will end up with a tougher decision than Washington, whose flashes this year were superb but whose production on the whole underwhelmed. At 6-7 with a 7-3 wingspan and elite explosiveness — his vertical will come in at around 40 inches — Washington has all of the physical tools that NBA teams are looking for from versatile, low-usage forward defenders who could even potentially play some small-ball center. He also flashes some ability to drive the ball. But he didn’t show off elite defense all the time and went MIA far more often than you would hope for. I would expect Washington to have one of the best NBA Draft Combines of any player, just given what we know about his measurements and tools. If he plays well in five-on-five, there’s a very real chance he could boost his stock to the point that it’s worth staying in the draft. Additionally, Jarred Vanderbilt, Wenyen Gabriel and Washington likely are playing something resembling a session of Game Theory with each other to see which players decide to stay and go in order to find out how many minutes will be available in next season’s Kentucky rotation. This one is dicey and really could go either way.

Kris Wilkes | 6-7, W | UCLA | 19 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot:No. 29 to undrafted
Key stats: 13.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.7 APG, 44.1/35.2/65.5
Comment:Wilkes had a solid year for UCLA, showcasing his natural feel for scoring. He can drive in a straight line, has a nice floater game because of his great body control and can hit shots from distance, albeit in a streaky manner. Defensively, Wilkes uses his length well but still gets pushed off the ball a bit too easily because of his lack of strength. That’s ultimately the biggest thing holding Wilkes back as a player right now. He needs to become bigger and stronger in order to better establish position. With a deep UCLA team entering next season, Wilkes will have a chance to really establish himself as one of the best scorers in college hoops while playing for a prominent program. I think his best option would be to do that, as he could work his way into the first round next season. But Wilkes would undoubtedly get offers from NBA teams at least as a two-way player next season, and that might be something he would prefer.

Sedrick Barefield | 6-2, G | Utah | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 12.0 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 2.5 APG, 40.1/35.4/84.7
Comment:A solid combo-guard who can score, Barefield isn’t quite where he needs to be to be a real NBA prospect. He can hit shots off the dribble and is good at getting his feet set and firing coming off of screens, but he’s not quite good enough to do it consistently at the NBA level. The definition of a streaky scorer, Barefield can go for 20 one night, then go for single figures the next. Additionally, he really struggles to finish inside around the basket. Getting in one more year of development would likely help him reach his goals. Ultimately, those probably lie overseas at a mid-level European club.

Barry Brown | 6-3, G | Kansas State | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 15.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 3.2 APG, 44.8/31.8/77.2
Comment: Brown’s a terrific two-way college player. He’s tough and works extremely hard defensively at the point of attack to make life miserable for opposing lead guards. Just ask Trae Young if he enjoyed playing against Brown, as the Kansas State guard was the primary reason why Young had 17 turnovers in two games. He also doubles as a good shot creator, but there are a couple of missing pieces that hold down his stock. First, he’s still an inefficient finisher as a below-average shooter from distance. Second, he’s not quite as good a distributor as he needs to be, getting tunnel vision at times going toward the basket. Brown would be returning to a Kansas State team that figures to be a top-20 preseason team, so there’s plenty of reason to believe that he can boost his stock if he improves in those two facets.

Bryce Brown | 6-3, G | Auburn | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 15.9 PPG, 40.1/38.2/77.5
Comment: Brown can really get buckets in Auburn’s wide open scheme, but he’s a dime-a-dozen combo guard who is score-first, -second, and -third. The good thing is that he can shoot it both off of the catch and off the bounce, particularly excelling in spot-up situations and in isolation. But given Auburn’s likely top-15 preseason ranking and his status as their lead scorer, it would make sense for him to return to try and raise his profile.

Ky Bowman | 6-1, G | Boston College | 19 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 17.6 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 4.7 APG, 42.2/36.2/80.7
Comment: Bowman was one of the best perimeter players in the ACC this season. His first step is lightning quick, and paired with a great feel for changing speeds, it allows him to live in the lane even against strong defensive players. Simply put, he’s a tough guard with no fear of the moment who makes things happen on the floor. He also can really hit shots off the dribble. That makes him the kind of player who could go into workouts and impress NBA executives. Returning could help him, though, as he needs to improve his efficiency around the basket, learn to absorb and draw contact inside, and continue to improve on some of the wilder decision-making he exhibits from time to time. Even despite the size concerns, I’m generally high on Bowman’s game and think he has potential to have a future in the NBA, but he might be a year away from what his stock could be.

Jordan Caroline | 6-7, F | Nevada | 22 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 17.7PPG, 8.6 RPG, 2.2 APG, 47.4/32.4/70.9
Comment: Caroline is an interesting prospect within the construct of the modern NBA. He’s a tough, physical forward often roped in to playing center because of his football-like frame, the result of being the son of retired Bucs defensive end Simeon Rice. He plays really hard, defends multiple positions and has a body that would fit right into the physical nature of the league. The Nevada product is a good athlete but does not possess elite explosiveness, and he struggles with his efficiency because of that and his shooting ability. If he were to return to Nevada and shoot at a 40 percent clip from 3, he would unquestionably be worth talking about as a draft pick in 2019.

Kameron Chatman | 6-7, F | Detroit | 22 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 17.8 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.1 APG, 47.2/41.4/84.9
Comment: Chatman broke out in his first year at Detroit following a transfer from Michigan. After averaging about three points per game over two years with the Wolverines, the athletic forward blossomed as a stretch-4 in the Horizon League, becoming one of the best players in the conference. He’s still a level below where he needs to be as a ball-handler and defender to make an impact as a stretch-4 in the NBA, but it’s plausible he could work his way to that level with a strong senior season. It’s worth noting, though, that Bacari Alexander — the coach who brought him and his father, assistant coach Canaan Chatman — to Detroit after recruiting him to Michigan, was fired in March. Chatman also graduates this spring, meaning he may just be ready to start the next phase of his life following the upheaval. We’ll see.

Yoeli Childs | 6-8, F | BYU | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 17.8 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.8 BPG, 54.1/31.3/64.3
Comment: In past decades, Childs would have been a perfect 4 for the NBA, even if a bit undersized in terms of weight. Tough inside with the semblance of a perimeter game and a solid post game, Childs knows how to play and is remarkably productive in his minutes on the floor. In today’s era though, he might be a bit of a new-age tweener: too small to be the 5 consistently despite his strong shot-blocking instincts, but also not quite quick enough to check stretch-4s on the perimeter night after night. He’s a terrific college player, but he’d be better off returning and becoming so good offensively both inside and out that NBA teams can’t find themselves passing on him anymore. Otherwise, there are a lot of similarities here to Yante Maten at Georgia.

Chris Clemons | 5-8, F | Campbell | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 24.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.8 BPG, 45.2/37.1/86.1
Comment: A top-five scorer nationally in each of the last two seasons, Clemons is a diminutive dynamo scoring the basketball. He can get separation from any player in the country, and he’s a tremendous shooter off the bounce. The problem is, Campbell has played a bottom-30 schedule nationally in each of the last three seasons, and Clemons hasn’t really gotten much of a chance to prove himself against good competition. He dropped 39 against a top-20 defense in Penn State in the first game this past season, but that’s really all he has to show as a sample. Hopefully Clemons returns, Campbell decides to schedule aggressively, and we get to learn a bit more about exactly how efficient he can be in the future. If he was to stay in the draft, he’d certainly get workouts and be invited to Summer League.

Tyler Cook | 6-10, F/C | Iowa | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 15.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 56.6/14.3/66.1
Comment: Cook is an interesting player with a lot of skill. He’s bouncy — especially for his size — and has good touch around the basket. But it’s hard to find a good player nationally who has been more misused than Cook was last year. He played nearly one-third of his minutes next to two true centers despite his best position also being at center. As the rest of the basketball world downsized, Iowa decided to play three true bigs fairly regularly and then give Fran McCaffery a contract extension. Go figure. Despite the fact that he should be playing most of his minutes as a true center, Cook still produced. It would be interesting to see him in a more functional situation, and Cook alluded to the potential for a transfer at the end of the season (although he has since squashed a rumored move to Missouri). He’ll get workouts, and if he was to stay in the draft, he’d be an interesting two-way contract candidate as well as a likely training camp look. But his stock is not where it should be right now after the dysfunctional Iowa season.

Isaac Copeland | 6-9, F | Nebraska | 23 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 12.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 47.2/36.9/70.2
Comment: Copeland has always fascinated evaluators — from high school and AAU all the way through to the NBA — because of his fluid athleticism at 6-9 and burgeoning perimeter skills. After a couple of false starts at Georgetown, the light finally started to go on at Nebraska this past year, where Tim Miles put him in great situations as a small-ball 5 who could take advantage of mismatches. He has short arms and needs to improve his shot consistency and continue adding weight to get back onto the NBA radar fully. But at 23, it wouldn’t be out of the question that he’s just ready to start getting paid to play. He could use one more year of development, though.

Bryant Crawford | 6-3, G | Wake Forest | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 16.9 PPG,4.9 APG, 2.9 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 41.3/35.8/86.8
Comment: I have always been a bit higher on Crawford than some other evaluators. He’s an incredibly tough point guard, who can score, distribute for his teammates and get into passing lanes defensively to start fast breaks. But this year, he seemed to stagnate a bit at Wake Forest after two strong years of growth trajectory. Plus, he’s just never gotten to a place where he’s a positive defensively. And with Wake Forest looking to be a bottom-feeder again in the ACC next season, it’s not crazy for him to simply be done at the university. He’s also on pace, though, to become something of a Wake Forest legend statistically. If healthy, he could easily finish next season top-5 in school history in points, career starts, assists and steals. It’s easy to envision a circ*mstance where he values those and additionally wants to try his best to put the Demon Deacons back on the right track. It’s possible a team could value him enough to draft him, but the odds would be on him going unselected.

Jon Davis | 6-3, G | Charlotte | 22 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 17.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 5.5 APG, 39.2/32.9/79.0
Comment: In the midst of a really difficult season at Charlotte, where coach Mark Price was fired midseason, Davis took a bit of a step back. His true-shooting percentage fell by nearly eight points, his scoring per minute dropped and his 3-point shooting fell below where it needs to be for a lead guard. It would be worthwhile for him to try to rehabilitate his stock under new coach Ron Sanchez, who has long been considered one of the coaches most ready to take over a program in the country after his years at Virginia.

Tyler Davis | 6-9, C | Texas A&M | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 14.9 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.4 BPG, 58.5 FG%
Comment: A throwback to a previous time, Davis is a low-post, back-to-the-basket scorer with great touch and a nose for the ball when rebounding. He’s remarkably strong and carves out position whenever he wants with ease. But he’s largely ground-bound as a big-bodied forward and doesn’t move his feet well defensively. He’s never developed anything consistent as a shooter outside of 10 feet and isn’t really much of a playmaker for others. In past generations, his production would certainly have put him on the radar of NBA teams. Now there’s not really a place for him the NBA. He’s a prospect for Europe. His situation at Texas A&M is interesting, though, as both Robert Williams and DJ Hogg have already declared, and Tonny Trocha-Morelos has graduated. On the one hand, he’ll have the interior all to himself. On the other, most of the players he entered college with at A&M with have departed. Could he want to simply move on at this stage and start getting paid overseas?

Noah Dickerson | 6-8, C | Washington | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: No. 22 to No. 50
Key stats: 15.5 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 56.9 FG%
Comment: Pac-12 coaches hated having to deal with Dickerson this year. He plays incredibly hard, doesn’t ask for the ball, but always seems to find it with his remarkable offensive rebounding ability. It’s also worth noting he was a terrific centerpiece in Washington’s 2-3 zone. But he’s an undersized center who doesn’t really move his feet all that well in space and doesn’t have much game outside of the paint. He should return and play well for a Washington team that has a good chance to make the NCAA Tournament.

Torin Dorn | 6-5, W | N.C. State | 22 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 13.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 53.1/31.1/73.1
Comment: Dorn is a terrific athlete at the wing position who has made solid strides every year of college, from his first at Charlotte to his fourth under Kevin Keatts. He took a rather large leap with his defensive versatility this year, mostly playing the 4 in small-ball lineups. But he’s still just not quite skilled enough yet. He doesn’t shoot it well enough from distance, nor does he have enough differentiation in his game off the bounce. Returning to play under Keatts and make the Tournament for a second consecutive year could be beneficial to him, as long as he takes the time to really improve as a shooter. It bears noting that Dorn is on track to graduate this spring, though, and might decide he just wants to move on.

Nojel Eastern | 6-7, W | Purdue | 19 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 2.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 12.6 MPG
Comment: Even Eastern doesn’t believe he’s ready for the NBA, but he’s putting his name in the draft in order to get feedback and get some attention on his game. Next season at Purdue will be the critical one for him, as he’ll move into the starting lineup and be tasked with handling a lot of the ball next to scoring guard Carsen Edwards (assuming Edwards himself returns from his foray). He’s an interesting point-wing type who can handle it and pass exceedingly well. His length and athleticism also allows him some defensive versatility. But he absolutely has to improve the jumper to become even an effective college player, let alone a guy who can get on to the NBA radar.

Carsen Edwards | 6-1, G | Purdue | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 18.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.8 APG, 45.8/40.6/82.4
Comment: Edwards has grown as much as any player over the course of the last year. Coming off of an inefficient freshman season, the lead guard used the U19 World Championships in Egypt to springboard himself into an All-American season at Purdue. He was one of the most dynamic scorers in the country this year, using his terrific quickness and handle to get into the paint with ease, and his shot-making ability off the bounce to be a weapon from distance. Surrounded by smart senior starters really helped Edwards get the space he needed to operate, though, and he won’t have that luxury next season. That — along with a loaded lead guard class throughout the late first and second rounds — makes this one of the more complicated decisions in the draft. Should he go back to a team that won’t be quite as talented and put himself at risk of hindering his stats and stock? Or should he return, continue to make leaps in his ability as a distributor after playing off-ball for most of 2018, and try his luck in a weaker 2019 draft class that doesn’t have many likely one-and-done point guards? It’s not an easy choice, but Edwards would be one of the 10 best players in college basketball going into next season if he returned vs. a potential second-rounder if he stayed in the draft. It’s worth him going through the process and learning from NBA evaluators.

Jon Elmore | 6-3, G | Marshall | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 22.7 PPG, 5.8 APG, 6.8 APG, 43.9/35.6/82.6
Comment: Elmore burst onto the scene as one of the stars of March Madness following Marshall’s upset of Wichita State in the first round, where he significantly outperformed potential first round pick Landry Shamet. His numbers are downright ridiculous on the whole. He’s the only player over the last quarter-century of college basketball to average 22.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists a night, and he did it on an a solid 59.3 true-shooting percentage due to his ridiculous shot-making ability. Now, context is key as he plays for the best offensive coach in the country in Dan D’Antoni. He gets a quick pace and open system to boost his stats. But Elmore is legit, and will get a real chance to play at the next level. Probably not yet, though.

Bruno Fernando | 6-10, C | Maryland | 19 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: No. 25 to undrafted
Key stats: 10.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.2 BPG, 57.8 FG%
Comment: Fernando’s standing in this draft is among the toughest to peg of any player. Some scouts really like his mix of athleticism and skill paired with a terrific motor. He’s bouncy around the basket on both ends of the floor with great length, is mobile both in pick-and-roll and on defense, and can even step out and knock down midrange jumpers. He’s also a really solid rebounder on a per-possession basis. But he’s still extremely unpolished in his decision-making and skill set. He’s easy to fluster, and he gets out of position defensively with regularity. His ceiling is high because of the tools and skill, but he’s definitely a project that would struggle if placed in an NBA game right now. His stock will be heavily dependent on the predraft process, and he should receive an NBA Draft Combine invite.

Kaiser Gates | 6-8, F | Xavier | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 7.2PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 41.3/37.8/82.7
Comment: Gates took a step forward this season in his role, but it wasn’t quite the leap in terms of production that was hoped of him as he struggled through bouts of inconsistency. He shot under 30 percent from 3 in conference play, a significant problem for a 3-and-D-type combo forward. He doesn’t have much of a game as a driver or slasher, doesn’t really shoot it on the move and doesn’t have a great feel for when to pass to his teammates. Defensively though, Gates is a good player who can really do a number on opposing wings and forwards on the ball. It would behoove him to return, iron out that shot consistency with what will likely be a bigger role in the offense and continue to defend at a high level. He could end up putting himself on the map as a 3-and-D forward, but he’s not quite there yet.

Eugene German | 6-0, G | Northern Illinois | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 20.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.7 APG, 2.1 SPG, 47.1/33.9/76.6
Comment: German is an undersized scoring guard who excels in pick-and-roll settings, constantly attacks and gets to the rim with ease, and took a higher percentage of his team’s shots than all but three players nationally this season. He has a nice little floater game, and he can also finish at the rim at a reasonable clip in the half court. But he’s in no way a distributor and not a high-level shooter. He will need to work on those aspects of his game to get a real NBA chance. It’s smart of him to declare and get his name out there following a 13-19 season at Northern Illinois. But he should definitely go back to college.

Admon Gilder | 6-3, G | Texas A&M | 22 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 12.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.6 APG, 45.8/39.5/82.1
Comment: Another undersized scoring guard, Gilder turns 23 in the fall and could be returning to a Texas A&M team that doesn’t have much remaining around him if Tyler Davis chooses to join DJ Hogg and Robert Williams in the ranks of the pros. He’s a good shooter off of the catch and off the dribble, but he just doesn’t bring enough value to his game outside of that skill. He’s a below-average distributor for a lead guard, too small to play as a true wing, and doesn’t really defend at a significantly high level. Gilder should return to school and round out his game, unless he wants to simply be done with college.

Jessie Govan | 6-10, C | Georgetown | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 17.9 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.6 SPG, 50.8/34.8/76.1
Comment: Govan had an unbelievable season statistically, as he was one of two players in the country to post at least 17.5 points, 10 rebounds and two assists on an above-average true-shooting percentage. Plus, he can actually step out and shoot a little bit. So why is he not really on draft boards? Well, he’s certainly on the outskirts of them, but he suffers from many of the same questions that other big-bodied big men under 7-feet do. Can he move his feet on the perimeter or make any pronounced defensive impact at all? At Georgetown this year, he certainly did not. When Govan was off the floor, Georgetown’s defense was 15 (FIFTEEN!) points better per 100 possessions than it was when he was on the floor, and actually slightly worse offensively as well. It’s unclear if Govan actually affects positive basketball with his presence on the floor at this stage of his career. Given the modern skill set offensively that he employs, it would behoove Govan to return to Georgetown, get into the best shape of his life (again), improve his 3-point shooting consistency even further and prove that he can be an important piece on a good team. If that was to happen, the ceiling is there for him to establish himself as a potential NBA Draft pick.

Tyler Hall | 6-5, G/W | Montana State | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 17.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.8 APG, 40.7/37.2/90.7
Comment: There were few more disappointing seasons than what happened with Hall in Bozeman this season. Suffering from a persistent ankle injury, he never got totally on track after being projected in these parts as a top-50 player in the preseason. He still displayed the shooting ability that put him on NBA radars to begin with, hitting more 3s than all but four other players nationally. But the ankle injury robbed him of the shake and burst that made him a star in his sophom*ore season. In 2016-17, Hall joined Stephen Curry as the only sophom*ore or freshman to average at least 23 points per game on a 63 true-shooting percentage. I’d suggest going back to school, getting the ankle 100 percent right and making a run at leading the country in scoring at Montana State.

Jaylen Hands | 6-3, G | UCLA | 19 years old

Agent: No
Key stats: 9.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.6 APG, 40.5/37.4/73.8
Stay or go? Go back
Comment: Things really stagnated for UCLA when Hands took the floor because of the free-wheeling nature of his game. A natural point guard, Hands was asked to play off-ball next to Aaron Holiday and didn’t make a terrific adjustment. Many times when he received the ball, he felt he needed to try to make something happen outside of the flow of the offense. Additionally, Hands was the worst defender on a UCLA team that finished outside of the top-100 in adjusted defensive rating. There’s not much from what he showed last year that’s particularly appetizing about his game. Next year, though? He’ll likely be UCLA’s starting point guard and get a chance to play in a more desirable situation surrounded by an awful lot of talent. That’s a really good spot for him to showcase his ability to make plays, as long as he improves defensively and becomes a better decision maker. He should head back to a positive spot at UCLA.

Jared Harper | 5-10, G | Auburn | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 13.2 PPG, 5.4 APG, 36.0/35.5/82.2
Comment: Harper is a solid college point guard who does a nice job of leading the uptempo Auburn offense, but he’s not ready to be a pro yet. He struggles significantly to finish around the basket, but helps to make up for it a bit by being a foul magnet because of his quickness. He’s a smart distributor, but can get swallowed up by bigger players who match his quickness. Defensively, his size causes issues for his team when he gets put in mismatches against opposing teams’ best players. The Tigers were five points better per 100 possessions defensively when he was off the floor as opposed to when he was on it. Good player, but has some things to work on to overcome the size issue.

Dewan Huell | 6-11, C | Miami (Fla.) | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 11.4 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 57.6 FG%
Comment: Arguably Miami’s most consistent player on a roster filled with NBA talent, Huell has a couple of interesting skills that might make him a prospect of value down the road for pro teams. He’s a terrific rim runner out of pick-and-roll settings and has good touch around the basket as an above-the-rim player. Generally, Huell is just a terrific athlete with the ability to cover large swaths of ground quickly. But that’s where the translatable skills really end right now. He’s a level below as a defensive rebounder and rim protector, in large part because his frame is still a bit too slight. Huell made large strides over last offseason in this regard, though, and if he makes another strong leap in terms of his lower body strength and ability to establish position, he might end up in a spot where NBA teams look at him as an interesting, backup 5-type. But he’d be best off going back to school to do that.

Justin James | 6-7, W | Wyoming | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 18.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 3.1 APG, 47.2/30.8/72.6
Comment: The stage is set for James to be something of a Chandler Hutchison repeat next year if he returns to Wyoming. A smooth, 6-7 wing who put up great numbers this year, James has a couple of pretty clear holes to fill in his game before making the leap to the pros. He has a solid all-around game with good feel and high basketball IQ, and he took a nice leap this year as a finisher around the rim. But he needs to add bulk, and he needs to improve as a jump shooter. James is under 200 pounds and only hit 30.8 percent of his 3s this season. Take that leap to the next level, and he’ll have a very real chance to be selected in next year’s draft, as his game is tailor made for the NBA if he can hit shots.

Zach Johnson | 6-2, G | FGCU (last year) | 22 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 16.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 3.0 APG, 46.9/39.2/78.1
Comment: An athletic playmaker, Johnson was the driving force behind FGCU’s Atlantic Sun conference title and appearance in the league’s title game, where he dropped 37 in trying to lead the Eagles back from the dead to beat Lipscomb. He can get to the basket, knock down shots off the dribble and get an awful lot of buckets when he gets hot. He’s just an undersized shooting guard, though, and it’s tough to make the league when that’s the case. A graduate in the spring, he’s already decided to transfer to Miami (Fla.) next year, where he’ll replace Lonnie Walker and Bruce Brown and likely start in the backcourt with diminutive stalwart Chris Lykes. Show out there in the same way that he did at Florida Gulf Coast, and maybe we’re having a different conversation next season. But he should just return to college and head to Miami.

Christian Keeling | 6-3, G | Charleston Southern | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 17.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.0 APG, 42.6/31.5/79.3
Comment: Another combo guard who got buckets at the mid-major level, Keeling isn’t on the radar of NBA teams at this stage in large part because he’s not a great shooter. He gets penetration into the paint, but needs to work on the finishing aspect of his game, as his 53.3 true-shooting percentage was about two percent worse than the national average. Additionally, as a 6-3 lead guard, he’s not a great distributor. Keeling looks like a Euro bucket getter at some point, but he should probably go back to school and keep refining his skill set.

Kalob Ledoux | 6-3, G | McNeese State | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 14.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.0 APG, 42.3/36.5/81.0
Comment: Ledoux is currently testing the transfer market and has heard from some high-major schools, including Gonzaga, Northwestern and Connecticut. He’d be better off transferring to one of those schools and sitting out rather than playing pro next year. He’s just not quite ready for that leap. He’s an undersized scoring guard who doesn’t have much of a distribution game and was just third-team All-Southland last year. He’s powerfully built and battles defensively, so I’d expect him to have a pro career at some point. But proving himself against better competition would help him get there quicker and at a higher level to start.

Fletcher Magee | 6-4, G | Wofford | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 22.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 48.4/43.9/90.7
Comment: If you made me pick the best pure shooter this season, I think it would be Magee. He took 181 shots off the catch and hit them at a 69.1 effective field-goal percentage, which was 20th nationally among all players to take 100 of those shots. Additionally, he was 14th nationally in jump shooting efficiency off of the dribble on more than 200 shots, hitting those at a 56.6 effective field-goal percentage. That made him just one of two players nationally in the top-20 in both types of shooting efficiency for high-usage players. His shot features picturesque mechanics at the top and pristine footwork to get his weight underneath him. Because of this elite level skill, I think he’s actually a relatively underrated prospect. But to get to the NBA, he absolutely needs to do something other than shoot it and score it. He could go pro right now and make an awful lot of money overseas, but it might behoove him to return and try to round out his game.

Zane Martin | 6-4, G | Towson | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 19.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.7 APG, 45.8/38.0/69.6
Comment: A terrific scoring guard out of the perennially underrated CAA, Martin is a sophom*ore who burst onto the scene after averaging 5.5 points per game as a freshman. He’s a powerfully built guard who, at this stage of his career, is most comfortable barreling toward the basket, where he can finish through contact or draw fouls at a high rate. Comfortable shooting off of the dribble, he’s better at knocking shots down off the catch and is definitely a score-first-and-second type player before looking to distribute. It would behoove him to work on that part of his game, or to become an absolutely elite shooter as opposed to just a good one. Those aren’t necessarily tall marching orders for Martin to get himself on the NBA radar, so I’d look for him to return for his junior year and put up even bigger numbers.

Charles Matthews | 6-6, W | Michigan | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 13 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.4 APG, 49.5/31.8/55.8
Comment: Arguably the second-best player on a Michigan team that finished as the national runner-up this season, Matthews brings elite athleticism on the wing as his calling card. He’s a quick-twitch athlete with solid length who can really leap and slides his feet well defensively. The best place that currently showcases itself is on the defensive end, where Matthews has morphed into a smart team defender and a shutdown option against 3s and 4s on the college level. On offense, though, he still has a few skill-related areas he needs to improve. First and foremost, the jump shot could stand to improve in a significant way even despite of the leap he took this season. Mechanically, the Wolverines coaching staff has worked to simplify the movements, but it still comes from across his face and has an inconsistent release point that sometimes results in a high-arcing shot and other times flattening out a touch. Given the terrific developmental culture at Michigan, the prior track record they have with helping NBA Draft prospects’ stock and the increased role he could take on with the Wolverines next year, it could really behoove him to take a bit of a risk and return to school. If he hits 38 percent of his 3s on solid volume, continues to play terrific defense and minimizes the turnovers from the occasionally wild foray into the lane, Matthews could legitimately make headway on draft boards.

Luke Maye | 6-8, F | North Carolina | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 16.9 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 2.4 APG, 48.6/43.1/62.4
Comment: Unquestionably one of the most improved players in college basketball this past year, Maye went from being a bench piece to the best player on a North Carolina team that earned itself a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. He does a great job doing his work early on the glass and establishing position, and his awkward offensive game makes him hard to guard. He has a nice little post game, and his ability to hit shots from all three levels really helps him make an impact. Unfortunately, he has the look of a classic “college basketball star, non-NBA player.” He doesn’t bring much on the defensive end because of his lack of lateral quickness, explosiveness, length and height. His best bet is to become an absolute knockdown 3-point shooter from NBA range, something he made strides toward this season. Maye will certainly have a career in basketball in Europe, and he’ll have a real chance to make a lot of money over there. But he’d need to really make strides as a ball-handler and defender to play in the modern NBA.

Markis McDuffie | 6-8, F | Wichita State | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 8.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 44.4/33.9/73.1
Comment: This was something of a lost season for McDuffie. Expected to be one of the breakout players of the college basketball season on a Wichita State team expected to be in the top-10 nationally, he suffered a stress fracture in his left foot in the preseason. And when he returned, McDuffie just never quite seemed right and never quite looked like the player who finished second in the MVC’s player of the year voting in 2017. When he’s right, he’s an athletic, switchable, versatile defender who can also attack in a straight line, finish at the rim and draw fouls. But to officially enter the draft this year would be entering at a low point of his stock, something that it seems like McDuffie recognizes given that he initially was reported to not be declaring fort his draft at all.

Aaron Menzies | 7-3, C | Seattle | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 11.3 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 2.3 BPG, 60.9 FG%
Comment: A native of Manchester, England, Menzies had a breakout defensively this season, figuring out how to utilize his size around the basket to shut down the paint. He had a terrific 9.3 block rate, and his advanced metrics there are even better. According to HoopLens, Seattle was 17 points better per 100 possessions with Menzies on the floor, with opposing teams 2-point percentage dropping five points to 42 percent when he was on the floor — equivalent to third in the entire country. Offensively, he mostly gets by with offensive rebounding, put-backs and little dump-offs inside. Realistically, he’s productive, but not quite an NBA player at this stage skill-wise. Still, it’s not out of the question he’s one of those guys at some point that people look at in Summer League and wonder “who the hell is that tall guy?” He’ll likely be a long-time member of the Great Britain national team, and he’ll have a lot of value overseas because of his size and European passport.

Shelton Mitchell | 6-3, G | Clemson | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 12.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.6 APG, 39.9/36.8/85.7
Comment: Mitchell is a good, creative college guard who operated as the third piece of Clemson’s terrific perimeter attack with Marcquise Reed and Gabe DeVoe. He’s a good defender who has solid quickness to get into the paint with the ball in his hands and knock down shots from distance with a quick lefty stroke. He’s just not quite ready yet. His inability to finish at the basket is problematic, and his decision-making can get a bit harried at times. Also, there just an awful lot of combo guards like him around the world who are better at this stage. I’m a even bit unclear on what his European market would be right now, as he likely would not be a particularly sought-after player.

Juwan Morgan | 6-7, F | Indiana | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 16.5 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.2 SPG, 1.4 BPG, 57.9/30.2/63.1
Comment: Morgan was a breakout star this season at Indiana. He’s a do-everything forward who played an awful lot of center this past season, acting as a hub of offense in the post, in the midrange, or even sometimes on the perimeter as an initiator. His ability to pass the ball and move it around is underrated, and he is an efficient scorer inside because of his solid explosiveness and fluid athleticism. Morgan is also a terrific defender who can switch onto players both bigger and smaller, and he makes plays by getting into passing lanes and blocking shots. The problem is the jump shot. Morgan is a poor shooter, which makes it awfully difficult to project a role for him in at the next level as a role player. But that’s the good thing about Morgan: If he was to return and improve his jump shot substantially, he could legitimately establish himself as a potential late-first-round pick in 2019. If I was him, with Archie Miller as Indiana’s coach and a better, young roster around him, I would go that route.

Travis Munnings | 6-6, W | Louisiana-Monroe | 23 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 16.0 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 2.3 APG, 47.6/39.4/71.9
Comment: Munnings is a 6-6 wing with good length who shoots a solid percentage from 3 and is productive. Straight up, that’s enough to put you on the radar of the NBA these days. Munnings is also a good straight-line driver who can get to the basket and finish at a solid clip, despite a lack of differentiation off the dribble or an elite first step. His jumper is consistent, but the mechanics are a bit jerky and make you wonder if the shot will be completely translatable at a high clip at the next level. His length plays solidly on defense at the Sun Belt level, but he’s mostly asked to guard 4s. He makes sense for a G League team to take a chance on, for sure, with an NBA team watching over to see if any sort of leap comes developmentally. As always, these types of players are highly sought after. Overall though, Munnings isn’t quite ready for the NBA, and with him turning 24 later this year, it’s unlikely to happen on that level. He’ll play pro hoops for a while though, and whether or not he should stick in the draft largely depends on whether or not he wants to play amateur basketball at 24 years old next season.

Ray Ona Embo | 6-5, G/W | Tulane | 19 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 10.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 3.3 APG, 43.2/36.5/71.9
Comment: Ona Embo should return to Tulane after a solid sophom*ore season, but he’s worth a few quick words about here. A 19-year-old originally from France, Ona Embo has terrific length at 6-5 with extremely long arms. He’s a combo guard who can make plays with the ball in his hand and can also knock down shots at a reasonably high clip. He’s been on the NBA radar for a little while now, as he attended Adidas Nations back when he was 13 years old in 2012 and has played in multiple, high-level European events for France. With the addition of the jumper, it’ll be interesting to see if his game opens up a bit more as a junior next season. He could be an under-the-radar breakout player to watch in college hoops in 2018-19 if you’re trying to find a guy to sneakily pop onto draft boards next season, much like his teammate Melvin Frazier did this season.

James Palmer Jr. | 6-6, W | Nebraska | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 17.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.0 APG, 44.4/30.9/73.8
Comment: Much like many of the players above him here, Palmer is an interesting prospect by virtue of being a 6-6 wing with length and athleticism in an era where those skills are coveted more than any other. Possessing a near-7-foot wingspan, a quick first step and the ability to finish far above the rim, Palmer is one of those pesky players who is “a jump shot away from being an NBA player.” Sometimes, we see these guys develop into shooters and become good NBA players. More often, though, they end up never quite figuring it out. Palmer’s 30.9 percent 3-point mark just isn’t up to where it needs to be. Improve that and things could be off to the races with him potentially getting into the first round in 2019. That upside is worth him returning and taking his chances, as it could result in a guaranteed contract going into the 2020 NBA season. If he was to stay in the draft, he could potentially see his name called in the second round, but he’d be more of a two-way contract project type.

Isaiah Reese | 6-5, W | Canisius | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 16.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4.7 APG, 2.2 SPG, 46.3/35.9/88.1
Comment: Reese is a solid wing prospect who can pass the ball and knock down shots. In fact, Reese is one of seven players in the last decade to average 16 points, five rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game, with three of the previously draft-eligible five playing in the NBA at some point. He needs to improve his handle and he could stand to become a better shooter on the move/off-the-dribble, but it wouldn’t be totally unreasonable to rank him in a top 80 prospects going into the 2019 draft. He’s a good shooter, attacks closeouts well, passes well on the move and can even play a bit in the pick-and-roll. He’s also a smart defender. It would make sense for him to return, though, and try to boost his stock for after his junior season in a weaker 2019 draft. He would be extremely unlikely to be drafted this season, as he hasn’t quite outperformed the worries about his athletic explosiveness enough to make NBA scouts believe he can be the outlier from the MAAC to reach the NBA.

Cody Riley | 6-9, F | UCLA | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: n/a
Comment: Riley was suspended for his freshman season at UCLA following the great stolen sunglasses incident of 2017. He wasn’t really seen as a one-and-done player coming into college, and it would behoove him to return to school and establish himself as a good player on that level before forcing pro teams to make an evaluation on him before they have the full scope of his game. Riley is a big-bodied power forward with a really good mid/high-post game, solid basketball IQ and the ability to rebound at a high clip. He gets a little jumper-happy from time-to-time, but there’s real reason to expect him to start next season for a Bruins’ team that is loaded with talent.

Kerwin Roach | 6-4, G | Texas | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 12.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.5 SPG, 43.8/36.4/65.1
Comment: NBA-level athleticism is the calling card for Roach as a prospect. He’s a remarkably bouncy, quick-twitch athlete who can rise up for thunderous dunks as well as use his quick first step to get by opposing defenders. But where he best utilizes those skills currently is on defense, where Roach is about as good as it gets in college hoops as an on-ball defender. He is pesky, tough on the ball and smothers opposing lead guards with energy and disruptive hands. If he can continue to bring along his jump shot in conjunction with that skill, it’s not impossible to imagine him as something of a Patrick Beverley-type in the NBA. But he needs to become as fearless and confident a jump shooter as he can be to make that transition possible. He’d likely receive a two-way contract if he was to stay in the draft this year, but it might make sense for him to return, play well in the Longhorns’ backcourt, work on that shot and put himself even more on the radar going into 2019. The upside is pretty substantial for him.

Ahmaad Rorie | 6-0, G | Montana | 22 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 17.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.7 APG, 42.2/33.9/85.0
Comment: Rorie started 15 games as a freshman for Oregon before transferring to Montana, where he’s blossomed into one of the best players in the Big Sky Conference. He’s not really an NBA prospect at this stage, though. He’s a relatively inefficient scorer, with his true-shooting percentage in his two seasons at Montana being about one percent below the national average despite his ability to make shots off the dribble. For that level, he’s a good distributor, but is still more of a score-first type. Defensively, his size will be exploited in mismatch situations constantly. But he can create well enough to play elsewhere for a long-time, even if the NBA isn’t necessarily in the cards. Maybe he just wants to be a pro at 23, which is what he turns in September. But if could help his stock internationally to return a Montana team that will be favored to return to the NCAA Tournament again in 2019. They’ll be one of the national Cinderella favorites next year.

Quinton Rose | 6-8, W | Temple | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 14.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.5 SPG, 43.4/34.5/65.3
Comment: Rose has some pretty significant long-term NBA upside if he can iron out some of his deficiencies, but he’s not quite there yet in his development. He’s an interesting scorer with size who can play on the perimeter and create his own shot. But his shot selection leaves a lot to be desired, and he gets inefficient because of that, as evidenced by his 50.9 true-shooting percentage that is nearly five percent lower than the national average. He shows some tendencies to be able to play as a passing point-forward, but he can sometimes get tunnel vision and turn the ball over. Defensively, he has the size to cause issues and the length to force turnovers, but he needs to cut off opponent penetration on a more consistent basis and not just ball hunt in passing lanes. Basically, every single positive of Rose’s game is followed by a “yeah, but…” If he can return to Temple in a Fran Dunphy’s final year in charge and excise some of the sloppiness from his game, the upside is for him to be a first-round pick in 2019.

Admiral Schofield | 6-4, W/F | Tennessee | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: second round to undrafted
Key stats: 13.9 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.5 APG, 44.7/39.5/75.6
Comment: Imagine Schofield as something of a bit of a lesser, smaller version of Semi Ojeleye in the 2017 NBA Draft. At 6-4 with long arms and a jacked 240-pound frame, Schofield’s best potential lies on the defensive end of the floor. He can be a switchable player who can guard 2 through 4 in the modern NBA. He’s quick, tough and long, to the point where he can cause chaos both in terms of establishing position on the block and also beating opposing players to their spots on the perimeter. The biggest development Schofield made this year, though, came on offense, where he hit 39.5 percent of his 3-pointers. Do that, and be as useful as he is on defense, and continue to add the leadership he did for Tennessee this past season, and he has a very real chance to play in the NBA. For me though, I think it would behoove him to return to school for one more year and just work on his overall skill level. His offensive feel is questionable as a passer, and his handle could really stand to tighten up. His propensity to improve every year says that it’s likely he should be trusted to take a leap in the areas he needs to. If he was to return, I’d likely have him in my preseason top-50 prospects.

Ronshad Shabazz | 6-5, G/W | Appalachian State | 22 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 18.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 3.0 APG, 40.0/34.3/68.8
Comment: Shabazz is a solid, mid-major wing scorer who can get buckets in a hurry when his shot is falling. The lefty has a good stroke from distance, but he takes a lot of contested shots. He’s not an overly explosive athlete, but is a smart driver who knows how to get separation from defenders by using his frame and tight, straight-line handle. At 215 pounds, Shabazz is a big, physical guard who can power through contact and draw fouls. He probably doesn’t have quite enough game in terms of athleticism, shooting or handle differentiation to play in the NBA, but he’d get G League looks for sure. In that vein, he’d probably be best off returning to Appalachian State, trying to lead a perennially underrated Sun Belt in scoring for a team that would return five of its top six players.

Chris Silva | 6-9, C | South Carolina | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 14.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 1.4 BPG, 46.7 FG%
Comment: Silva is a remarkably productive player as a scorer and rebounder on a per-minute basis, averaging 22.2 points and 12.4 rebounds per 40 minutes. He does this, in large part, by drawing fouls at one of the highest rates in all of college basketball. He draws 13.3 free-throw attempts per 40 minutes, with a type of herky-jerky offensive game inside that makes him prone to contact. Also, Silva improved a bit at avoiding fouls this year, although his 5.4 fouls per 40 minutes still limited his overall minute load to 25 per night. But he’s still a pretty undersized center without a ton of game away from the basket. He became slightly more comfortable as a shooter from distance this year, but he needs to improve his face-up game. It would help him to return, continue to work on his foul issues and improve his face-up game and jumper. He would have a chance to be selected in the draft if that was to happen.

Christian Vital | 6-2, G | Connecticut | 21 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 14.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.7 APG, 38.3/31.8/84.6
Comment: There’s not a lot to talk about with Vital as an NBA prospect at this stage, and I’m a bit unclear on what his overall professional marketplace would look like. He put up good counting numbers this year at Connecticut by averaging 15 points a game, but he did so on a bad team. He’s a better shooter than what his 32 percent mark from 3 says, as he’s more than willing to pull from distance regularly and his percentage from the foul line says a lot. But at the end of the day, he’s a 6-2 scoring guard who doesn’t really distribute for his teammates, takes on heavy usage and isn’t comfortable or efficient in his scoring or decision-making once he gets into the paint. That would be the best place to start for him, and it would be plausible for him to get to the point where he is a valuable pro prospect somewhere by the end of next season. Dan Hurley is the new coach at Connecticut, and his offense is an attack-oriented, guard-heavy style that would play into his hands. He should go back and establish himself there.

Jaylin Walker | 6-1, G | Kent State | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 16.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.0 APG, 38.0/32.8/78.8
Comment: Stop me if you’ve heard this before: An undersized scoring lead guard who put up numbers in a smaller league has entered the NBA Draft. Walker is quick and can create plays and shots for himself, particularly as a shooter off the dribble. He takes a ton of contested shots both on pull-ups and off the catch, and does a good job of starting early offense on the fast break. The problem is that he doesn’t really ever get to the rim, draw free throws or create for others. Walker should get buckets next year in the MAC, improve upon his third-team All-MAC selection and prep himself by improving in those areas before a career in Europe.

Nick Ward | 6-8, C | Michigan State | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 12.4 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 64.8 FG%
Comment: Ward is the prototypical “good college player, poor NBA prospect.” At the NCAA level, Ward is a gifted, productive scorer and rebounder who finishes efficiently at the basket, establishes position whenever he wants on the floor and even protects the rim well. Anyone who averages 26 points and 15 rebounds per 40 minutes will certainly turn heads. But the problem is that Ward absolutely cannot defend anyone in space, he’s undersized for the NBA and Michigan State’s best lineups this year were often without him on the floor. It would be beneficial for him to return and try to add a face-up game, too. He’ll have a good chance to have a great career in Europe as a center who dominates inside, but his lack of height and defensive ability makes him a really tough fit in the modern NBA.

Tremont Waters | 5-10, G | LSU | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 15.9 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 6.0 APG, 41.7/35.1/80.1
Comment: Waters was a stud as a freshman, a terrific pull-up shooter without a conscience and a great distributor who led LSU to a surprisingly solid season. He’s a very real playmaker, and an interesting long-term prospect if he keeps ironing out his game. But to get to that point, he needs to do better in terms of making decisions — his 17.0 turnover rate was too high and he’ll go through bouts of poor shot selection — and has to become an absolutely elite shooter. His size will always hold him back, as his skinny build leaves a lot of scouts wondering if he could take the physical NBA over an 82-game stretch. But he could end up with something resembling a Shabazz Napier-level career if he keeps working hard in the gym. LSU, also, has a terrific team coming in led by a top-five recruiting class. JaVonte Smart will come in and be able to share the point guard position with him, allowing him even more time to do what he does best — get buckets. Waters is a sneaky bet as an All-American in 2019, and he should return and capitalize on that.

Demajeo Wiggins | 6-10, F/C | Bowling Green | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: undrafted
Key stats: 13.7 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 55.8 FG%
Comment: Wiggins has a good frame and was one of two players in the MAC to average a double-double this year. He establishes position well on the block, both when rebounding and when posting on offense. But it’s tough to see him as a real NBA prospect right now because he’s not really asked to do much of anything in face-up settings and doesn’t really have the size to play center consistently as a back-to-the-basket 5. Additionally, he’s just not much of a rim protector at this stage. He’d have some offers overseas to play, but it makes sense for him to go back to Bowling Green and try to become a better interior defender or develop a face-up game.

Lindell Wigginton | 6-1, G | Iowa State | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: second round toundrafted
Key stats: 16.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.8 APG 41.4/40.4/66.0
Comment:At this stage, Wigginton is more of a long-term prospect than one that should declare this season. He has some very real bounce and quickness in his step, and does a great job of controlling his pace and tempo when creating looks. He hits shots off the catch at an extremely high clip. The building blocks for a future first-round pick are there. But there are a few real areas of concern he needs to improve upon before scouts should fully trust him. First, he needs to become a better decision-maker. His negative assist-to-turnover ratio is a problem for a lead guard, as he has a penchant for misreading the play in pick-and-roll settings. His inability to hit shots off the dribble at this stage is an additional issue, as he made just 30.5 percent of those shots last season. These are correctable issues, given the natural touch and solid feel on the whole that Wigginton shows. Given next season’s weak lead guard crop, it would likely behoove him to return to school and try to get into the first round. Otherwise, he’d risk going undrafted this season.

Austin Wiley | 6-11, C | Auburn | 19 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot: second round toundrafted
Key stats: n/a
Comment:One of the many prospects caught up in the FBI investigation this year, Wiley was expected to be in this season’s NBA Draft but missed the season due to being held out of competition by Auburn. To be frank, I’ve never totally understood his appeal as an NBA prospect. He’s near 7-feet with a 7-5 wingspan, but he doesn’t really move all that well at 260 pounds and also doesn’t have much of a face-up game. Additionally, his defensive rebounding in his 400-plus minutes last season as a freshman was relatively weak, especially for a player his size. Throw in that Wiley has significant questions about the long-term viability of his knees and legs, which NBA teams will undoubtedly want to look at when he attends the NBA Combine, and I’m not sure there’s much to get excited about with regard to his prospects right now. If he was to return and play well for an Auburn team that could really use a big presence inside, that could tangibly change his fortunes.

Justin Wright-Foreman | 6-1, G | Hofstra | 20 years old

Agent: No
Projected draft slot:undrafted
Key stats: 24.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, 44.9/36.6/79.9
Comment:Out of all of the small-school scoring guards I’ve mentioned should go back to school, Wright-Foreman is probably the most interesting. Like them, he really scores it at a high level, but he does it in a way that should make it translatable to any level of professional hoops. He’s a terrific shooter off of the dribble, making his 215 attempts this season at a terrific 53.2 true-shooting clip. He operates at an extremely high level in pick-and-roll settings, with great footwork and sharp decision-making. Despite his size, Wright-Foreman made 60 percent of his half-court attempts at the rim, a terrific mark for a sub-6-3 scoring guard. The size will make him a liability on defense, and it’s just so, so difficult to make it as a score-only guard in the NBA at his size. But if he was to turn pro, he’s the kind of player that high-level European teams looking for rookies should prioritize, and NBA teams should give a significant look to in Summer League. If he does decide to return, he’ll likely be on the short list to lead college hoops in scoring next season.

*-signed with Adelaide 36ers in NBL

(All photos by USA Today Sports)