BURSTIf your favourite NBA team’s win total is a single-digit number, there’s no better time than the present to look toward the future. Teams like the Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans, who have been nothing short of cursed when it comes to injuries, or the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards, who belong in a relegation battle, have reason to hope for greener pastures — ones found through the NBA Draft.
Why wait to look at the players teams will be eyeing in June? The college season is well underway, and there are plenty of noteworthy players that make up a draft many have considered transformative, particularly for the teams lucky enough to pick high.
If you haven’t been following basketball outside the NBA, here’s a refresher and recap on how the top prospects have been performing so far this year. So read along, then head to YouTube, TikTok or Instagram Reels to watch some highlights and get your hopes up, as the future of your franchise could be on its way.
1. Cooper Flagg, F, Duke — Six-foot-nine, 205 pounds, 17 years old
The “Maine Event” has been a game-altering force on the defensive side of the ball this season, putting up an 82.0 defensive rating — seventh-best in the country and second in the ACC — and helping the Blue Devils to the second-best defence in the country per KenPom. His 1.1 defensive win shares put him as the top defensive presence in the ACC and second in the country.
He’s the type of player, akin to Victor Wembanyama, that you anchor a defensive scheme on. He uses impressive foot speed to keep up with smaller guards and then takes advantage of his seven-foot wingspan to mark bigger targets. He’s a true 1-5 defender with the IQ on that end to make him a game-breaking force.
What the detractors go for is his offensive capabilities. Whatever you say about the 17-year-old right now feels like a nitpick, but his 42.9/22.2/72.5 shooting splits leave something to be desired despite his 15.9 points a night.
He’s still finding his sea legs at the collegiate level, grappling with a more pro-ready offence at Duke than he might have been used to at Montverde Academy. Flagg is learning what he can and can’t do, but he certainly isn’t afraid to try. A great sign for him has been his games against high-major competition — he finished with 26 against Kentucky in the Champions Classic, 24 against Arizona, 22 against the No. 2 ranked Auburn and 22 on the road against Louisville. Considering his skills at his size, the production should follow the effort soon enough.
2. Dylan Harper, G, Rutgers — Six-foot-six, 220 pounds, 18 years old
Despite the position having more talent than it has in years past, a lot of current NBA guards have holes in their games or are still steps away from becoming a true, complete point guard. Dylan Harper is a complete point guard.
Big for his position at six-foot-six, Harper has no trouble getting to the right shot using his frame to attack smaller guards or his speed and good instincts to go after bigger defenders. That scoring ability shows in his Big Ten-leading 23.5 points per game and 1.7 offensive win shares. His 9.6 offensive box plus/minus is fourth in the country.
Despite playing alongside another projected high-lottery pick in Ace Bailey — more on him later — Harper excels as the offensive engine, picking up a conference-leading 30.7 usage rate while only giving up a conservative 2.3 turnovers a game.
He’s had plenty of standout performances you can point to in recent weeks, but his 37-point night in an eventual 95-90 loss to then-No. 9 Alabama on Nov. 27 stands out. In 11 games this season, he’s scored below 15 points just once and has nine 20-plus point outings, including a 24-point, 12-rebound, five-assist game against conference rival Penn State on Dec. 10.
3. Airious “Ace” Bailey, F, Rutgers — Six-foot-10, 200 pounds, 18 years old
If shot-making is what you’re looking for, look no further than Ace Bailey. This Brandon Miller-esque wing is the most gifted scorer in the class bar none, with the size and skill to put the ball in the basket at all three levels. And with a name like Airious, he was pre-destined to be in the NBA.
You might look at his his .467/.351/.606 shooting splits and his 0.6 assists a game and say that his point totals are empty numbers, but the shot-making Bailey puts on display with the Scarlet Knights is something to behold. He uses his length well to elevate higher than defenders on pull-ups, makes tough (almost inadvisable) turnaround fadeaways, has beautiful mid-range footwork allowing him to create off the bounce, and has shown an ability to stretch it out beyond the arc.
His shot selection could use some work, as he almost seems to pride himself in taking tough looks. But Rutgers didn’t recruit him to shy away from shooting. The skill is there, it’s just about reigning it in, and the market for high-usage, high-scoring wings will always be open.
In Saturday’s game against Seton Hall, Bailey poured it in from all over, finishing with 21 points on nine-of-15 from the field and two-of-three from deep, nailing face-up mid-range jumpers, off-the-bounce corner threes, soft-touch floating runners and putting his shoulder down to bull guys on drives. He did, however, leave points on the board after going one-for-eight from the charity stripe, something that will have to improve.
4. V.J. Edgecombe, G, Baylor — Six-foot-five, 180 pounds, 19 years old
Since breaking onto the scene at the FIBA men’s Olympic qualifying tournament last summer, outshining NBA players like Buddy Hield, Eric Gordon and Deandre Ayton with the Bahamas national team, Edgecombe went into his freshman year at Baylor as one of the most anticipated collegiate players.
He has yet to replicate that success, unable to fully showcase his elite offensive and athletic upside while only scoring 11.9 points per game. An elite player in transition due to his highlight-reel athleticism, Baylor’s system hasn’t given Edgecombe a chance to push the ball, as the team ranks 281st in the country in pace. He also hasn’t been able to improve his shooting from beyond the arc, as he sits at 26.3 per cent from three on 4.2 attempts per game.
However, where he has excelled is on defence, notching 3.7 stocks (steals+blocks) per game using his quick feet and non-stop motor to hound ball-handlers on the perimeter and excellent recovery speed and leaping ability to stuff guys for chase-down blocks.
His most impressive outings, particularly on the defensive end, came at the Battle 4 Atlantis in mid-November, when he finished with eight stocks over two games against St. John’s and Tennessee, and scored a season-high 20 against the now-No. 1 ranked Volunteers. But with the athleticism he can put on display whenever he takes flight, expect the offence to find its way soon enough.
5. Egor Demin, G, BYU — Six-foot-nine, 190 pounds, 18 years old
Had we put this list together a week ago, there was a conversation for Demin to be in the top three of this year’s class. However, a recent stretch against Power-5 opponents in Ole Miss, NC State and Providence has seen the Russian guard’s stock drop.
Let’s start with the good though. Demin started this year guns blazing, dissecting defences with some absurd playmaking for his size while finding a steady rhythm in creating his own shot, averaging 15.2 points a game on 64.4/56.5/50.0 shooting splits in his first five games. He also averaged an efficient 7.2 assists per game with 2.2 turnovers and notching 2.4 steals a night.
Since then, however, Demin has seen his splits fall to 26.7/12.5/80.0 on 10.0 points a night with 3.3 assists, 2.7 turnovers and 0.3 steals.
It’s early in the year, and Demin wasn’t projected to be as good as he was out of the gate, but the problems with his game have become clearer as the season has gotten tougher. Despite his positional size, Demin doesn’t have the explosiveness or strength to take advantage of mismatches and his ability to finish with physicality at the rim is still a question mark. But the feel for the game is there, the sense, passing ability and scoring potential are clear. How he fares in upcoming Big 12 conference games should provide more clarity.
Prospect to watch: Derik Queen, C, Maryland — Six-foot-10, 246 pounds, 19 years old
Not necessarily our sixth-ranked prospect, just one that has intrigued us!
I don’t want to say I believe in the three-point shot, but Queen nailed his first two of the season in a tight loss to Purdue earlier in December en route to a stellar 26-point, 12-rebound outing.
He’s a smart passer out of the short roll and knows how to use his size and feel for the game to create space for himself and his teammates. If he is able to extend his range, Queen could shoot up some draft boards should he keep up his strong showing with the Terrapins. High offensive IQ big men can be game-changers in today’s NBA.
