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NBA Draft 2025: Scouting the good, bad and ugly from 2 weeks at SEC, NCAA tournaments

NBA Draft 2025: Scouting the good, bad and ugly from 2 weeks at SEC, NCAA tournaments


SEATTLE and NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The whirlwind of March provides a great opportunity to do some late scouting on players who will be playing their biggest (and last) games before potentially entering June’s NBA Draft. With conference tournaments and the NCAA Tournament providing multiple chances to see four games in one day, and the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, it’s a time-honored cram session for scouts and armchair analysts.

To that end, I hit the road recently to take in a total of 16 college games and get some additional impressions on numerous prospects. The strength of the SEC and the decline of the ACC allowed for even more one-stop shopping than usual (we know Duke’s Cooper Flagg is the best player, but the other 17 teams in the once-mighty ACC might not have a top-40 prospect among them).

The SEC, on the other hand, has emerged as a monstrous basketball powerhouse, with 14 of its 16 teams making the NCAA Tournament and seven of them advancing to the Sweet 16. In addition to that conference tourney in Nashville, I circled through the NCAA Tournament regional in Seattle for first-round action to get a final look at draft talent from Arizona, Maryland, Oregon, Colorado State, Memphis and Grand Canyon.

All told, I saw eight players in the top 25 of Sam Vecenie’s latest mock draft, plus five who were projected in the second round and several others I think either might move up on boards or warrant closer draft scrutiny a year from now. Here are some superlatives from my adventures:

Best performance by a likely first-rounder: Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma

The 6-foot-3 Fears has some question marks because of his iffy outside shot, a flat wrist flick that spins a quarter turn off-axis and defense that could charitably be described as “still evolving.” But his pick-and-roll craft and ability to cook the initial defender and get into the paint are so good that teams might overlook everything else on draft night.

Fears, a freshman shooting guard, especially stood out in a 28-point performance against Kentucky in the second round of the SEC tournament, a game Oklahoma lost despite Fears nearly leading a miraculous comeback by scoring nine points in 80 seconds.

Fears was turnover-prone and shot 28.4 percent from 3 this season, but the analytics people will note his 85.2 percent mark from the line, enormous free-throw rate and a high rate of steals (despite other errors, he can find the ball). He flies at full speed into one-handed layups with either hand, turning small advantages into high-percentage shots:

Fears has all the makings of a sixth man right now due to his shot-creation capacity and projects as a starter if the defense or shooting come around. That may not sound effusive, but that is the definition of a mid-to-late lottery pick.

Best off hand: Derik Queen, Maryland

Colorado State was dead the moment it let Queen spin back to his left. His game-winner against the Rams on Sunday in the Round of 32 showed off something that has been apparent all season: The freshman big man is nearly ambidextrous and often operates as a left-handed player in the paint.

 

The 6-10 Queen finished off Colorado State with a brilliant right-handed shot off the glass. He hasn’t been shy all year about attempting finishes with his off hand after making a strong drive in that direction; he even has a tendency to spin back to his left after starting a drive going right.

I wrote about Queen a few weeks ago, and the book hasn’t changed: Are the conditioning and defense going to be enough to keep him on the floor for his offensive gifts? He’ll get another chance to sell scouts on this idea when Maryland plays mighty Florida on Thursday in the Sweet 16.

Best first impression: Labaron Philon, Alabama

Philon, a 6-4 freshman shooting guard, was the highest-ranked college player I hadn’t seen in person yet this year when I got to Nashville, but he showed out with a 21-point, three-steal effort in Alabama’s surprisingly easy rout over Kentucky in the SEC quarterfinals.

Philon doesn’t jump off the page athletically but has a lot of subtle skills in his favor. He’s tall for a point guard and has a strong left hand. He’s pretty good at stopping and starting, and he glides into Euro steps and short floaters on the move. Like this:

As with Fears above, Philon has some proving to do as a shooter; he has a slow, low release and has made 29.6 percent from 3 this year on fairly low volume. He also has some concerns about his slender frame, especially if he’s asked to play off the ball and guard shooting guards; that said, his defense at Alabama hasn’t been an issue. Scouts will be curious how he can fare in a more demanding role.

That said, Philon can run a team, find the open man and has some finishing craft inside. The ability to pass and finish at his size and age (he won’t turn 20 until November) stamps Philon as a likely first-rounder if he stays in the draft.

Most underrated: Carter Bryant, Arizona

I’ve been a Bryant fan ever since he showed out in a Nike Hoop Summit practice last April against the players who were mistakenly selected for the team ahead of him. The 6-8 forward showcased enough of his 3-and-D game in Arizona’s win over Akron to show why I think he’s still undervalued on most draft boards. He had 12 points and three blocks and several exclamation-point type plays in just 20 minutes as the Wildcats cruised to a one-sided win.

Watch this sequence, for instance, where he blocks a shot at one end and throws down a big dunk at the other:

Bryant is in a low-usage role, and his limited handle is one reason his draft stock hasn’t soared, but he’s shown some playmaking skill without needing to pound the rock and has offered glimpses of greater shot-creation ceiling. Against Akron, he turned a late-clock grenade into a pull-up 3 going left that splashed all net and made another after a reset after needing to leap for a high kickout pass. He’s up to 37.4 percent from 3 on the year.

Bryant is probably a role player at the next level, but his combination of size, shooting and athletic finishing gives him a solid floor, and there could be a lot more here in time.

Lottery pick I’m struggling with: Tre Johnson, Texas

I wrote here about Johnson’s performance at the SEC tournament, so I won’t repeat myself, but suffice to say, I’m struggling with him being a top-10 guy on draft boards. The 6-5 guard shoots the ball well enough that he could make an impact at the next level, but his pathways to success are constrained enough in other areas that he basically has to shoot 40 percent from 3 to be a player.

Maybe he pulls it off — he shot 39.7 percent at Texas and 89.1 percent from the line — but you’d like a few more developmental off-ramps. I haven’t built up my full draft board yet, but I think it’s fair to say I’m going to be lower on him than the consensus.

Guy who was better than I thought: Walter Clayton Jr., Florida

Clayton was the hero of Florida’s second-round win over Connecticut with two late 3-pointers off the dribble, and that was no accident.

The skill that pops when seeing Clayton in person is just how easily he gets off the floor and helps explain how a player his size has four straight games with at least 22 points. Clayton has his weaknesses — he’s more of a combo guard than a pure point, his defense isn’t as strong as his offense and, as a 22-year-old senior, he’ll get more scrutiny across the board.

Nonetheless, few point guards of any age are throwing down an alley-oop this easily:

Clayton is a likely second-rounder and will have to play more as a passer at the next level, but his ability to rise up into shots off the dribble — and the occasional alley-oop — should make it a bit easier for him to stick.

Oddest assemblage of skills: Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina

Murray-Boyles’ woeful South Carolina team was quickly excused from the SEC tournament, but not before he made one more display of his rare skill set with 20 points and 12 boards in a season-ending loss to Arkansas. At 6-7, Murray-Boyles is an odd player because he’s played inside as a collegian but will be asked to do different things as a pro, forcing a Grant Williams-type transition from interior college dominator to a more perimeter-focused power forward at the pros.

The good news for Murray-Boyles is that he definitely can do it at the defensive end. He has fast hands and nimble feet that belie his wide frame. Watch him defend in switches, even against fast guards, and it’s clear he’ll be able to hold up on this end. The numbers back that up, with a high steal rate (2.9 thefts per 100 possessions) that isn’t the product of gambling.

Offensively, it’s trickier. The lefty made a few jump shots against Arkansas but still finished the year 9-of-34 on 3-pointers and 70.7 percent from the line. His set-shot stroke isn’t obviously broken or anything and likely will improve with more perimeter reps, but it’s not exactly a strength either.

The bigger issue, perhaps, might be Murray-Boyles’ extreme left-handedness. One of his few right-handed forays against Arkansas ended with the ball going off his foot out of bounds. At the cup, it’s more pronounced: As an undersized player, Murray-Boyles has more need than most to protect the ball with his body going up for a shot, but he constantly does the opposite by going up left-handed from the right side of the rim.

 

Murray-Boyles will likely need to change both his body and his game at the next level, but there’s still a lot to like. He has a strong basketball IQ, good hands and should be able to defend from the word go. For scouts, placing that skill set on a draft board and figuring out the ceiling is the challenge; he is one of this year’s most difficult evaluations. Speaking of which…

Most challenging projection: Asa Newell, Georgia

We didn’t learn anything new about Newell in Georgia’s SEC tournament loss to Oklahoma, nor in the Bulldogs’ Round of 64 elimination against Gonzaga.

The 6-11 Newell put up great counting stats in both games, including 21 points and 17 boards in the loss to the Sooners, but the eye test didn’t match up impact-wise. The southpaw forward has a good shooting touch around the basket but doesn’t have the power or explosiveness to be a low-block scorer against bigs. His handle is limited mostly to straight lines and one or two dribble drives.

Additionally, he doesn’t move the needle the same way in other areas, something perhaps most easily seen by his absence from the secondary stat categories. In Georgia’s last four games, Newell played 124 minutes and had one assist, one block and zero steals. Yikes.

Best ‘if he shoots…’ guy: Otega Oweh, Kentucky

I get why Oweh hasn’t been a hot name in scouting circles; for one, the junior guard might very well return for another year, and the shooting (36.0 percent on low volume, with some clear form questions) is a leap of faith.

On the other hand, the 6-5 Oweh was awesome in Kentucky’s SEC tournament win over Oklahoma (27 points, five assists, three steals, game-winner at the buzzer) and played very well in the Wildcats’ two NCAA wins since then. He’s a good athlete who can explode at the cup and has a strong frame and solid handle for his size, and he’s a pesky, handsy defender.

Most notably, Oweh had some really sharp crossover moves where he left defenders in the dust, Watch this one, for instance, where he leaves the previously mentioned Fears grasping at air while Oweh gathered into a contested finish at the rim:

Oweh will get another stern test Friday when Kentucky faces Tennessee; the Vols’ Jahmai Mashack is one of the best defenders in college basketball, and Tennessee is KenPom.com’s third-ranked defense out of 364 Division I teams.

Best role-player fit: Nique Clifford, Colorado State

Colorado State was the one mid-major that nearly broke through the power-conference blockade on Sweet 16 spots. The 12th-seeded Rams led Maryland in the final seconds before Queen’s buzzer-beater sent the Terps through, but in two games over the weekend, Clifford showed why he has piqued teams’ interest.

The fifth-year senior wing led the Mountain West in both PER and BPM (though somehow he was not voted MWC Player of the Year), and in two tournament games, he filled the stat sheet with 15 rebounds, 12 assists and 18 earned free-throw attempts, including looping this pass out of the post for a go-ahead 3-pointer just before Queen’s heroics.

What he did not do, alas, was shoot. Clifford’s elbow-out, flicky shooting form has created some consternation among scouts who want him to be an off-ball role player at the next level; how well can he really do that if he’s not a catch-and-shoot threat? It didn’t help that he missed every jump shot he took this past weekend, although his season numbers (37.7 percent from 3, 77.7 percent from the stripe) are more respectable.

Clifford also is 23 years old already and didn’t exactly shred the competition at the NBA Draft Combine in 2024 before deciding to return to school. Between that and the shooting, it’s hard to see him breaking into the top 20. But playing against higher-level competition than he saw in the MWC, he helped himself in the NCAA Tournament. The eye test is that he’s a good secondary handler and creator with a high basketball IQ; despite measuring a bit short (6-5 in socks), he has a strong frame that can guard up, and he punches above his weight on the boards. If Clifford can just be average as a shooter, he can help a lot of teams.

Best player who will go in the second round: Johni Broome, Auburn

Broome’s draft stock likely won’t reflect it because he turns 23 in July and doesn’t offer the level of rim protection or switchability NBA teams typically want from their center, but he’s been one of the two best players in college basketball this season.

Broome also didn’t look quite up to his usual self physically in my viewing of Auburn, a 62-57 taffy pull of a win over Ole Miss in the SEC quarterfinals. Despite appearances, the 6-10 Broome had 23 points and 13 rebounds and scored the game-sealing bucket late, showcasing his combination of size and touch:

Broome isn’t a big 3-point threat (26.5 percent this season, and 59.2 percent from the free-throw line), but he has touch that’s on a different level once he gets closer. Between that and his long arms, you’re pretty much dead if he turns over his right shoulder.

The other reason to believe in Broome didn’t really show itself against Ole Miss, but the dude can pass, with 5.8 dimes per 100 possessions this season and more than two assists for every turnover. Historically, betting against bigs who can pass is a fool’s errand.

Best ‘next year’ guy: Henri Veesaar, Arizona

Veesaar made perhaps my favorite plays from the first weekend of the tournament when I saw Arizona’s rout of Akron.

The first one went on the scoresheet as a turnover and a foul, but watch the defensive reaction he makes after throwing away the pass. In one turn, he gets back and seemingly blocks an alley-oop dunk attempt after contesting the pass, which was thrown while he was still above the free-throw line and turning his hips. (I’m not sure he fouled the guy either.):

The developing Estonian 7-footer also had flashes of quality as a short roller, hitting cutters for assists after catching the ball on the move. Veesaar got off to a very slow start this season after missing all of 2023-24 and is coming off the bench for reasons that aren’t entirely clear, but he’s established himself as a draftable big. However, it’s likely that another year of physical development — he’s still pretty easy to push around — and a one-year run as the team’s go-to guy could significantly improve his draft stock a year from now.

Best pull-up game: Jackson Shelstad, Oregon

Shelstad is small at 6-0, so the bar is pretty high for him to get to the next level, but scouts have been eyeing him ever since his standout performance against more highly-touted talent at the 2023 Hoop Summit.

The Ducks guard has one superpower in particular — the ability to stop on a dime and rise for pull-up jumpers off the dribble, getting enough elevation to offset his lack of size. Shelstad made four pull-up jumpers off the bounce in a 25-point effort Sunday against Arizona after scoring 17 on 7-of-11 shooting in the Ducks’ rout of Liberty.

Shelstad didn’t take the step forward some had hoped in his sophomore year, finishing with pretty meh stats for a draft prospect (13.7 points per game, 15.8 PER), but his two tournament games were two of his best outings of the year. He’s likely to be Oregon’s go-to guy next season and might end up leaning into that pull-up game a lot more heavily as a result.

Other notes

  • Florida’s Thomas Haugh was the best player I saw who wasn’t on any draft boards. The 6-9 sophomore forward is still developing his perimeter game, which is likely key to his utility at the next level, but he’s an athletic forward who can guard perimeter players, finish at the rim and do enough off the dribble to generate offense in a pinch. Haugh had 16 points, seven boards and five assists in Florida’s win over Missouri in the SEC quarterfinals and only needed four shots to do it (he was 10-of-12 from the line). He has come on in the second half of the season, too, with 10 of his 15 double-figure outings coming since Feb. 1. He’ll likely be back in Gainesville a year from now but should have a lot more scouts tracking him.
  • The other guy who sent scouts scrambling through their roster sheets asking, “Who was THAT?!?!” was Alabama reserve forward Mouhamed Dioubate, who has only played 561 minutes this season but made enough electrifying plays in the SEC tournament to have everyone questioning why that number wasn’t massively higher. In two games, he shot 10-of-11 from the field, snagged three steals and three blocks and plucked 20 rebounds in just 45 minutes. Dioubate is a 6-7 sophomore who can slide his feet on the perimeter and create havoc with his hands but also has a monster rebound rate (18.9 percent in SEC games) and the athleticism to get to the cup and finish. Questions remain about his skill set and shooting (just 13 career makes from 3), but Dioubate followed up that SEC tournament showing with 18 points and 10 boards in the NCAA Tournament opener against Robert Morris and 10 points on five shots in Alabama’s second-round win over St. Mary’s.
  • I can’t say I’m really feeling it on Florida’s Alex Condon. The 6-11 Australian sophomore has some moments as a high-post passer and flashes some inside-outside versatility, but it feels like he’s not quite good enough at either the inside or outside part to impact an NBA game yet. Give him another year in Gainesville and I might change my tune, but he’s probably a late second-rounder for me.
  • Florida guard Alijah Martin is a 6-2, 3-and-D guy, which already makes it an uphill battle for him. But he has a lot of athletic pop on the move, checks guards with abandon and doesn’t stop the ball. The fifth-year senior likely will have some fans in the two-way market.
  • I’m a fan of Missouri sophomore point guard Anthony Robinson II, a smart, scrapping pest on the defensive end who has a career rate of 4.4 steals per 100 possessions in SEC games in his two seasons. However, 170-pound guys can’t make it just with their defense; he has to be a more threatening shooter and turn the ball over less to crack scouts’ must-see lists next season.
  • Memphis’ Dain Dainja has a huge frame and advanced handles for his size, at one point juking a Colorado State guard into oblivion with a crossover during the Tigers’ first-round loss in Seattle. At 6-9 and 270 pounds, there are obvious concerns about conditioning and defending in space, and he had a high turnover rate because he too often dribbles into … Dainja (sorry). The senior big man feels like a summer-league candidate for a possible Exhibit 10 contract.
  • Oregon’s Nate Bittle is a 7-footer with plus shooting touch and decent mobility; he had some of the best advanced stats in the Big Ten this season. Nothing he does blows you away eye-test wise, but his size-skill intersection is uncommon. The senior probably goes undrafted if he’s not back for a fifth year, but he also could be a two-way contract candidate.
  • Florida’s Will Richard made an impact every time I saw the Gators in person; he’s not a high-usage player, but he’s a solid athlete who can shoot, pass and defend; he doesn’t do any of those things at an elite level, and the shooting in particular can be streaky. Nonetheless, if the 6-5 senior leaves Gainesville, he’s a likely role player target with a two-way deal.
  • Alabama’s Mark Sears is a left-handed pick-and-roll savant who has drawn comparisons to Jalen Brunson. That’s different from being Jalen Brunson, however. Sears is only 6-1 (if that), is already 23 and had a pretty unimpressive stint at the G League Elite Camp a year ago. Every G League GM will want him as their point guard on an Exhibit 10 deal, but his translation to the NBA could be trickier.
  • The idea of Ole Miss’ Matthew Murrell as a below-the-radar 3-and-D guy is alluring. He has a solid frame, a wet jumper and a high steal rate. The issue is that there just isn’t enough game-impacting juice, especially in terms of shot creation. The fifth-year senior is a likely two-way or Exhibit 10 player.
  • Arizona’s Caleb Love will get a two-way or Exhibit-10 deal off his athleticism, but he turns 24 this fall and hasn’t really improved much since his sophomore year at North Carolina. Love is a streaky-at-best outside shooter and a reckless decision-maker, but he’s going to put a few G League big men on posters next year.
  • Mississippi State’s 6-7 senior forward Cameron Matthews is 23 years old and made six 3-pointers the entire season, so don’t expect him to get drafted. But his ferocious defense is likely to land him on the back end of a roster on a two-way deal.
  • In the name, image and likeness era of college hoops, it’s possible to put together an awesome team of veteran players who nonetheless have little pro potential. Welcome to Tennessee basketball, friends! However, the one exception is guard Chaz Lanier, who has shot 41 percent from 3 this season on 16.6 attempts per 100 possessions and will get looks as a long-range specialist at the next level.
  • Can we get another Brit in the NBA, doubling our current contingent? Kentucky big man Amari Williams flashed a plus handle for his size and some passing skill, and he led the SEC in defensive rebound rate. The big man also looked a bit bigger in person than his listed 6-10, 227 pounds. He’s probably headed down the G League pathway, especially because he’s 23.
  • Finally, it seems unlikely Auburn’s 6-1 freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford enters the NBA Draft this year, but he has people’s attention. The quick-burst athleticism of an NBA guard is apparent, and he can shoot from deep. The next trick will be figuring out the shoot-pass balance and cutting down on fouls, something that will be necessary if he’s back as a go-to guy for the Tigers next year.

(Top photo of Johni Broome: Stew Milne / Getty Images)





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