10 best NBA prospects you won't see in the NCAA tournament
Kentucky will probably miss the NCAA tournament for only the third time in the last 20 years. It's a surprising feat, considering the Wildcats had the No. 1 recruiting class entering the season, led by B.J. Boston. Duke hasn’t had the season fans expected and are flirting with possibly missing the tournament for the first time since 1995. An early exit from standout freshman Jalen Johnson has plagued a young and inexperienced Duke team.
Fans will get a chance to see potential No. 1 picks Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley make tournament appearances, but there are a handful of players, including a couple players on the G League Ignite team, who we won’t see play in March Madness but will hear their name called early in the 2021 NBA draft.
Pending any crazy runs in postseason conference tournaments, here are the 10 best NBA draft prospects we most likely won’t see in the NCAA tournament.
Freshman
12 ppg, 4.6 rpg
It’s no secret that Boston has struggled this year playing under John Calipari. The 6-foot-7 shooting guard entered this season as one of the best shooters in high school basketball, averaging 19.7 points per game on a loaded Sierra Canyon team. Once at Kentucky, it took Boston four games to hit his first 3-pointer and he is only shooting 27% from 3-point range this season. His shooting isn’t helping the Wildcats win games but it isn’t necessarily a cause for concern at the NBA level. Rookie of the Year frontrunner LaMelo Ball only shot 25% from deep for the Illawarra Hawks last year and has found early success in his first year in the NBA, now shooting 38% from the 3-point line. There was a spark in Boston's game this past weekend, when he had 21 points in a win over South Carolina.
Boston’s game translates well to the NBA. He has great pace, a long frame with a 6-foot-11 wingspan and solid shooting mechanics despite his shot just not falling in his one year at Kentucky. Boston has a ton of upside and at just 19 years old, he’s one of the youngest players in this draft class.
Freshman
11.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg
Johnson only played 13 games at Duke before electing to leave the team early to focus on the NBA draft process. His minutes were cut after ACC Player of the Year candidate Matthew Hurt started playing exceptionally well halfway through the season. The 6-foot-9 freshman also suffered a foot injury that caused him to miss five weeks. Johnson’s decision to leave the team came with mixed reactions from fans and NBA personnel.
“I’ll be interested to see what this decision does to his draft stock,” one NBA scout told Yahoo Sports. “He still has incredible upside with his size but it’s something teams will have to look at.”
Johnson’s potential at the NBA level is what will keep him in the first round and possibly in the lottery. During his best game this season, he had 24 points (8-for-15 shooting), 16 rebounds and seven assists in a loss to Pittsburgh. Johnson is one of the most dangerous players in the open court and had one of the best dunks of the year on Clemson’s PJ Hall. Yes, he was inconsistent this year and it’s definitely not the best look leaving early, but it’s going to be very hard for teams to pass on Johnson with his potential at the next level.
Freshman
10.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg
Stanford finished 10-10 in a weak Pac-12 conference this year and Williams didn’t have the season most expected. Almost every NBA team was in the building when Stanford played USC last week and Williams finished with a disappointing two points and went 0-for-4 from 3-point range. Williams played with Boston at Sierra Canyon High School and was one of the best wings in high school basketball. He has nice length at 6-foot-8 and needs to add some weight to his frame. Regardless of the inconsistencies this season, Williams remains a projected lottery pick. Once his outside jump shot gets more consistent, Williams has the potential to have a long career in the NBA.
Josh Christopher, Arizona State
Freshman
14.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg
Christopher chose Arizona State over Michigan, electing to play alongside his brother Caleb. The Sun Devils were a preseason favorite to win the Pac-12 and had two five-star recruits joining the team with Christopher and Marcus Bagley. But the 6-foot-5 shooting guard has been out since Feb. 11 with a lower leg injury. Christopher had been going back and forth all season with Evan Mobley as the freshman leading scorer in the Pac-12, with his season-high 28 points coming early in the season in a loss to Villanova. He ranks in the 91 percentile in points in transition, according to Synergy Sports and is very good in iso situations. Christopher’s 3-point shooting continues to be an area of improvement, but it’s his tenacious defense and ability to get a shot off in any situation that makes him an intriguing NBA prospect.
Junior
17.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 4.8 apg
There’s a lot of one-and-done star power in this draft class, but Duke is slowly climbing up draft boards. The 6-foot-5 point guard was a top-40 player coming out of high school and has improved significantly since his freshman year. He is shooting 41% from 3-point range and had a season-high seven 3-pointers in a loss to Xavier on Jan. 11. Duke also had the game-winning tip-in basket to upset No. 10 Villanova, 54-52, on Saturday. Duke does a great job reading the defense off the pick-and-roll and has improved his passing, recording seven or more assists in six games this season. Duke is one of the most consistent guards in the Big East and is a player to keep tabs on heading into the draft.
Freshman
20.2 ppg, 8.1 apg
It took a few weeks for Cooper to get cleared by the NCAA but when he finally hit the court, he became one of the best playmakers in college basketball. Cooper is third in the SEC in assists with 97 total and had a season-high 14 in an overtime loss to Ole Miss. He ranks in the 84th percentile in spot-up shooting, according to Synergy Sports, making 40% from the field. Listed at 6-foot-1, Cooper is a little undersized for an NBA point guard, but scouts can’t ignore his elite playmaking ability. His projected draft range is anywhere from late lottery to mid-first round.
Junior
16 ppg, 4 apg
Nembhard leads TCU in points, assists and steals. He’s scored 20 or more points in seven games this season and is shooting more than 40% from the field. Defensively, the 6-foot-5 guard defends the perimeter well and had three or more steals in three games this season. Nembhard has a solid mid-range game with a deadly two-dribble pull-up and is a huge first-round sleeper in the 2021 draft.
Junior
20 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.1 apg
The 6-foot-5 guard from Columbus, Ohio, is a long, bouncy guard with a great first step off the wing. Kinsey loves to finish at the rim and has a solid mid-range game. He’s not a high-volume outside shooter but is shooting a respectable 44% from 3-point range. Kinsey will need to add some weight to his 185-pound frame, but his fluidity on the court is reminiscent of Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton. It will be interesting to see how Kinsey matches up with other elite guards in the draft combine, assuming the NBA has one this year. There’s no doubt he dominated the C-USA, but scouts will be watching to see how he adjusts going up against bigger, stronger players in the paint.
Jonathan Kuminga
15.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg
Kuminga is the youngest player on the inaugural Ignite team, just turning 18 in October. The 6-foot-6 wing reclassified up a grade last year and joined the loaded Ignite team shortly after. He might be the youngest player in the G League, but he’s one of the most physical players on the court with his 210-pound frame. Kuminga has recorded four double-doubles in 14 games and had a season-high 24 points in a win over the Oklahoma City Blue. His Ignite teammate Jalen Green has high praise for Kuminga, telling Yahoo Sports, “I got a chance to get to know JK and see his point of view on the court and how he thinks and stuff like that. I think it’s helped me grow as a player because he’s so skilled and has so much pace, it’s crazy.” Kuminga is a projected top-five draft pick.
Jalen Green
17.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.9 apg
Green was the first player to join the Ignite team after electing to go pro instead of playing for Auburn, Memphis or Oregon. He was a top-three recruit coming out of high school and is known for his high-flying, flashy dunks in transition. Green is a long 6-foot-6 shooting guard who has shown improvement on his shot selection in the G League bubble. He has scored 20 or more points in eight games this season, but it’s his passing and facilitating for others that has been a focus point for the elite guard.
“I’m just trying to show the NBA scouts that I have an all-around game,” Green told Yahoo Sports. “I know a lot of people sleep on me passing the ball, and I just want to let them know that I have a feel for the game and that I want to win.”
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