With the cycle fully underway, it can be overwhelming to figure out which teams to scout throughout the process. Although many teams have just one prospect some teams have multiple prospects which makes the scouting process easier by watching multiple players at once.
Using my Top 100 Big Board I valued each slot in reverse numerical order. For example, the #1 player is worth 100 points the #2 player Is worth 99 points, and so on until the #100 player is worth 1 point.
I assigned these values to the team they play on in order to gauge which teams had the best combinations of both depth and high-end prospects. The following rankings are the results.
10. Ulm (Germany)
Prospects in Top 100:
Ben Saraf (#11)
Noa Essengue (#39)
The first and only foreign team on this list comes out of the German Bundesliga. Both Saraf and Essengue are relatively new names in consideration for first-round picks but the discourse around both is warranted after strong summers. The two have very different games, Saraf operating as a primary ball handler and Essengue a versatile forward.
Ben Saraf is such an interesting prospect and it will be fascinating to see how scouts’ lens of him develops throughout the season. Operating as almost a heliocentric guard in Germany the main questions around Saraf are about his ability to adapt off the ball. Saraf is very good but consensus has yet to peg him as a true primary in the NBA which is what would fit his style.
I am slightly lower on Essengue than others but recent shooting success could change my scout if it shows sustainable. A long athletic forward, Essengue finds ways to impact winning even when the ball is not in his hands. If he is able to pair the winning plays, length, and effort, with a workable shot he is a name that could continue to rise up boards this season.
9. UConn
Prospects in Top 100:
Alex Karaban (#24)
Liam McNeeley (#28)
Samson Johnson (#96)
A tale of two prospects. Against consensus, I am much higher on Alex Karaban but I am a decent amount lower on what Liam McNeeley can be. I spoke on him enough during the 2024 cycle but I believe Alex Karaban is the perfect NBA connector piece. A sharpshooter who can put the ball on the floor if necessary, a good connective passer, and a good help side rim deterrent, there is a lot to like with Karaban. What I will be monitoring this season is what can Karaban do with a longer offensive leash for UConn.
I get the Liam McNeeley pitch as a tall shooter who shows nice passing flashes but I think the athleticism is a problem. McNeeley is a consistent below-the-rim finisher and at the NBA level, I think he will struggle to score against size. McNeeley is off to a good start this season but I will be closely watching how he plays when he goes against a bigger more physical team.
8. Illinois
Prospects in Top 100:
Kasparas Jakucionis (#9)
Will Riley (#33)
An unusual high end prospect school, Illinois has two potential one and done first round picks. Kasparas Jakucionis is the player I am higher on as a solid ball handling point guard and a potential elite shooting prospect. Is Jakucionis capable of playing point guard? Can he be servicable on defense? Those are the questions I will follow up on throughout the season.
Will Riley is a more polarizing prospect and remind me a lot of Kyshawn George. A good shooter at 6’8 and a fun passer but his lack of rim pressure and physicality scares me. He had a great opening night game but I circled Novemeber 20th against Alabama as the first date that Will Riley’s limitations will be tested.
7. BYU
Prospects in Top 100:
Kanon Catchings (#10)
Egor Demin (#14)
BYU?? Two prospects in the lottery? The seems crazy but that may start to become the new normal in the NIL world and them the favorite to land the #1 prospect in the 2026 draft AJ Dybantsa. Long athletic wings that can do multiple things will always have value and both Demin and Catchings check those boxes.
I am very high on Kanon Catchings as an althletic wing that showed a lot of shooting production last season in OTE. For the Cold Hearts, Catchings shot 40.8% from 3 on a 130 shot sample size (42.9% off the catch). Over 5 RPG and 76% at the rim are more signs that Catchings is a sneaky lottery pick prospect. I would like to see him expand he creation skills especially for others but even without that Catchings has so much to offer.
Egor Demin looked incredible to open the season and shot very well. If Demin’s shot holds steady he is absolutely a top 10 pick in this draft. Demin’s length, defensive activity, and IQ make him the kind of raw prospect teams desire. At his size the playmaking is very solid and is something too monitor this season as he builds a case for a top 10 maybe 5 pick.
6. Rutgers
Prospects in Top 100:
Dylan Harper (#2)
Ace Bailey (#4)
In reality this team is ranked higher but their lack of any depth in this point system slates them 6th. #2 and #4 on my board, Rutgers has two elite potential superstars on their team this season. Ace Bailey is score first jumbo forward that has shown the ability to score at all three levels. I am slightly concerned about his ability to get to the the rim and create for others but shooting and scoring at his size does not come often.
I am all in on Dylan Harper and think he would be #1 pick worthy in a lot of drafts. A big point guard capable of shooting, creating for others, and creating for himself I am excited to see him run a high major team this season. Harper is in full control of the offense and has a good frame to be a solid defender and rebounder. I feel really good about him being #2 on my board and a future NBA star.
5. Arizona
Prospects in Top 100:
Carter Bryant (#7)
Jaden Bradley (#50)
Caleb Love (#66)
KJ Lewis (#72)
One high end prospect and some depth shoots Arizona to #4 on this list. I am higher on Carter Bryant against consensus more so than any other player in this cycle. I am not sure how the minutes will be distributed this season but I love his ability to dribble, pass, and shoot at his size. His ability to finish at the rim and his physicality are things I am hoping to transfer with him as he plays tough competition.
Caleb Love, Jaden Bradley, and KJ Lewis are all fun guards that have a chance to break out this season in Tuscon. Jaden Bradley is my favorite of the bunch as a great defender, good ball handler, and passer. He showed a lot of strides from his time in Alabama and he could be in for a really big season on a very good team.
4. Kansas
Prospects in Top 100:
Zeke Mayo (#27)
Flory Bidunga (#30)
KJ Adams (#56)
Rylan Griffin (#83)
Elmarko Jackson (#86)
AJ Storr (#87)
Hunter Dickinson (#98)
Depth for the Jayhawks gets them to the #4 spot. Zeke Mayo is really really good at basketball and worthy of a first round pick. Good size at the guard position Mayo checks every box you would want from a late first round guard. If Mayo is able to do what he did at South Dakota State this season at Kansas then he will hear his name called next June.
I like Flory Bidunga and I would love Flory Bidunga if he was two inches taller. At 6’9, Bidunga is a strong powerful big man which makes his frame an uphill battle in the NBA. He is a great rebounder, screener, and finisher but he lacks a lot of the skill that teams are looking for in their modern fives. He will need to be a dominant post presence this season in order to warrant first round consideration.
KJ Adams, Rylan Griffin, AJ Storr, and Hunter Dickinson all have specific roles this season all of which could warrant two way consideration. Someone on Kansas will come out looking like a real NBA prospect so depending on how minutes and touches are distrpubuted any of these guys stock could rise.
3. North Carolina
Prospects in Top 100:
Drake Powell (#8)
Ian Jackson (#25)
Elliot Cadeau (#35)
RJ Davis (#57)
3 and D. That is the name of the game for Drake Powell. A great athlete it doesn’t take much imagination to see why Drake Powell is an NBA prospect. I will closely be watching Drake Powell’s creation this season and what he can do for himself and others. I broke down Powell’s passing this summer below.
2. Arkansas
Prospects in Top 100:
Boogie Fland (#18)
Karter Knox (#37)
Trevon Brazile (#42)
Zvonimir Ivisic (#48)
Billy Richmond (#54)
DJ Wagner (#75)
This team is all about depth. Boogie Fland is very fun and is already drawing comparisons to Rob Dillingham who played with Coach Cal last season. Karter Knox and Billy Richmond are two athletic wings fighting for minutes (probably against each other). The productivity of their jump shots will be in question as it is with so many freshman wings.
Zvonimir Ivisic shocked the country last season with his early play but his defense cooled off the hype throughout the season. Offensively few doubt the skill of Ivisic but his pick and roll coverage simply needs to be better in order for him to hear his name called next summer.
DJ Wagner, Trevon Brazile, Jonas Aidoo, and Johnell Davis highlight the real depth of prospects for this Cal team. More than likely one of those guys will make a leap and be a draft pick and as of now I lean towards Brazile and Wagner but it is a long season that will take many terms.
1. Duke
Prospects in Top 100:
Cooper Flagg (#1)
Kon Knueppel (#12)
Khaman Maluach (#19)
Isaiah Evans (#22)
Darren Harris (#46)
Tyrese Proctor (#82)
Was there any doubt? 4 Duke prospects are in my top 22 and that is not to mention Darren Harris or the breakout of Tyrese Proctor. Cooper Flagg is obviously the jewel of this team as a two way player that has superstar written all over him. I am monitoring the jump shot throughout the season which could be the difference between him being a great prospect and a generational one.
Kon Knueppel is the Jordan Hawkins or Gradey Dick of this draft as the super productive college shooter that we project towards the NBA. Kon is off to a great start this season and don’t be shocked if he holds those %’s at a very high level.
I am slightly lower on Maluach currently but he has rebounded and finished very well this season. I worry about his touch around the rim and what is shot blocking IQ is. The Duke roster is deep so minutes won’t be easy but none the less Maluach will have the opportunity to prove he is the lottery talents many peg him to be.
