Mid-Major Radars: Bigs
As the big man position evolves to include more skill and perimeter impact, are there any mid-major prospects out there who check those boxes for the modern NBA?
As the hunt for legitimate draft sleepers continues, we make our way to the Mid-Major and Low-Major ranks of college basketball. Hiding amongst the leagues that rarely get national attention are late-bloomers and prospects who have continued to get better during their times in college. Many of them star in leading roles and put up impressive numbers, but have grown into becoming a legitimate pro player through getting the opportunity to play as their team’s focal point.
College choices don’t always indicate NBA upside. Stephen Curry went to Davidson, Ja Morant to Murray State, Damian Lillard to Weber State, Paul George to Fresno State, and CJ McCollum to Lehigh. Other career role players, who didn’t become overnight stars in college or get drafted, came from similar ranks: JJ Barea out of Northeastern, Robert Covington from Tennessee State, Terry Taylor from Austin Peay, and Garrison Mathews of Lipscomb are four more recent examples.
There are some players in college basketball already receiving a great deal of media coverage or mainstream draft hype to become draftable prospects this year. While 2023 has been known as the year of the big man in college basketball, that’s mostly taking place at the high-major levels. DaRon Holmes from Dayton is the only mid-major big getting significant first-round buzz. Even prolific scorer Drew Timme out of Gonzaga is seen more as a second-round prospect.
But what about those guys who don’t currently stand on draft radars but could force their way onto NBA rosters? We’re going diving for undrafted free agents from the non-power conferences, looking for legitimate pros and guys who have impressed enough with their production this season to deserve a spot on pro radars.
Micah Handlogten, Marshall
The only freshman on this list, Marshall big man Micah Handlogten is incredibly intriguing as a long-term target to watch. The 7’1” big man towers over opponents in the Sun Belt and has dominated on the interior. While he’s only 1-8 from 3 and 55% from the charity stripe, his willingness to take some deep ones shows that there’s some long-term hope that Micah will shoot it.
Right now, he’s a 71% two-point scorer and is much more mobile than most 7’1” guys you’ll find. He sprints the floor, will get off the ground for lobs, and is always aware of where the basket is on his catches. But Handlogten shows special rim protection upside, which is why he should be on NBA radars.
Through 23 career games, he’s averaging 2.6 blocks per game and is among the top freshmen in BPM. He’s a terrific rebounder, too. He’s so impactful around the rim on both ends and can patrol the paint while commanding attention through roll gravity. There’s a lot left for him to learn, but testing the waters this year and getting feedback from NBA teams wouldn’t be a major surprise to us.
Isaac Jones, Idaho
A former three-year JUCO product, Isaac Jones had offers from Washington State, Oregon State, Iowa State, and several others last year. He decided to come to Idaho and be the star they’d play through in the low post, and it’s proven to be a wise choice. The 6’9” big has been really productive down low, shooting 66% from the field and being the most efficient post-up player in Division I this year, according to Synergy Sports.
Jones can score, he’s a decent passer (only 1.5 per game, but he handles doubles fairly well), has made a few jumpers, and blocks a solid amount of shots for his size (1.2 swats per game). His game is built much more around getting touches on the block than most bigs — and that may not translate well to the pro landscape — but he’s been too skilled and impactful to be left off draft radars altogether.
Jones is just a tad undersized at 6’9” to be seen as a real NBA prospect playing the 5 in our opinion. He’ll get chances to prove himself in the future and is so good with his footwork that he can score at the professional level. He just doesn’t blend in well with where the game is headed.
Grant Nelson, North Dakota State
A few weeks ago, Nelson’s highlight tape about broke the internet and transcended beyond draft circles. The outpouring of adulation for his style of play caused online scouts like Rafael Barlowe to put out articles debating whether Nelson was a legitimate prospect and break down his game in full detail.
Alas, we are joining the fray, as our DMs and comments sections have been flooded with requests for breakdowns of Nelson’s game. Instead of going into too much written form analysis, we figured we’d let the video speak for itself:
Nelson is intriguing, and the biggest thing holding him back is his feel for fitting into a team-centric style of play. He’s good enough to be in the 75-100 range on our draft board and wouldn’t be out of the question with a late-second selection. We’re just a little more skeptical about his readiness for impact after watching full games and not just the highlights put together on the internet. Everything has been catered to him at North Dakota State in a way that it won’t in the NBA. He’s a classic case study for whether raw skills can be refined to fit into a pro mold.
Drew Pember, UNC-Asheville
Last week’s 48-point, 12-rebound performance against Presbyterian firmly put Pember on draft radars. The former Tennessee transfer is one of the most skilled big men in all of college basketball, and he put that on full display against the Blue Hose.