Top 10 NBA Prospects in the Big Twelve
Ahead of conference tournament week, let's dive into the players with the most NBA intrigue
Casual basketball fans (and big NBA fans) really start to pay attention to the college season around the start of the NCAA Tournament. March Madness is always a coveted time for getting eyes on future NBA players in high-pressure situations as they perform on the big stage.
In our world, college tournament week tends to be my favorite week of the year. Conference-level intensity provides for some fascinating matchups, particularly as teams duel for the second or even third time. There are more games on television, lots of even matchups, and the opportunity to see how players handle back-to-back situations. It’s a glorious week of hoops.
So in advance of next week’s multitude of conference tournaments, we’re giving a preview of seven of the most loaded conferences with pro talent. We’ll provide a prospect review for the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big Twelve, Pac-12, SEC, and American Athletic Conference in terms of the best immediate draft prospects that NBA fans should get to know and scouting departments are watching closely.
Today’s installment takes us to the Big Twelve, America’s tough conference. One common theme throughout the league is how many great coaches and intense defensive schemes there are. If you can score in the Big Twelve, you can score anywhere. There may only be a few first-round prospects playing in the league this year, but the advanced and polished nature of the conference means there are plenty of hidden gems worth drafting.
Honorable Mentions: Fardaws Aimaq, Texas Tech; Jalen Bridges, Baylor; LJ Cryer, Baylor; Marcus Carr, Texas; Jaren Holmes, Iowa State; Tre Mitchell, West Virginia; Kevin Obanor, Texas Tech; Osun Osunniyi, Iowa State; Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, Baylor
Long-term guys not ready yet: KJ Adams, Kansas; Dillon Mitchell, Texas; Arterio Morris, Texas; MJ Rice, Kansas; Sir’Jabari Rice, Texas; NaeQwon Tomlin, Kansas State; Milos Uzan, Oklahoma
10. Tyrese Hunter - PG, Texas
A sophomore point guard who was one of the stars of last year’s NCAA Tournament (for Iowa State), Hunter went back to school a year ago to work on stabilizing his jump shot. The jittery-quick guard transferred to Texas for work on his jumper and joined an athletic and deep group of guards. His usage has changed a bit as a result, running fewer pick-and-rolls than he did as a freshman. The shot has gotten slightly better (32% from deep thus far), though he isn’t consistent enough to put minds at ease about his pro scoring. He’s a fringe top-60 guy whose speed and defensive playmaking are attractive, but the combination of being small and a less-than-stellar shooter handicap him.
9. Grant Sherfield - PG, Oklahoma
Sherfield is a shifty, crafty player with a strong career of continued production and clutch buckets. Like Hunter, he’s on the smaller side and doesn’t have the length to compensate. Sherfield has turned himself into a reliable 3-point shooter through his career and has been light’s out this year at Oklahoma, surpassing the 40% mark.
Sherfield will turn 24 in September; he’s far too old to be drafted and doesn’t quite have the positional fit in the modern NBA to warrant him being the exception to the rule. There a ton of great veteran guards available in the UDFA pool, so Sherfield will have a lot of work to do to break through. The Sooners being at the bottom of the Big Twelve and out of NCAA Tournament contention will limit his chances to put together a more impressive resume.
8. Keyontae Johnson - ATH, Kansas State
Some folks will champion Keyontae Johnson as a first-round pick this year, and that’s a little bit too rich of a take for me. Johnson has been great as a finisher and excellent as a shooter, but he’s very limited off the bounce and is a tad overrated of a defender. Johnson is really erratic on offense with his turnovers, he is very jumpy on pass and ball fakes on defense, and is a tad short at 6’5”. His comeback from cardiac arrest has been one of college basketball’s most attention-grabbing stories this year, though that isn’t enough to turn him into a great pro prospect in our eyes.
7. Kevin McCullar - W, Kansas
Despite shooting only 27.5% from deep this year, we’re starting to come around a bit on McCullar. While there were plenty of scouts who touted him as a high-caliber role player a season ago at Texas Tech, we always saw flaws with his shooting and couldn’t quite get there on McCullar. His defense in spurts with the Jayhawks has been excellent, but he’s revealed himself as an unreliable offensive piece through time. Gone are the excuses about Mark Adams’ outdated and ineffective system. A better-spaced and well-constructed system at Kansas hasn’t helped McCullar get off the ground.
6. Emanuel Miller - W, TCU
Miller is one of my favorite defenders in college basketball. He’s tough, impossible to screen, and always has his arms up to create turnovers and alter shots. His impact with the Horned Frogs has been notable since transferring from Texas A&M. The issue for Miller with the Aggies was as a shooter, and he’s worked to correct some of those issues this year at TCU.
Give me a guy like Miller in the undrafted free agent pool any day. He may not have enough offensive stability to go ahead of some younger and higher-upside guys, but we’d put our money on him becoming a reliable pro in the next few years. His grit and toughness are clear separator traits.