American Basketball Scouting
2025 NBA Draft Sleepers: 10 Under-the-Radar Prospects Turning Heads
American Basketball Scouting 2025 NBA DRAFT Top 10 Hidden Gems
1. Nelly Junior Joseph (New Mexico) 6'10
NBA Translation: Motor, Excellent Screener/Passer/Playmaker from the post and off rebounds
Pro Comparison: Isaiah Hartenstein
NBA-level Concern: Limited Perimeter Scorer
2024-2025 Collegiate Season Stats:
2. Tamar Bates (Missouri) 6'5
NBA Translation: Three-Level Scoring Lefty, 50/40/90 efficiency
Pro Comparison: Kent Bazemore
NBA-level Concern: If assigned to guard an NBA Wing, will need to improve strength. At 6'5, 195 - he could be matched up against a 6'9 225 and will need to be prepared to match the physicality of the NBA.
2024-2025 Collegiate Season Stats:
3. Johnell Davis (Arkansas) 6'4
NBA Translation: Poise , "Big Shot" maker
Pro Comparison: Caris LeVert
NBA-level Concern: Although Davis has a knack for making big shots throughout his career, sharpening his ball handling and quickly adjusting to quicker decisions vs. more physical and experienced opponents will be key to his success in the NBA.
2024-2025 Collegiate Season Stats:
4. Julian Reese (Maryland) 6'9
NBA Translation: Physical Floater Specialist
Pro Comparison: Zach Randolph
NBA-level Concern: The NBA is filled with Post Guys who are explosive and play above the rim. At 6'9 , not only is Reese shorter than the average NBA Center, but he also plays below the rim. This could affect finishing offensively and rim protection defensively at the NBA level.
2024-2025 Collegiate Season Stats:
5. Curtis Jones (Iowa State) 6'4
NBA Translation: Deep Range Threat, Mid-Range Scoring
Pro Comparison: Lou Williams
NBA-level Concern: At 6'4, Jones could be tasked with guarding quick NBA point guards, and could also be matched up against strong, ultra-athletic NBA wings. Jones will need to be physically ready to compete at the NBA level.
2024-2025 Collegiate Season Stats:
6. Steven Ashworth (Creighton) 6'0
NBA Translation: Off-ball Movement, High Percentage/High Volume 3pt Specialist
Pro Comparison: Patty Mills
NBA-level Concern: Limited Scoring inside the arc. More physical NBA guards may try to get downhill when matched up against Ashworth. Studying NBA vets like Jose Alvarado and TJ McConnell could help Ashworth prepare for defending NBA guards while being undersized.
2024-2025 Collegiate Season Stats:
7. Zach Freemantle (Xavier) 6'9
NBA Translation: Floor Spacing Big
Pro Comparison: Dean Wade
NBA-level Concern: An emphasis on improving lateral quickness to guard NBA-level wings and continuing to improve strength to guard NBA-level Bigs will be key to Freemantle's NBA evaluation process.
2024-2025 Collegiate Season Stats:
8. Wooga Poplar (Villanova) 6'5
NBA Translation: Slashing Tempo Pusher
Pro Comparison: Will Barton
NBA-level Concern: Poplar's play style involves creating plays. A focus on sharpening his handle and being able to fight through the physicality without turning the ball over could be the determining factor for an NBA franchise to take a chance on Poplar.
2024-2025 Collegiate Season Stats:
9. Moussa Cisse (Memphis) 6'11
NBA Translation: Lob Threat/Rim Protector
Pro Comparison: Clint Capela
NBA-level Concern: Without the threat of perimeter scoring or a mid-range jump shot, it'll be challenging to score against stronger defenders. Proving to be strong enough to battle NBA Bigs and/or developing a perimeter/mid-range game could be the difference maker for Cisse's NBA quest.
2024-2025 Collegiate Season Stats:
10. Sean Pedulla (Ole Miss) 6'1
NBA Translation: Pace, Crafty
Pro Comparison: Mike Bibby
NBA-level Concern: On paper, it makes sense to think that Pedulla could be a defensive liability when matched up against off-ball NBA guards/wings. Proving the ability to compete defensively vs. NBA-level guards/wings would make him a steal for whichever NBA team provides the opportunity.
2024-2025 Collegiate Season Stats: