Less than 72 hours after the Oklahoma City Thunder won their first NBA championship in team history, the NBA is turning the page. That’s because the NBA Draft for the 2025-26 season begins Wednesday, with the two-day event concluding on Thursday. The Dallas Mavericks own the No. 1 overall pick, with Duke’s Cooper Flagg a lock to become the sixth Blue Devil to go first overall.
Besides Flagg, other highly coveted players who will hear their names called early in the first round include Rutgers duo Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, the Bahamas-born Baylor Bear in VJ Edgecombe, and a couple of Frenchmen—Noa Essengue and Joan Beringer. However, OKC just won the title with eight of their top 12 scorers not only being drafted outside the lottery but outside the first round. Thus, there is a lot of value to be had after the lottery picks, and here are some of the under-the-radar draft prospects who could make a huge impact in the NBA.
Walter Clayton Jr., Point Guard, Florida
We’ll start with the player who ended the college basketball season as the best player, courtesy of winning the Most Outstanding Player award in the Final Four. Clayton was at his best when it mattered the most and became the first player since Larry Bird in 1979 with back-to-back 30-plus point games in the Elite Eight or later. He doesn’t have elite measurables or world-class athleticism, but he’s a winner and champion, in the mold of Jalen Brunson.Ricco Zikarsky, Center, Australia
The tallest draft-eligible at 7-foot-4, Zikarsky would challenge Zach Edey for being the tallest active player in the NBA. While he averaged just 4.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks last season, that came in under 12 minutes a game. The adage is that “You can’t teach size,” and some NBA team will find his potential too good to pass up. A bonus in drafting Zikarsky is that at age 18, you’d be getting a player who is one of the youngest draft-eligible prospects.Eric Dixon, Power Forward, Villanova
No player in all of college basketball averaged more points than the 23.3 that Dixon put up last season. He did so efficiently, knocking down 40.7 percent from beyond the arc and 81.3 percent from the line. He also didn’t simply feast on mid-majors to get those numbers, as he averaged 23.1 points against Power-5 opponents. Dixon has limitations, especially on defense, but profiles as an instant offense player off the bench.Ryan Nembhard, Point Guard, Gonzaga
Like his brother, Andrew Nembhard of the Indiana Pacers, Ryan played two years, both at Gonzaga and at a Power Conference school. Ryan Nembhard led D1 with 9.8 assists last season, after also leading the West Coast Conference in dimes the previous season. That came after being named Big East Rookie of the Year while at Creighton, and he’s more than a one-dimensional distributing point guard. Nembhard knocked down 40.4 percent of his three-point attempts last season and also led the conference with 1.7 steals per game. He doesn’t have the size of his older brother, but could be a second-round steal, just as Andrew was.Rasheer Fleming, Power Forward, Saint Joseph’s
Fleming had zero scholarship offers from Power 5 programs coming out of high school, but developed into, potentially, a late-round NBA Draft pick. He has great size for a forward at 6-foot-9, 220 pounds, and improved in every aspect during his three years at St. Joe’s. He posted a monstrous stat line of 16 points, 20 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks versus a Texas team that made the NCAA Tournament last season. Fleming is also someone who relentlessly crashes the glass, leading the A-10 in offensive boards as a sophomore and then topping the league in defensive boards as a junior. Not someone who will need lots of time to develop in the NBA, he should be a contributor from day one.Micah Peavy, Shooting Guard, Georgetown
It took three schools and five years, but Peavy finally had a breakout season in 2024-25. He filled up the stat sheet, ranking in the top 15 of the Big East in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. It was his thefts that stood out the most as he topped the league with 2.3 steals per game. He also knocked down more three-pointers than he did over his first four seasons combined, at a high clip, as he converted 40 percent from downtown.Drake Powell, Small Forward, North Carolina
Some players are highly touted coming out of high school, only to somewhat underperform in college, but still find a way to become productive pro players. Peyton Watson and Max Christie fit that bill, and Powell could be next in that lineage. He was the No. 11 overall prospect in the Class of 2024, only to provide an uninspiring 7.4 points in his lone year at UNC, even getting demoted from the starting lineup at one point. But he’s the prototypical 3-and-D wing with great length, and he used those long arms to be UNC’s only player with 25-plus steals and 25-plus blocks last season.
