We’re just a week removed from Jalen Brunson leading the Knicks to the NBA championship and Brunson being awarded NBA Finals MVP. We’re also just days away from the 2026 NBA Draft, and if you remember, Brunson was a second-round pick back in 2018. He’s just the fourth second-round draft pick to win Finals MVP, and team execs, scouts, and coaches are already dreaming of finding the next diamond in the rough of the second round.
While it would be a bit ambitious in projecting anyone selected in this week’s NBA Draft as the next Jalen Brunson, there are a number of under-the-radar players who fit the bill as someone overlooked coming out of college who could still excel in the NBA. Here are the top undervalued NBA Draft prospects who could make discernible impacts in the league.
Bennett Stirtz, Guard, Iowa
The son of a coach, Stirtz first excelled at the DII level with Northwest Missouri State, then with a mid-major at Drake, and finally at a Power Conference program with Iowa. The likes of George Gervin and Ben Wallace started off at DII schools only to end up in the Hall of Fame, and while no one is projecting Stirtz to Springfield, he has discernible skills on both ends of the court.He averaged over 19 points per game in his lone years at both Drake and Iowa, also leading the Missouri Valley Conference with 2.1 steals in 2024–2025. He’s also an ironman, leading the NCAA in minutes played last year and placing second the prior season. He checks multiple boxes for talent evaluators, and being able to produce in multiple places and within multiple systems is also a plus.
Emanuel Sharp, Guard, Houston
Sharp has genes on his side as he’s the son of Derrick Sharp, who played overseas for 18 years and won over a dozen league titles. The younger Sharp also has the fundamentals as he spent five years under renowned defensive coach, Kelvin Sampson, at Houston.Sharp is the prototypical spot-up shooter that many teams have coming off their benches, and he connected on the most 3-pointers (309) in Houston program history. He knows his limitations and won’t hurt his team through trying to do too much, which often leads to turnovers, as he finished his college career averaging fewer than 1.0 turnover per game despite playing 25.4 minutes per night.
Izaiyah Nelson, Center, South Florida
A college center, Nelson may have the untapped potential to eventually transition to being a big wing, provided he can display a jump shot. He knocked down over 72 percent of his free throws each of the last two seasons, which is a plus at 6-foot-10, but he made just 13 3-pointers throughout his four-year college career.But while his outside shooting may be a tool to work on, he already has NBA-ready assets on the defensive end. He was the 2025–2026 American Conference Defensive Player of the Year as he led the league in rebounds, while also finishing in the top eight in steals (1.6) and blocks (1.4). He also showed his level of play can rise to meet the level of competition. His best game of the year came on the road versus an Alabama team that made the Sweet 16 as Nelson had a season high of 25 points to go along with 12 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.
Alex Karaban, Forward, UConn
The ultimate winner, Karaban has a pair of national championships ... just as Brunson did with Villanova. Only Duke’s Christian Laettner (21) has more NCAA Tournament wins as a starter than Karaban’s 18, and the latter was not just a token starter as he was a contributor. An All-Big East First-Team selection last year, Karaban offers value as a floor-spacer, in knocking down 37.4 percent of shots from beyond the arc and can be utilized as a frontcourt ball-handler. Some teams, like the Warriors, Spurs, and Heat, value multi-dimensional winners like this more than others, as one shouldn’t be surprised if he ends up with one of those squads.Kylan Boswell, Guard, Illinois
Like Brunson, Boswell starred at an Illinois high school, with the latter then playing college with the Fighting Illini. Boswell was a rugged defender in college and was Big Ten All-Defense last season. He then turned heads at the NBA Combine by measuring in at 6-foot-1 and 226 pounds. By comparison, Victor Wembanyama is 15 inches taller but just 9 pounds heavier.Boswell shot just 32.7 percent from beyond the arc in college, so he clearly has work to do in that area, but he has an NBA body and can operate as a secondary playmaker. Ironically, he may be the draft prospect with the best ability to defend someone like Brunson, with Boswell having both the strength and defensive footwork to be serviceable versus the newest Finals MVP.
Braden Smith, Guard, Purdue
The classic old-school point guard, Smith is the NCAA’s all-time assists leader. While some see passing as his only NBA skill, that’s still enough to fit a role on any team. Tyler Kolek just won a ring with the Knicks with a similar skillset, while others like Ryan Nembhard and Jamal Shead are pass-first points who’ve carved out roles in the Association.
Smith also has some parallels to Brunson. They both led their respective high schools to titles, with Smith being named Indiana Mr. Basketball, while Brunson was Illinois Mr. Basketball. Both also won the Bob Cousy Award as the top point guard in college basketball, are the sons of basketball coaches, and each player was a Consensus First-Team All-American in college.
