like March mad Fading into the rear view, now is the time to change gears and look forward to the next event on the hoops calendar this summer with NBA Draft rapidly advancing towards. So today, for the first time since the season ended, we’re back with a fresh new set of lead ratings.
The newer Big 50 has a familiar look at the top — Victor Wimpanyama, Scott Henderson and Brandon Miller remain first, second and third, and the top six remain the same — but there is a huge shift throughout the draft landscape and the potential for more as the draft cycle begins in earnest.
Flamethrower Jordan Hawkins, who put up a stellar showing in the NCAA tournament to win the title, was among the biggest rookies in the update, rising from a first-round outsider to lottery predictions. Hawkins solidified himself as an obvious first-round talent with his sharp shooting ability after his sophomore season in which he ranked at the 97th percentile, according to Synergy data, as an instant shooter while only finishing with a 40% hit rate from the 3-point range. In the modern era NBA Where size and shooting are at the highest level, Hawkins brings both to the table as a winger who can play well with the ball and influence wins on both ends.
Indiana star Jalen Hood-Scheveno is another big rookie who catapulted himself out of the top 30 into the lottery in our latest rankings, as he and teammate Trace Jackson-Davis late in the season played their way to the top spot. Hood-Schifino had some ups and downs as a freshman with the Hoosiers, but his 6-foot-6 frame and microwave-scoring ability were on full display in bursts, including a 35-point outing against No. 1 Purdue on Feb. 25, This helped separate it from what appears to be a deep wing layer. The team may bet on the ratios and sports profile by it earlier than you expect.
Some of the latest notable ups and downs below along with our updated rankings.
NBA Draft Rankings
Check out the Top 50 NBA Draft Rankings
Notable risers
Kobe Bufkin, Michigan
- current rank: 27 | previous rank: N.R
Bufkin’s sophomore breakout was holed up behind a Wolverines team that missed the NCAA Tournament and was frustrated for much of the season, but it was one of the few bright spots for Michigan, thriving on a legitimate first-round prospect as a sophomore. He’s made huge improvements in his shooting and has shown some real potential as a playmaker with the ball in his hands to boot. His assist rate has more than tripled this season compared to 2021-22 and he has shown the skill and craft to be a solid scorer around the edge.
Trace Jackson Davis, Indiana
- current rank: 31 | previous rank: 43
From March 1 through the end of the college basketball season, no player in sports—not CBS Sportscaster of the Year Zack Eddy, not first-team All-American Brandon Miller or Drew Timm—had a higher plus/minus fund. What did Jackson Davies do? BartTorvik.com data, which you can sort by date, which is really cool, Jackson-Davis had 19.8 plus/minus squares. He finished the season with the third-highest player efficiency rating of all Power Program players behind only Vanderbilt’s Eddie William Robbins, and dominated inside the bracket as a scorer and arranger. He doesn’t neatly stand out as a powerhouse player in the modern-day NBA, which might complicate his outlook — he’s made three 3-point attempts in four seasons at Indiana — but he’s a deadly innovator for his position who has the skill and production worth considering late in the first round. from this draft.
prominent fall
Duke Whitehead Duke
- current rank: 16 | previous rank: 11
Plagued by injuries throughout his freshman season at Duke, even while healthy, Whitehead failed to fully live up to lofty expectations as a five-star and five-star in his class. The talent is glaringly obvious and is a big reason I haven’t sold all the stock in him – 6-7 wingers who can play and cut with an elite explosion and athleticism is hard to come by – but he remains more of a project at this point than expected and hasn’t taken advantage of the opportunity to establish himself as a top 10 player players in the class. If he can improve his ring finishing skills to go with his outside game, I love his chances of outperforming whatever venture capitalist he gets if he comes out of the top 10. I’m not sure he’s out of the lottery.
Dillon Mitchell, Texas
- current rank: 30 | previous rank: 12
Early in the season for Texas, then-head coach Chris Bird described Mitchell, a five-star quarterback, as a “game-changer” defensively for the Longhorns. But on the Texans’ veteran roster, Mitchell has only clocked 17.5 minutes per game and has shown himself to be a mostly blocker on the offensive end even as he shows tremendous defensive promise. The tools he has as a jumbo 6-8 wing/senior hybrid is still very interesting, but he’s still a developmental prospect whose upside is a bit more murky at this point given how powerful he is as an offensive weapon.
Marcus Sasser, Houston
- current rank: 35 | previous rank: 20
A hip injury I sustained in the AAC tournament seemed to bother Sasser intermittently during the postseason as No. 1 seed Houston fell to the Sweet 16, but just to be clear: I’m not sticking him in because of illness. This is a movement of greater volume than anything else; Guards who are 6-and-2 effective and reliable starts in the NBA as lead guards are unicorns. He has a mix of shooting and playmaking to catch on as an off the bench scorer and secondary builder, but his profile as a shooter leaves less room to maneuver for him to thrive in the league. A late first round or early second round seems like a great combo to grab, but I can see teams are less sold on him and his prospects are on the next level.