10 NBA Draft prospects to catch before they’re gone

Not every top NBA prospect stars in March Madness. Here are 10 prospects to catch before the top teams take center stage…

This is March, and any sports fan worth their salt knows it’s college basketball SZN. A few smaller conference tournaments have already begun, and next week will be jam-packed with all the biggest conference tourneys leading into the March Madness bracket reveal on Sunday, March 17th. Before all that, we get one final weekend of regular season hoops with marquee matchups on tap like Duke-UNC and Michigan-Michigan State.

You’re forgiven if you’re starting to turn your attention to the blue bloods, but we still have a bunch of games left to watch R.J. Barrett, Coby White, and Iggy Brazdeikis, maybe all the way to the Final Four in Minneapolis. Technically every team can still make the dance if they win their conference tournament, but some of these teams are very unlikely to bring their dance shoes.

Just because a player doesn’t make it to March doesn’t mean they’re not an NBA draft prospect — just ask Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz, both number one picks the last few years despite never playing in the tourney. Some guys are NBA prospects in spite of their team, while others’ teams sit squarely on the bubble precisely because of their inconsistency.

So before you turn your attention to Zion Williamson for good, you may want to catch one final glimpse of these 10 NBA draft prospects below. They won’t be playing deep into March, so you better catch them while you can…

PG Ja Morant, Murray State

You’ve surely heard of Morant. No player this side of Zion has been more electric as Morant puts up a highlight dunk pretty much weekly at this point. Morant is averaging 24 points and 10 assists, on track to become the first such 20/10 player in NCAA history. He’s a huge jumper with a quick dribble and elite burst, he’s got cool hair, and he plays with reckless abandon and a perpetual green light for a team that pushes the pace at every opportunity.

No one on this list is more important, and no one else will be as fun to watch. Morant often has opposing crowds oohing and aahing with his showtime passing and dunking. He plays with an edge and feels in many ways like a college version of Russell Westbrook, going 100mph all game long and forcing you into an opinion on way or another. For all the Morant highlights, there are serious questions about his shooting, his defense, and his frame.

Morant has vaulted into top-3 discussion, and fans of the Bulls, Suns, and Grizzlies should pay special attention. Murray State is unlikely to get an at-large bid, so a loss Friday or Saturday is our last chance to see Morant before the draft. And as an added bonus, we also get to watch Belmont’s Dylan Windler, a potential second rounder, if the favorites advance to the OVC finals. Morant rolled his ankle a minute into the highly-anticipated matchup in January. Hopefully we get the rematch.

Where can I catch him?

Friday and Saturday in the OVC semifinals and finals on ESPNU/ESPN2

Wing Kevin Porter Jr, USC

Kevin Porter Jr. is one of the more polarizing players in the draft. He certainly looks the part, with a long frame and outrageous athleticism, but few players have been more inconsistent. KPJ lit up November before injury and off-court concerns derailed his season. He’s been all over the map since, struggling to stay on the court amidst constant defensive lapses and poor body language.

For now, it’s about the flashes from Porter and not the other 98% of the play. He has an electric driving ability and is a nuclear athlete with a good hang dribble and a faint whiff of James Harden with his dribble pull-up. Porter’s making 38% from deep but just 50% from the line, and he tends to float disinterestedly off the ball or on D. Still, he’s a top-7 potential talent in this draft and that could keep him in the lottery in this weak draft.

Where can I catch him?

Thursday vs Utah on FS1 Saturday vs Colorado on PAC Next week PAC 12 Tournament

C Jaxson Hayes, Texas

Jaxson Hayes is a #DraftTwitter favorite but a quiet riser on the national scene. Hayes is all potential. He’s 6'11 with a 7'3 wingspan and may still be growing. He grew 10 inches in high school and comes from an athletic family, and he has unnatural quickness, touch, and hands for a guy so huge. Hayes flashes insane defensive ability. He’s blocked 69 shots this season and affected countless others with his length, and even more impressive is his lateral quickness and ability to defend players on the perimeter and in pick-and-roll defense. On offense, Hayes looks like a prototypical rim runner, catching any lob in his zip code and lethal in transition, rolling, or cutting.

Still, for all that goodness, Hayes is very raw. He is constantly in foul trouble and gets pushed around on the boards, averaging just five rebounds with 10 points in 23mpg. He’s far from a finished product, but he’ll also barely be 19 on draft day so this is a long-term investment. He’s likely to be a lottery pick even though you may not have heard of him yet.

Where can I catch him?

Saturday vs TCU on ESPN2 Next week Big 12 Tournament

SG Romeo Langford, Indiana

Romeo Langford was one of the most highly-touted freshmen, but he and the Hoosiers have had a weird year. Indiana has struggled to a 15–14 record and sits eleventh in a conference named after ten teams. Langford’s Hoosiers have lost 12 of 15, and the three wins came by seven points combined, two of them in overtime. But those wins were against Michigan State (twice) and Wisconsin, and add that to early-season wins against Louisville and Marquette and Indiana is somehow still hanging around the fringe of the bubble.

That’s about the same for Romeo Langford, who’s been frustratingly bad at times but still keeps hanging around the fringe of the top-10, all potential and pedigree in a draft lacking star power. Langford is a big guard, at his best with the ball in his hands driving into the opponent, drawing the foul and finishing through contact at the rim. He’s more of a change-of-pace athlete than an explosive one and the announcers openly acknowledge that he can only go right. Romeo also can’t shoot, which makes him a real liability off ball. I’ve been frustrated scouting Langford all season and barely have him in my first round at this point, but he remains high on ESPN and Yahoo draft boards.

Where can I catch him?

Thursday vs Illinois on FS1 Sunday vs Rutgers on B1G Next week Big 10 Tournament

G Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois

Dosunmu is a big, strong combo guard in the mold of someone like Malik Beasley, one of Denver’s young breakout players. A top recruit out of Chicago, Ayo has been hit-or-miss as a freshman. He’s an aggressive scoring guard and an intense defender, and he’s pretty big for a guard, so there’s definitely an NBA body there. Ayo has been a late riser but may still be a second rounder, and he looks likely to return for another season. He’s listed here because of his intriguing matchup tonight against Romeo Langford and Indiana.

Where can I catch him?

Thursday vs Indiana on FS1 Sunday vs Penn State on FS1 Next week Big 10 Tournament

F KZ Okpala, Stanford

KZ Okpala is a combo forward that looks like a modern stretch four… sometimes. Like others on this list, he’s been maddeningly inconsistent, in part because Stanford has played him mostly as an out-of-position wing. Okpala looks comfortable shooting the ball with good-not-great results, has a nice go-to spin move, and has grown more comfortable dribbling and passing as the season’s gone on. Still, he doesn’t hold up physically, he’s a very slow decision maker, and his athleticism doesn’t pop. Okpala reminds me of Kevin Knox minus 20% of everything — size, reach, athleticism, shot, etc. You can decide for yourself how valuable that is.

Where can I catch him?

Thursday vs California on ESPNU Next week PAC 12 Tournament

F Isaiah Roby, Nebraska

Roby is one of my favorite sleepers, and I’ve already written a bunch about him so we’ll keep this brief. Roby is a super skilled combo forward playing out of position as Nebraska’s big man on a bad team. He’s super bouncy and has a very comfortable dribble for a bigger dude, though his effort and aggressiveness are maddeningly inconsistent, especially for a 21-year-old. Still, he remains my second or third favorite prospect on this list.

Where can I catch him?

Sunday vs Iowa on B1G Next week Big 10 Tournament

F Jalen McDaniels, San Diego State

Jalen McDaniels looks like what you’d get if you put Jonathan Isaac on a mid-major team. He’s super long but rail thin, with a concerning frame for a guy that’s already 21, but he plays with high energy and leaps off the screen as an obvious NBA prospect. McDaniels is a confident but inconsistent shooter. He effectively plays center for the Aztecs but his game is more like that of a wing, comfortable attacking on the dribble or pulling up for the elbow jumper. Offensively, his game reminds me some of LaMarcus Aldridge in his style of play, and he may not have the physicality or skills to play that way at the next level. Combine that with his age and some off-court red flags and I’ve cooled on McDaniels as a sleeper, but he looks like a likely first rounder either way.

Where can I catch him?

Saturday vs Nevada on CBS Sports Next week Mountain West Tournament

Big Nic Claxton, Georgia

Georgia has been atrocious with 12 double-digit losses, and Claxton has been hurt by playing without a point guard or any real help around him. Despite that, he’s caught my attention. His athleticism pops and at 6'11, h’s comfortable dribbling and sometimes brings the ball up or even runs point. Like Jaxson Hayes, Claxton is still growing into his body, and he’s a far more versatile offensive player while still also leading the SEC in rebounds and blocks. His shooting numbers are poor but pass the eye test for a big man, and there’s some serious defensive potential as a big switchy defender. Georgia landed top recruit Anthony Edwards, so Claxton may stick around another year, and he could be a big riser if he gets a chance on a real team.

Where can I catch him?

Saturday vs South Carolina on SEC Next week SEC Tournament

Five other players to keep an eye on

These players also fit the ball as guys who should either miss March Madness or be one-and-done, but none of them are first round guys for me right now.

C Charles Bassey, Western Kentucky

Bassey is a super young big with a pedigree, but he doesn’t stand out physically and that’s a problem for a presumed NBA big playing in C-USA. He’s a slower 90s center in the Bismack Biyombo mold, and he’s not super active on the boards or on defense so I worry about his potential.

PG Shamorie Ponds, St. Johns

Ponds is a microwave scorer with a pretty shot, a prototypical small point guard that scores in bunches at the college level. He could have a shot as a bench scorer in the NBA, though I prefer Markus Howard or Carsen Edwards.

SG LuGuentz Dort, Arizona State

Dort reminds me of Jerry Stackhouse, a big physical two that can’t shoot. He’s a bully on drives with broad shoulders the defense bounces off. Similar to Langford, I worry the strength won’t be enough in the NBA without a shot, but unlike him, he’s not finishing well even when he does get to the rim.

C Daniel Gafford, Arkansas

Gafford is fine. He’s a fine, mostly generic big man prospect that isn’t particularly huge or nimble, just a dude with NBA size and a big leap. He’ll probably play in the NBA with his size but doesn’t particularly stand out.

Big Simi Shittu, Vanderbilt

Shittu is an extreme athlete but is still recovering from a torn ACL a year ago, and he’s been almost invisible in the games I’ve seen against good teams. He really needed Darius Garland around, and now he probably needs to come back a year and turn into more than just an athlete.

What other potential NBA prospects are you hoping to catch one more glimpse of before March Madness?

Follow Brandon on Medium or @wheatonbrando for more sports, television, humor, and culture. Visit the rest of Brandon’s writing archives here.