10 Players NBA Fans Must Watch During the NCAA Tournament

Purdue guard Jaden Ivey (23) reacts after dunking during the second half of an NCAA men's basketball game, Friday, Dec. 3, 2021 at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette. Year End 2021

School: Gonzaga, No. 1 seed in West

Class: Freshman

Position: C

Projected Draft Slot: No lower than 2 

Clown his frame all you want, but if you watched Chet Holmgren ball at all this season, then you know the sinewy center’s game is legit. Yes, Holmgren needs to continue to bulk up, but there’s a track record of skinny guys doing just fine at the next level. I mean, how’s Evan Mobley doing in Cleveland? What’d Giannis Antetokounmpo look like when he entered the league? Plus Holmgren proved that he can bang against top-tier college talent and is an excellent athlete for someone standing 7’ and weighing roughly 200 pounds. Dive deeper and you’ll learn that Holmgren’s production (we’re talking scoring, rebounding, and blocking shots) compares quite favorably to the numbers Shaquille O’Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon put up in college. Yet, the Gonzaga big is only a freshman. Holmgren took the torch from his pal Jalen Suggs, the No. 5 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, as the next ultra-hyped Gonzaga freshman and lived up to expectations—did you know he’s hitting over 43 percent of his threes?—proving to be a better than advertised scorer and dominant defensive center we don’t normally see from a first-year player. There’s a chance whoever lands the No. 1 pick ends up preferring Jabari Smith over Holmgren if they’re really worried about the frame. But for now, assume you’re looking at the top selection in June’s draft as you watch Gonzaga make a run to the program’s third Final Four.

School: Auburn, No. 2 seed in Midwest

Class: Freshman

Position: PF

Projected Draft Slot: Probably 2, no way he lasts past 3

He’s stupidly skilled. That’s a lazy way of describing the Auburn freshman sensation, but if you saw Jabari Smith ball this season, then you know he’s an excellent shooter that towers over 99.9 percent of defenders and is making a scintillating 42.8 percent of his 3-point attempts heading into the tournament. His game translates to the NBA about as well as anyone in the draft even though he has some holes—you probably wish he was a little more aggressive getting to the basket and he could do a better job of getting off his own shot. But we’re nitpicking here. Smith is a more than capable defender and features the kind of size (6’10”, 220 pounds) that’s perfect at the next level. Right now, all indications are Smith is the consensus second choice behind Holmgren, scouring all the mock drafts out there. But a memorable run through March could see the Tigers star snatch the top spot.

School: Purdue, No. 3 seed in East

Class: Sophomore

Position: SG

Projected Draft Slot: 2-5

Jaden Ivey reminds you of Ja Morant since the Purdue guard gets to the rim with an explosive leap, is just straight-up quicker than 99 percent of defenders, and can take over a game all by himself. Regardless of the comparison, Ivey has future NBA starter written all over him and there’s a good chance he could end up being a terror in the pick-and-roll in the NBA. He’s not a particularly good shooter from 3-point range (35.6 percent), but Ivey’s offensive numbers saw major jumps across the board compared to his freshman campaign and he’s the biggest reason why Purdue was briefly the No. 1 team in the nation earlier this season and top-10 fixture throughout the 2021-22 campaign. While Purdue’s poor defensive metrics historically would rule out a serious title run, if the Boilermakers are going to make the Final Four it’ll be predicated on the play of Ivey.

School: Duke, No. 2 seed in West

Class: Freshman

Position: PF

Projected Draft Slot: 3-6

Duke could have five first-round selections in the draft, but we’re not featuring all of them and we’ll start with the name that’ll probably come off the board first. At 6’10”, Paolo Banchero is a mismatch waiting to happen in the NBA, especially if whatever team drafts him ends up utilizing his special offensive skills at the 5 in small-ball lineups. There are times when he’s been dominant for Duke and earning ACC Rookie of the Year honors is all the evidence you need to know Banchero is one of the latest (yet also among the last) one-and-done phenom’s coach Mike Krzyzewski has produced during his legendary run in Durham that ends when the Blue Devils are eliminated in the NCAA Tournament. On the other hand, there have also been times when Banchero has disappeared and you can knock him for not being the most efficient scorer, or outside shooter—a few reasons why he’s not top pick material. But his positives far outweigh the negatives and since he’s one of the best shot creators in the NCAA Tournament, draft nerds will tell you he has All-Star potential at the next level.  

School: Duke, No. 2 Seed in West

Class: Freshman

Position: SF

Projected Draft Slot: 3-6

AJ Griffin could come off the board before or after his teammate Paolo Banchero, it might just depend on how the draft order shakes out. If you like athletic wings with huge upside, then Griffin is your guy. He’s an elite athlete who is a much more accurate shooter than Banchero, although Banchero’s overall offensive production outweighs Griffin’s. The only issue that’s going to give teams a cause for concern about picking Griffin, who draft experts compare to Jaylen Brown, is a knee issue that caused him to get off to a slow start this season. 

School: Iowa, No. 5 seed In Midwest

Class: Sophomore

Position: PF

Projected Draft Slot: Mid-lottery

Mimicking the rise of fellow Big Ten star Johnny Davis, Keegan Murray blew up during his sophomore campaign, ending the regular-season as the fourth-leading scorer in the NCAA at 23.3 PPG. The knocks against Murray come on the defensive end where he’s probably going to struggle keeping guys in front of him at the next level, but the Big Ten’s leading scorer was one of the most polished and efficient offensive players in the nation and few guys can light it up like Murray in the NCAA Tournament. He probably doesn’t last past picks No. 8 or 9 and easily could be a top 5 selection.    

School: Wisconsin, No. 3 seed in Midwest

Class: Sophomore

Position: SG

Projected Draft Slot: Mid-to-late lottery

After averaging 7.0 PPG during his freshman campaign, Johnny Davis burst onto the national scene this past season, averaging 19.7 PPG and 8.2 RPG, leading Wisconsin to a co-share of the Big Ten regular-season title and a No. 3 seed in the Midwest region. National Player of the Year honors could soon follow. Armed with arguably the most reliable jumper among those headed to the league this spring, Davis is a future NBA starter with an effective mid-range game that will draw comparisons to CJ McCollum. Davis isn’t great at getting to the line, nor is he an adept 3-point shooter. But he’s probably turned himself into a top-10 selection in June’s draft and nobody saw that coming heading into the season. 

School: Arizona, No. 1 seed in South

Class: Sophomore

Position: SF

Projected Draft Slot: Mid-lottery

A season after he served mostly as a catch-and-shoot specialist, Bennedict Mathurin has blossomed into a well-rounded offensive player for an Arizona team that’s one of the favorites to cut down the nets in New Orleans. The Wildcats weren’t even ranked in the preseason Top 25, but enter the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed in the South and with the shortest odds (6-1) for anyone not named Gonzaga. With his 6’7” frame, the Pac-12 Player of the Year looks like he’s tailor-made to be a 3-and-D guy in the NBA—he just needs to drastically improve the D part since he’s already proven he can be a dynamic offensive force, and stroke it from beyond the arc, although his shooting percentage dipped this season from the 41.8 mark he put up during his freshman campaign. Bottom line: Mathurin can carry Arizona to the program’s fifth Final Four appearance and likely comes off the board before we get to pick No. 10 in the NBA Draft.  

School: Kentucky, No. 2 seed in the East

Class: Freshman

Position: SG

Projected Draft Slot: Mid-to-late lottery

Arguing that TyTy Washington isn’t Kentucky’s best player is completely legit since Oscar Tshiebwe was named SEC Player of the Year by the conference’s coaches and easily could be named National Player of the Year. But Tshiebwe is a projected late first/early second round selection, and all indications are Washington will be a lottery pick (many have him earmarked for the Knicks, who currently feature three Kentucky alums on the roster). So we kinda need to have a Wildcat on here since Kentucky’s back in the tournament after missing last year’s dance. Washington’s ability to shoot and pass isn’t up for debate, but his ability to consistently produce, and stay on the floor is, since injuries have hampered him. He projects as a play-making 2 at the next level and if the Wildcats are going to make the program’s first Final Four in seven years, Washington’s going to need to resemble the baller who was cooking up defenses during the season’s first two months.

School: Kansas, No. 1 seed in the Midwest

Class: Senior

Position: SF

Projected Draft Slot: Late lottery

Here’s your 3-and-D guy. The Kansas wing is a bit of a rarity in college—a senior who has played himself into a lottery selection—but hitting 41.1 percent of his 3-point attempts during the regular season, while hoisting 7.0 shots beyond the arc per game, is all the evidence you need to know Ochai Agbaji’s game should translate quite nicely at the next level. He’s more of a defender than Arizona’s Bennedict Mathurin and among the best scorers in the nation. At only 6’5” he doesn’t have the kind of size NBA teams would prefer on the wing, but a year after pulling his name out of the draft just before the deadline, it feels improbable that Agbaji lasts past pick No. 14.