I often encourage NBA fans to do their own research when it comes to NBA prospects. You can read about a prospect in an article and learn about the things they may be good or bad at, but there is inevitable bias in every journalists, scouts, or analysts depiction of a player. It is better to do your own informed research to form your opinions than reading something in a book or online and make that the basis of your opinions. The latter ends up not being your own thoughts and opinion, but rather those that belong to someone else. As you read this article, I encourage you to keep this in mind. I try my very best to keep bias out of my writings, but these are my own opinions at the end of the day. I encourage you to research the players I discuss and forming your opinion on them based off that, not this article or any other one. I also encourage you to share with me what you find! I’m always open to civil discussion and debate of opinion.

There are always quite a few players that I find I like more, or like less, than the consensus. That is a natural occurrence when you do your own research. I enjoy discussing those prospects and dissecting why I disagree with the consensus’ stand on them, which is the root idea of this article. I will only be focusing on the prospects I view in a higher matter than the consensus in order to keep things light, but perhaps I will write a similar article to show some of the prospects who fall on the other side of that scale in the future. I have seen these players referred to as my guys, so perhaps you can consider this a list of my guys.

There are two players that are significantly higher on my board than any other prospect you will find on this list. The first of those two is Danny Wolf, the seven footer out of Michigan. If I had to describe Danny Wolf in one word, it would be unique. He is a center by position, but that isn’t the way he plays in a lot of aspects. He is a fluid athlete, and he can handle the ball like a wing. There are many instances where he operates as the ball handler in this pick and roll, which is nearly unheard of for a player at his size and position. The crazy thing is that this may be one of his biggest strengths on offense. He makes good decisions and attacks mismatches like a pro. He makes those short passes to the roll man just as well as any guard could, and there are sparks of creativity with him occasionally making passes with a higher degree of difficulty to a cutter or man in the corner. This aspect to his skill set as a seven footer adds a unique layer to how a team can utilize him. My favourite aspect of his skill set is most certainly his passing however, as his high level decision making and precision make him one of the best big man passers I’ve scouted in recent memory. He excels at making accurate passes in a wide range of scenarios as a big man. His size and ability to handle the ball allows him to create opportunities that not many players are able to make. He does a great job at hitting an open man in the corner, timing his passes to cutters well, and even having some creativity with how he attempts to fool the defense and the audacity of some of the passes he attempts. I don’t think he will be on the same level as the best passer at his position in the NBA (Jokic, Sabonis, Sengun), but he will be someone a team can utilize as a ball handler and decision maker. The shot isn’t totally on par with the rest of his offensive skill set yet, but he is a capable spot up shooter with signs pointing to him possibly being more efficient at some point in the future. Of course, he is good at doing the big man things on offense along wi the uniqueness of his passing and decision making. He functions well as a roll man in the pick and roll. He isn’t a lob threat necessarily, but he can finish through contact and has nice touch around the rim. He also is a good offensive rebounder. He does a great job at fighting for position and has the strength to compete with traditional big man at securing the ball. As you can see, he has many layers to his skill set offensively that give teams different options in how they utilize him. His versatility allows him to fit into any lineup with any different combination of players and skill sets you put next to him. This alone should make him an obvious choice in the first round. He doesn’t have as impressive of a defensive repertoire in comparison to his offensive skillset, but he is very solid in this regard. He moves well laterally, has solid rim protection skills, and plays good team defense. He averages above a steal and a block per game as a 7 footer, which says a lot about what he is able to do defensively. He most likely won’t make all-defense teams, but he’ll play rock solid defense with some unique versatility because of his ability to move laterally and his footwork. I expect Danny Wolf to be a reliable defender in the league, and I believe that when you take into consideration his offensive skill and versatility, there isn’t a good reason why he shouldn’t be a top twenty pick. He has the skill to be a very solid NBA player for a longtime. His uniqueness will go right along with the direction the league is heading towards, and there is a clear path for him to find success as a valuable role player. I don’t expect him to be an all-star caliber player, but I have a hard time believing that a player with his talents will not find success at the NBA level. I view him as a lottery caliber prospect for these reasons. He currently occupies the thirteenth position on my draft board, and while that may not stay true throughout the rest of the year, I don’t expect there to be much movement in his ranking.

The second player that is significantly higher on my draft board than any other player I will discuss in this article is Sergio De Larrea, a lesser known Spanish point guard playing for Valencia in the Liga ACB oversees. The reason you probably have not ever heard of him is his lack of playing time. Valencia is a stacked team that is one of the best teams in Europe. They are what you might call a “contender” if you wish to give a term to describe the situation Sergio is playing in. The team is obviously going to prioritize winning over giving a young player like him a significant chunk of minutes, which had lead to him not looking the most impressive statistically at first glance. The closer you look though, the more impressive Sergio appears to be as a basketball player and as an NBA prospect. He is a skilled, tall point guard with enormous upside. The best term I think I could use to describe him would be versatile. He plays really well on both ends of the court in different ways. Offensively, he is one of the most creative passers in the draft. His ability to make difficult passes at difficult angles is remarkable, and he is very good at creating opportunities for his teammates by directing the flow of the offense. He also is effective at making skip passes, and ultimately I believe he will be effective running the pick and roll when he gets to a system that requires that from him more than his current situation does. Forgive me for using a stereotype, but Sergio is very similar to other European prospects to enter the draft in recent years due to their exceptional passing ability. He also looks like a good three point shooter, which is a very positive sign towards how he will fit on an NBA roster. He has made half of the three pointers he has attempted thus far. Obviously this should be taken with a grain of salt due to limited minutes, and therefore limited attempts, but he looks good enough with his form and touch for me to project him being a solid shooter in the NBA. The place where Sergio separates himself from many other prospects on my board is on defense, where he stands out as a point of attack defender. He has good footwork and lateral movement, which enables him to stay between the man he is guarding and the basket well. He is also smart, which enables him to not make dumb decisions defensively. He will be able to guard multiple positions as he grows into his frame while being a solid team defender. His unique combination of playmaking creativity and defensive capabilities make him an intriguing prospect. He is certainly more difficult to judge in some cases than other prospects do to limited playing time, but what I’ve seen from him in those minutes has convinced me that he is clearly a first round caliber prospect. He is young, skilled, and has played well against high level competition. I currently have him ranked in the seventeenth position on my draft board, and I foresee him potentially continuing to rise.

There are several other prospects that I view in a higher light in the consensus that I wish to discuss. I don’t have any of these prospects ranked quite as high as the first two I discussed, but I firmly believe that they are being undervalued. One of the most notable of this group of prospects is Noah Penda, a big wing playing for Le Mans Sarthe in the Betclic Elite. Noah is an interesting player that has a lot of tools and skills that point towards him being able to be a valuable player to some degree in the NBA. I trust his defense to be the one thing that will translate to the league. He moves well laterally, which enables him to be a multi-position defender. He is comfortable switching onto some smaller players, and he has the strength to hang with bigger players down low. He isn’t a perfect defender in this regard. I would like to see him improve on his angles and shot contests. Those are all things that can improve with age and experience, so I’m not overall worried about it. One more thing I really love about his defensive capabilities are his hands. He is very good at poking balls loose, getting deflections, and getting into passing lanes. He is averaging just under two steals per game as of the date that I am writing this. I wouldn’t be shocked at all if he reaches similar statistical levels in the NBA. Like his defense, Noah has a versatile repertoire that I expect to translate. Despite his efficiency not appearing to be great, he has a lot of range on his shot. He is a capable jump shooter from NBA range. The efficiency will come around eventually. Noah is also a very solid passer. He sees the court well, he’s good feel, and is sneakily creative. He is limited as an advantage creator due to athletic limitations, but he will be effective in a role that calls for him to be a connective piece. I believe his entire offensive and defensive repertoire is impressive enough for him to receive first round pick consideration. He will have value because of his defensive versatility and an offensive repertoire that makes it easy to fit him into different lineups. I currently have placed him in the twenty fifth position in my draft board, and he could rise a little bit higher in my rankings if his three point efficiency further improves.

Perhaps the most unknown player I will talk about in this article is Tomislav Ivisic, a center playing for the Illinois Fighting Illini. He has been a very reliable big man with a skillset that should translate to the NBA. He is most notably a versatile offensive player at the center position. He is an excellent scorer around the basket, using his size to get to his spots and making shots very efficiently with his soft touch. He is a good cutter at his position as well. He uses angles well and reads the defense well. He is hard to stop because of his size, touch, and IQ as an off-ball mover. He is also hard to stop because of his ability to score from further away from the basket. He is a capable, efficient spot up shooter. This allows him to be effective in both the PnR and PnP. He sets good screens, and effective both as a roller to the rim and at popping out to the three point line and hitting a shot in that scenario. You won’t find many big man who are as capable and effective at doing this as Tomislav is. Aside from his scoring ability, he does a lot of little things on offense that make a bigger impact than you would expect. He is a good screen setter, good at directing the offense, and a solid passer at his position. He lacks the creativity as a passer to be given any sort of point center label at the moment, but he consistently makes good, accurate passes. It adds another layer to his impressive offensive repertoire, and it gives a team even more versatility in how they decide to utilize him. As good as he is at doing these things that are unique to his position, he also is very effective at doing the big man things. He is one of the best rebounders in the draft. He has excellent hands, fights for position well, and has the length to have a wide catch radius when pulling down rebounds. He is averaging above nine rebounds per game at the time of me writing this. Tomislav has some limitations defensively, but he is an effective rim protector and intimidator. He does a really good job at effecting shots by contesting them, or using his body to get in the path offensive players. He isn’t an elite defender due to some of his limitations defending in space, but he isn’t going to be a liability. Tomislav is good at a lot of different things, and his versatile offensive repertoire will earn him a place on an NBA roster. He is currently the twenty eighth ranked prospect on my draft board, and I foresee him rising even higher in my rankings if his impressive play continues.

There are several other players I considered writing about in detail, but ended up not doing that due to them becoming more recognized by the consensus, or not being high enough on my board in comparison to the players i did discuss in depth. I wish to share with you those players and give a short list of reasons why I considered them for a lengthier description. You could consider this as the honourable mentions list in a way, though I do hope to write detailed articles about all of them in the future. Jeremiah Fears is finally beginning to receive the respect and praise he deserves as a prospect. I’ve viewed him as a top ten caliber prospect since before the season began, and he rose into my top six early into the season. He is an electric point guard with a versatile scoring repertoire and high amount of upside. He is currently the third ranked prospect on my draft board. Thomas Sorber was going to be one of the first players I talked about, but he has been given more attention in the media lately, so I made the decision to talk about him briefly in this section. He is an elite defensive playmaker, rebounder, and around the rim player. He is a unique, high upside player that could become a high value player one day. He is the sixteenth ranked prospect on my draft board. John Mobley Jr. is one of the best shooters that I’ve ever seen at the collegiate level. He is an excellent off-ball mover and shooter who is reminiscent of some of the best shooters in the NBA. He retains a second round ranking, the thirty fits position, due to limitations he has elsewhere. However, he is a noteworthy prospect due to him perhaps being one of the best shooting prospects of the twenty first century. Kadary Richmond is an older player that saw a drop in production after transferring to St John’s, but he still has an effective offensive and defensive repertoire that could earn him a spot on an NBA roster. He is an excellent defender and passer who can get buckets as a crafty driver and finisher. His upside is limited due to his age and shooting deficiency, but what he does well could earn him a role on an NBA team. He is currently the forty second ranked prospect on my draft board. Joseph Tulger is an outstanding defender and rebounder who is playing for the Houston Cougars as a sophomore in college. He has been a very productive defensive playmaker and rebounder while averaging around twenty minutes per game. He is limited as an offensive creator, but has been an efficient scorer on low volume. Joseph is currently the forty first ranked prospect on my board, but I plan on moving him up significantly in a future update.

This wraps up the article. I expect there to be more players that I will add to this list as the season progresses. I am open to suggestions for ways I can improve the formatting of an article like this, and I would love to hear about some of the prospects that you believe are undervalued. You also should feel free to ask my any questions regarding more of the reasons why I like these players more than the consensus, why they are ranked where they are in my draft board, or whatever else may come to mind that you wish to know. Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope this inspires you to do your own research on prospects so that you can create your own articles or lists like this one.