We have gotten a little ways into the college basketball season, so I figured that now would be a good time to make a “my guys” list for this year's draft class! For those of you unfamiliar with that term, a “my guy” in the context of the NBA draft is a prospect (often one that isn’t super well known, though that isn’t the case every time) that you are much higher on than the consensus. I like to make a list of “my guys” every year, and I thought it would be fun to make a post talking about some of my early ones! I highly suggest that you check all of these guys out, and also that you make your own “my guys” list! It’s a fun process that I enjoy writing about! So without further rambling to increase the character count of this post in order to make it look more impressive, let's get right to the list.
Donovan Dent (Guard, Junior, New Mexico Lobos)
Donovan Dent was a prospect I liked a ton during last year's cycle, and it looks as if he has taken another step forward this year. He is a super fun guard playing for the New Mexico Lobos who is averaging an impressive 17 point and 8 assists per game thus far into the season. I think a lot more people would be really into Donovan Dent if he played for a more well known school. He is super crafty with the ball in his hands and is prone to some impressive highlights with his offensive skill. He also is a really feisty defender who puts in a lot of effort and can get lots of steals with his quick hands. There are definitely concerns with his consistency as a shooter and size, but he has skills that will translate to the NBA if somebody gives him a chance. I don’t think he will ever be a bigtime star, but there is definitely a world where this guy ends up being a solid rotation player for a very long time. I think a top end outcome for Donovan Dent would look something like TJ McConnell, and that is absolutely somebody I would take in the first round.
Joseph Tugler (Forward, Sophomore, Houston Cougars)
Joseph Tugler is not a prospect I knew much about until recently, but man I have fallen in love with him very quickly. He doesn’t jump off the stat sheet with big scoring numbers, but the effort he brings on a game to game basis is super impressive. He is always going at 100% in every situation, and I think this especially shows up in the way he crashes the glass. He doesn’t average a ton of rebounds per game, but he is always trying to crash the glass and get the rebound. I admire that kind of effort for a player his age, and it is something that I believe will impress NBA coaches. What really sets him apart though is his defensive ability. He is an insane defender with his freakish length (He is listed at 6 '8 and I have seen his wingspan listed at as long as 7' 4) and effort. He isn’t necessarily “locking down” the other team's best player every night, but his activity and ability to protect the rim at his size makes him super valuable on defense. He does have limitations on offense that could limit his ceiling, but he has all the makings of a really solid rotation player. I wouldn’t say a team would be wrong for taking him in the 20s range of the draft. He definitely has a first round grade for me and could continue to rise on my board if he shows improvement on offense (which I don’t think is out of the question)
Terrance Arceneaux (Forward, Junior, Houston Cougars)
There may not be a ton of super exciting prospects to come from the Houston Cougars basketball team recently, but OH BOY do they breed some great defensive players. Terrance Arceneaux is a player I was vaguely aware of back in his freshman year, but didn’t pay enough attention to him. Now he is a Junior, and I really hope he starts to get more attention as a potential prospect for the NBA draft. He is an absolutely incredible defender who is a legit multi-position stopper at the point of attack. Arceneaux is one of the few prospects in this draft who I think could legitimately make life really hard for some of the league's best offensively players. He is definitely held back by offensive limitations more so than anyone else on this list, but he is way too good of a defensive player to be overlooked in this year’s draft. I wouldn’t go quite as far as to take him in the first round, but he would be a worthwhile prospect to consider taking a bet on in the second round.
Collin Murray-Boyles (Forward/Center, South Carolina Gamecocks, Sophomore)
Anyone who has kept up with some of my draft related posts over the past few months would know how enamoured I am with Collin Murray-Boyles. I won’t deny his limitations. The shot is a big concern that will limit his potential in the NBA. However, it is very very difficult to fail as a player in the NBA when you are as good at everything else as Murray-Boyles is. He is one of the best defensive players in the draft. He rebounds the ball well, plays physical defense, and can guard in space. On offense, he is a special finisher around the rim with really good playmaking instincts and solid off-ball movement. I do not see a world where he does not find his way into an NBA team's rotation one day, and I believe in his potential to be extremely valuable, maybe more than anyone I have talked to/seen on the internet. I am very confident in his abilities to impact the game, and I absolutely believe that he can be a super valuable player in the NBA longterm. I have a lottery grade on him currently, which is a little bit lower than where I previously ranked him but my point still stands. He is really really good y’all! It is time for more people to hop on the CMB hype train
Joson Sanon (Guard, Freshman, Arizona State Sun Devils)
I am a little bit lower on some aspects of his game than where I was during the pre-season, but I am still firm in my belief that Joson Sanon is a lottery caliber prospect. I haven’t scouted very many prospects who shoot the ball as well as he does, handle the ball as well as he does, and have the passing potential that he has, at least to a certain extent. He has gotten off to an excellent start this season with his efficiency, and his upside as a scorer is already shining. The passing hasn’t been as good as I would have liked, but I still believe in his upside as a playmaker. If that reaches the point where I think it can reach, he could absolutely be an all-star caliber player. If not, he is a very useful rotation player with his ability to shoot the ball and get his own shots. It saddens me that people are still sleeping on this kid, but I will be ecstatic when he proves them wrong.
I think that will wrap up the list for now! I hope you enjoyed reading this, and I will welcome any suggestions of prospects I should check out or improvements I can make to this format. Thanks for reading!