2025 NBA draft: 10 risers and under-the-radar players - ESPN

With the 2024-25 men's college basketball season in conference play and the 2025 NBA draft five months away, let's take a closer look at some of the underrated prospects rising up the ranks.

Change is inevitable when it comes to forecasting the draft. With half the college regular season already done, strong performances from lesser-heralded players are being rewarded with attention from NBA scouts and draft forecasters.

The following 10 players, divided by backcourt and frontcourt and then ranked based on their projected draft order, have caught NBA teams' eyes thus far, despite entering this season without significant draft buzz.

We've also asked NBA scouts to share their insights on these players and why they might not be flying under the draft radar for much longer.

Come back to ESPN.com and ESPN the App on Saturday for our updated list of ESPN's Top 100 Rankings, which was last posted on Dec. 10.

Let's dive in.

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Backcourt | Frontcourt

Age: 20.6 | Height: 7-0 | Weight: 255
Projected draft range: 12-25

Why there's intrigue: The Yale transfer who represents Israel in FIBA competition has made the transition from the Ivy League to the Big Ten look seamless, helping No. 20 Michigan to a 5-0 conference record and top-10 KenPom ranking, while improbably seeing significant minutes at point guard despite being a 7-footer.

There isn't another player in college basketball like him with his ability to push off the defensive glass, creativity operating out of pick-and-roll handling, passing and finishing skillfully with both hands, and finding teammates off a live dribble. College bigs often have no idea how to defend his ball-screen actions with 7-foot-1 center Vlad Goldin, with Wolf's ability to play off