Seven players for NBA fans to watch closely in NCAA Tournament

This year’s NCAA tournament is a relative scouting dream.

Last year, three players taken in the top 10 were not in the tournament (Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga from the G-League Ignite, and Josh Giddey from Australia). The year before that, the Big Dance also lacked three of the top-10 players, including LaMelo Ball.

This year, the entire top 10 is taking part in the tournament (to be fair, Dyson Daniels of the G-League Ignite could crack the top 10, but it’s close). Here are seven players NBA fans should watch — and not just the top handful on the draft board, but a few guys farther down the first round as well who have come on later in the season.

Gonzaga vs. Georgia State, 4:15 p.m. ET, Thursday, TNT

The term “unicorn” gets thrown around too loosely in the NBA today, any big who can shoot (and most of them can now) is suddenly a unicorn. What makes Holmgren fascinating — and why this potential No. 1 pick is divisive among scouts — is that he genuinely is one. As Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz recently wrote so eloquently at ESPN, Holmgren doesn’t fit any NBA archetypes, leaving questions about his fit and how his game will work at the NBA level.

Just ridiculous @ChetHolmgren pic.twitter.com/9stu58yKck

— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) March 8, 2022

Holmgren measured 7-foot without shoes on, has a 7’5″ wingspan, and has averaged 14.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game for one of the top teams in the nation (albeit one that plays a softer schedule). He has been a defensive force, but because of the depth and talent at Gonzaga he hasn’t been asked to be a primary shot creator every night. Still, he has shown he can do it when asked, and he competes hard.

A player that doesn’t fit a mold makes GMs