Jalen Haralson had an underrated freshman season with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and is now set to team up with one of the top transfers of this cycle, Juke Harris, at Tennessee. This past season, Haralson averaged 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game, while shooting 51.5 percent from the field. ​ At 6’7” and 220 pounds, Haralson has the ideal build for a wing in the modern NBA. He has a well-rounded skill set and isn't the type of player that needs to dominate the ball to be effective, which helps his fit alongside Harris on the wing for the Vols next season. He’s a solid creator and is capable of initiating an offense and handling the ball. ​ Scoring-wise, he excels at getting downhill and scoring at the basket. He has solid finishing skills and relatively smooth touch around the rim, making him the type of player who constantly puts pressure on the rim. Haralson is a real advantage creator and knows how to use his size to dominate mismatches when smaller players are switched onto him. When given room to work, Haralson’s athleticism can be on full display with big dunks or sweet finishes above the rim. He can handle himself in the pick-and-roll, and has definitely flashed serious upside as a potential jumbo playmaker. Where the question marks come in offensively is his three-point shooting. At times he’s shown flashes of an effective catch-and-shoot player, but has really struggled with efficiency and volume, shooting just 20 percent from three on 0.9 attempts per game last season. With improved outside shooting, Haralson would no longer be someone defenses are inclined to sag off of to take away his inside scoring game. On the defensive end, he projects to be a solid defender in the NBA mostly due to his size, length, and basketball IQ. He’s a really good team defender and is capable of making plays in the passing lanes. He doesn’t have the fastest foot speed and can get exposed against quicker players; his frame and awareness help him project as a solid defensive piece. Haralson is a unique prospect because, while he doesn’t have one standout skill, his frame and well-rounded skill set project well for him to become a quality forward at the NBA level. For now, he projects to stay in college for another season or two. However, if he can continue to grow into a high-end playmaker at his position and improve his outside shooting touch, the former five-star recruit could be a name to watch in the 2027 NBA Draft.

It may be a little early to look ahead to the 2028 NBA Draft class for most, but not us at Draftstack. While Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje continues to dominate headlines for the 2028 class ahead of his freshman season at Duke, CJ Rosser could end up being the best player from this class. Rosser is a 6’10 wiry forward with elite athleticism and awesome length who may catch you off guard when he steps outside and drills a three-pointer effortlessly. Rosser is still developing, but his raw skills and size are enough to catch any evaluator's eye as a potential transcendent two-way forward. Offensively, Rosser is a freak. He can put the ball on the deck and bulldoze to the rim and dunk over defenders, or show off the finesse in his bag by slithering into the paint and finishing through contact. While his handle isn’t the tightest, for his age and size it’s well ahead of the curve and could be a separating factor for him at the next level if it continues to progress. Rosser’s athleticism and length make him a natural lob threat and play finisher in the pick-and-roll.  In the open floor, he’s unstoppable. Rosser's foot speed, length, and athleticism make him a hard combination to stop on the way to the rim. However, the biggest selling point in his offensive bag is the outside shooting. Rosser is a confident shooter who can be a real threat off the catch and in the pick-and-pop. He pulls bigs away from the rim and can use his athleticism and downhill finishing to burn defenders on harsh closeouts. Although his shooting is still partially a work in progress, his free-throw shooting, ability to score off of post fades, and in tight quarters in the midrange help his long term projection. The ability to play with and without the ball offensively is probably one of his more unique traits as a prospect. Rosser is a capable passer and is a patient decision-maker. To maximize his offensive game, he needs to add strength to finish through contact better at the college and pro level and refine his handle. If he does those two things, he’ll be a bona fide unstoppable three-level scorer down the road. Defensively, Rosser has insane upside. More than your average shot blocker, Rosser does block shots, but he also alters them on contests and recovers when he gets beat because of his impressive length. His foot speed makes him a threat on the perimeter in passing lanes, and his mobility makes him incredibly switchable. Similar to the offensive end, adding more weight is key for Rosser on the defensive end too. The physicality uptick from high school to college is no joke, and if he wants to be able to hold his own against traditional fives and fours, he needs to get stronger. While his length does provide a good recovery tool when he gets pushed around in the paint, he can't solely rely on that to be a high-level rim protector. CJ Rosser has a ton of potential and is a prospect that makes it hard not to look ahead to the 2028 NBA Draft class. At 6-foot-10, he has a wide range of elite skills that the average top prospect only has one or two of. If he can add some more strength, continue trending upward as a floor spacer, and tighten that handle, he could be the No. 1 pick in 2028.

Meet Sayon Keita, the center prospect in this upcoming 2027 NBA Draft class with arguably the most upside. The 7-foot giant has spent the last several years developing with FC Barcelona and is now set to join the University of North Carolina in new head coach Mike Malone’s 1st season. Keita is a raw but talented big man prospect whose biggest draw right now is his physical traits. He has a massive 7-foot-5 wingspan that makes him a threat at the rim on both ends, and paired with his impressive athleticism for his size, it makes sense why so many scouts see such high upside with him. Offensively, he’s not super polished but is a very capable play finisher, roller, lob threat, and post scorer. Keita’s footwork will need to improve, but a season with Mike Malone and that UNC staff should help that. His greatest strength on that end right now is the way he can alter the game by creating second chances. Because of his size and the effort he puts in on the offensive glass, any time he was on the court for Barca last season, if they missed their first shot, there was a high chance they'd get a second chance. He’ll have to grow his passing ability to become a top-tier threat as a second-chance creator, but he does have a solid touch that can make him a putback beast at times. One key developmental piece for him at UNC next season is growing his face-up game. Keita already has a decent handle, and if he can refine it, he’ll be a serious threat attacking off the dribble and scoring downhill. ​ Defensively, it’s a similar story to the offensive side as Keita’s size really benefits him. He’s a good shot blocker and in general defends the rim well. Right now his issue is that he isn’t overly disciplined, and at his height he’ll have to learn that he is way more of a threat staying down on pump fakes than falling for them. He’s relatively mobile, which helps his projection as a switchable five, but his ability to read the game will have to improve for that to develop long-term. Keita isn’t the most polished player in this class, but his immense size, ability to already impact winning, and developing skills make him a very intriguing prospect in this upcoming class. Although he projects more as a two- to three-year college player than a one-and-done, never say never. So make sure to keep an eye out for him at UNC this season.

Bounce-back candidate!  Shon Abaev, after one season at Cincinnati, made the move to Florida State and could be due for a major bounce-back in his sophomore season. Coming into Abaev’s freshman campaign, he was one of the most talked-about prospects, with an impressive high school career and a skill set as a long, athletic shooting wing that NBA teams love to draft. But he never found a real rhythm with the Bearcats and went from a projected one-and-done to a lock to return to school. Last season, he averaged 7.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists, while shooting 33.5 percent from the field and 25.7 percent from three. While those numbers definitely don’t look encouraging, sometimes top prospects go to weird situations, and a change of scenery is all they need. A prime example is Aday Mara, who spent two seasons struggling with UCLA before leaving for Michigan, where he won a national championship and became a lottery pick. Offensively, Abaev’s biggest selling point is his scoring profile. At 6-foot-8, he has a strong combination of outside shooting, self-creation off the dribble, and downhill scoring that makes him a three-level scorer. He is comfortable both off the catch and off the dribble as a three-point shooter and has a tight handle and enough bounce to get at the defender or get downhill when they close out on him too aggressively. If he can get his efficiency back to the realm he was in high school when he was a McDonald's All-American, FSU could have one of the most lethal bucket getters in college hoops next season. The scoring package he showed off in high school is more than enough for most evaluators to buy into a big bounce-back on that end in his sophomore campaign. Because he can score at all three levels, he creates a ton of advantages as a creator, and if he can continue to grow his playmaking instincts, it would help him expand his offensive game further. Defensively, Abaev projects to be a solid defender thanks to size and athleticism. His physical tools suggest that, with more development, he could guard several positions and be a real problem on the ball. The biggest red flag is his discipline. He can be caught out of position, sleeping or gambling when he doesn’t have to. While the top priority is getting back to being an efficient scorer to really get the interest of NBA teams, Abaev needs to become more disciplined and flash two-way upside at FSU. Abaev is a bounce-back candidate worth buying stock in this season. His freshman season didn’t go according to plan, but anyone who was a top-30 recruit in their high school class was regarded that highly for a reason. At Florida State, he comes into a new situation with fresh confidence. If he can rediscover his shooting stroke, score the ball more efficiently, and flash potential on the defensive end, Abaev could be right back as a projected first-round pick in 2027.

Louisville’s new big-man transfer, Flory Bidunga, has the talent and potential to finish the 2027 NBA Draft cycle as the No. 1 center in the class. Draftstack’s Chris Lambert (@CLambertmedia) is all aboard the Flory Bidunga hype train. Check out his article below! ⬇️ 🔗