2025 NBA Draft Stock Watch: Bigger Risers From March Madness so Far
While no prospect is going to fly up boards or rewrite their scouting reports after a game or two in the NCAA tournament, certain evaluators will watch these performances through a different lens.
Some will even admit to putting more stock into postseason play and watching prospects execute when the stakes are higher.
There are also some mid-major players who proved themselves against quality opponents after not having the opportunity to do so during the regular season.
The following names will at least make evaluators think about moving them up based on their production so far during March Madness.
Egor Demin (BYU, PG/SF)
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Current Mock Position: No. 18
Size: 6'9", 190 lbs
Age: 19
Nationality: Russia
Pro Comparison: Josh Giddey
When Egor Demin's outside shot is falling, few prospects can look more enticing. In BYU's opening-round win, he buried a pair of fallaway jumpers and three three-pointers, including a step-back, a movement three and a stationary spot-up.
He has struggled throughout the season converting when defenders contest, but his shot mechanics look relatively clean. And he clearly has an advantage as a 6'9" guard or forward releasing over guards and wings.
Otherwise, we already knew about the passing, which is made more dangerous by his ball-handling and creation. Demin had eight assists against Wisconsin, although just one turnover was the number that stood out. He has had a tendency to be either too casual or ambitious with his decisions.
NBA teams will still ultimately bank on and use Demin for his playmaking, given its likely translatability based on his positional size, vision and passing skill. But he becomes a different level of offensive threat if he's able to connect from outside and take care of the ball like he did on Saturday.
Walter Clayton Jr. (Florida, PG/SG)
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Current Mock Position: No. 36
Size: 6'3", 195 lbs
Age: 22
Nationality: USA
Pro Comparison: Marcus Sasser
A second-round upset was in the works until Walter Clayton Jr. went into takeover mode and shot Florida past Connecticut late in the second half.
He operates with a distinct level of confidence that showed Sunday on his ability to drill contested pull-ups and other self-created attempts. And it's that fearlessness and shotmaking skill that can help ease concerns over his size for a scorer at the NBA level. Clayton doesn't need much room, as he's able to lock in with the rim by generating rhythm for himself off hesitation dribbles and footwork.
While Clayton hasn't showcased as much playmaking in the NCAA tournament, a 22.8 assist percentage is a career high and does reflect enough passing for NBA teams to see a combo and ball-screen guard.
Regardless, he does have flaws, and his projected archetype doesn't have the greatest success rate. But scouts do love his toughness, demeanor and competitiveness, and it sounds like those intangibles will help sway teams to look past some of the questions about measurements and style.
Chaz Lanier (Tennessee, SG)
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Current Mock Position: No. 37
Size: 6'4", 199 lbs
Age: 23
Nationality: USA
Pro Comparison: Seth Curry
Scouts haven't learned anything new after watching Chaz Lanier through two NCAA tournament games. Still, the 10 made threes against Wofford and UCLA—giving him 120 for the season—just helped reemphasize how potent and advanced Lanier's shooting skills have become.
He excels at reading plays from off the ball and making himself available for catch-and-shoot stationary and movement jumpers. Teams should start to picture him providing firepower playing the same role he plays at Tennessee, where he's mostly used to space the floor, run off screens and get to the wings and corners in transition.
Without great size or any playmaking ability, he's mostly auditioning for a shotmaking specialist role at the next level. But certain NBA teams could already see second-round, plug-and-play value.
Tyrese Proctor (Duke, PG/SG)
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Current Mock Position: No. 48
Size: 6'6", 183 lbs
Age: 20
Nationality: Australia
Pro Comparison: Shake Milton
The rim must look like an ocean to Tyrese Proctor, who just hit 13-of-16 threes in consecutive NCAA tournament wins after making six threes the previous weekend in the ACC tournament final against Louisville.
He shoots with so much balance, which seemingly maximizes his chances of releasing cleanly and connecting. Proctor put on a footwork clinic on Sunday, creating separation with fakes and escape dribbles and crisp, timely step-back moves.
With Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Sion James coming in and taking away ball-screen playmaking chances, Proctor had to make a bigger jump this year as a shooter. He has—he's up to 41.5 percent on 5.9 three-point attempts per game. But there is also plenty of evidence (since 2022) of enough passing IQ for scouts to believe that he can be used to facilitate and make basic point guard reads.
Bennett Stirtz (Drake, PG)
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Previous Mock Position: No. 45
Size: 6'4", 180 lbs
Age: 21
Nationality: USA
Pro Comparison: Tyler Kolek
Mostly unknown entering the season after transferring from Northwest Missouri State, Bennett Stirtz had gradually drawn more attention as he put up huge numbers against MVC opponents. So to watch him score 21 points against both Missouri and Texas Tech in the NCAA tournament was very validating.
A high skill and feel player, Stirtz continued to find ways to score by identifying driving lanes, using touch shots and hitting pull-ups. He flashed all his tricks for how to create, finish and make shots without possessing any real advantageous athletic trait.
Stirtz totaled 12 assists between both games, demonstrating his outstanding command and IQ in ball-screen situations. It's moreso just smart reads, rather than flashy playmaking, as he has a solid understanding for how to freeze defenses and pick when and who to deliver the ball to.
Those NCAA tournament appearances should have solidified Stirtz's invite to G League Elite Camp at the least, though there's a good chance he's moved up enough to go straight to the NBA combine. He should be one of the biggest draws there.
Tahaad Pettiford (Auburn, PG)
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Previous Mock Position: Off the board
Size: 6'1", 175 lbs
Age: 19
Nationality: USA
Pro Comparison: Isaiah Thomas
Every so often we see an outlier who defies traditional scouting beliefs. Tahaad Pettiford is doing his best to build a case around creativity, shotmaking and touch that's sharp enough to offset disadvantages of being 6'1", 175 pounds.
He's been a reliable source for scoring and playmaking all year for Auburn, and he delivered again on Saturday with 23 much-needed points against Creighton. He found the open spots on the floor and pulled up into them, sticking jumper after jumper. His floater game was on point as well, and those high-arching tear drops will surely be huge for him whenever he tries to jump to the next level.
His confidence is evident and plays an obvious role in his ability to hit contested shots and thrive in late-game situations.
Ball-handlers with his reliance on creativity and tough shotmaking can also be vulnerable to poor shot selection or turnovers, but Pettiford generally makes good decisions and picks his spots wisely.
Of course there are big questions about his physical tools for finishing at the rim and defending, but certain teams just looking for a bench spark in a reduced/speciality role may not be as alarmed.
While Pettiford has more time now to strengthen his case in the Sweet 16 and beyond, scouts remain uncertain about his future plans draft-wise, given the NIL deals that could be on the table if he returns.
Vladislav Goldin (Michigan, C)
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Previous Mock Position: Off the board
Size: 7'1", 250 lbs
Age: 23
Nationality: Russia
Pro Comparison: Jonas Valacuinas
With Michigan advancing to the Sweet 16, scouts could start to think about taking Vladislav Goldin more seriously. He's not as big as 2024 lottery picks Donovan Clingan and Zach Edey, but at 7'1", 250 pounds, he's still a force around the rim and walking easy basket with excellent one-handed touch for converting rolls, flip shots and post-ups.
Goldin went for 23 points against Texas A&M, mostly by making himself available for high-percentage looks by diving, slipping screens and waiting from the dunker's spot. He made 9-of-11 free throws to bring his percentage up to 73.3 percent on the year.
Goldin is now looking at a major opportunity to move scouts with Johni Broome and Auburn up next in the Sweet 16.
His skill set and archetype aren't exactly synonymous with the idea of upside. But he's done a few things differently with Michigan to improve his chances at the next level, including starting to show some shooting range (11 3PTM) and run more in transition (25 FGs).
Karter Knox (Arkansas, SF)
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Previous Mock Position: Off the board
Size: 6'6", 220 lbs
Age: 19
Nationality: USA
Pro Comparison: Tobias Harris
With Adou Thiero out, Arkansas called on freshman Karter Knox, and he delivered a few eye-opening plays at both ends to rack up 15 points and four blocks.
He'd been productive since entering the rotation back in February, but it was validating to watch the freshman come alive and help propel the Razorbacks past No. 2 seed St. John's. Knox looked like a train attacking the rim while showing some impressive bounce and coordination in traffic.
Defensively, he was aggressive, particularly in the paint playing bigger than a traditional wing.
Scouts will presumably advise Knox to eventually return so they can have a better feel for his shooting development and decision-making after evaluating him in a larger role. But he was on our preseason first-round board for a reason—he's an NBA physical talent with a combo forward skill set who just needs some sharpening in terms of shotmaking consistency and off-the-dribble reads.
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