Underrated NBA Prospects for the 2026 Draft

It is the eve of the 2025 college basketball tip-off! There is so much talent in the NCAA and this looks to be one of the most exciting seasons in years. Not only will this prove to be a must watch season collegiately, it looks to be one of the most talented drafts from top to bottom in recent memory. We already know who some of the top picks project to be, but I wrote about a few players who may sneak under the noses of the casual fan who can potentially make some noise in the draft cycle this upcoming season. From potential lottery picks to sneaky 2-Way guys, here are 9 players who I think will outperform their preseason expectations. As always, please comment some of your favorite under-the-radar draft prospects that you are excited to watch for this upcoming season!

Roman Siulepa - Pittsburgh, Freshman, Wing/Forward

Siulepa is a bit of a tweener positionally, which is what intrigues me. Siuelpa is bigger than most wings but quicker than most forwards, which should excited Panther fans about his potential versatility. Siuelpa is about 6'6" and 225lbs and plays like a linebacker. He has tremendous strength for his size which allows for him to be able to guard guys much bigger than him. Siulepa truly caught my eye as a potential one-and-done prospect this summer at the FIBA U19 World Cup, where he averaged 19 points and 8 rebounds. Siuelpa is a good athlete and I think can be one of the leading freshman scorers in the ACC due to his strength and slashing ability. There are question marks about his offensive game, looking at his shooting and playmaking ability, and if it can translate against older and tougher competition consistently. I am not convinced that Siuelpa is a sure fire one-and-done prospect but he is someone who I think can potentially catch a lot of people's attention as one of the best freshman in the country this year.

Nate Bittle - Oregon, Senior, Center

Bittle returns to Eugene after testing the draft waters this past spring. Bittle is coming off a season where he was an All-Big Ten 3rd Team member and was Big Ten All-Defensive teamer as well. He looks to be one of the best big men in the entire country and will contend to be an All-American and has the potential to be National Defensive Player of the Year. Bittle has strength and touch down low in the post and has potential to shoot from the perimeter. While Bittle is an elite rim protector, this season will be big to see if his lateral quickness can improve if he gets switched out on the perimeter. Bittle is already an elite rebounder but I would also love to see slight improvement when it comes to consistency playing out of the double team. At times last season Bittle could seem a little rushed when making decisions, but he also showed potential to make smart reads and the correct play. This will be big as All-Conference guard, Jackson Shelstad, is missing the first few weeks of the season recovering from a broken hand. Bittle will be the entire scouting report for opponents and I am excited to see him handle that responsibility. I think Bittle will be one the absolute best players in all of college basketball and will garner first round interest if he continues his stellar defensive play and shows even more production on the offensive side of the court.

Patrick Ngongba II - Duke, Sophomore, Center

The former top 25 high school recruit looks to take a huge step in production entering his sophomore season. In limited minutes as a freshman Ngongba put up quite pedestrian statistics, averaging just 4 points and 3 rebounds per game. However, if you look a little bit deeper, you will see just how much of a positive impact Ngongba had for the Blue Devils when he was on floor. Ngongba posted an outrageous 156 ORTG, an advanced statistic predicting how many points a player helps produce per 100 possessions. He also had an elite 11.3 BPM, meaning he contribute 11.3 more points over 100 possessions than the average player. Those are absurdly high ratings. Of course those are inflated numbers due to the fact that Ngongba played just 10 minutes per game a year ago. Naturally these numbers will go down with his usage going up, but do not be surprised if they are still amongst the elite in the nation. Ngongba is a special offensive talent. I think he is the best passing big man in all of college basketball and is a special playmaker off the DHO and short roll. The areas of Ngongba's game that I will be watching closely over the course of the season are his defensive abilities, rebounding, and his perimeter shooting. He already is a great passer (shown by his 3.3 A/TO ratio) and has phenomenal footwork and touch in the paint. He seems to have slimmed down a bit entering this season, which I think will help him on the defensive end. He is not an elite vertical athlete and is not known for his rim protection, and can sometimes be caught with slow feet. If he can improve his lateral quickness, he has the defensive IQ to be a positive defender, despite his athletic question marks. He does need to improve as a defensive rebounder and I am curious to see if being paired with a rebounding stud like Cameron Boozer helps Ngongba. Ngonba shows shooting potential, shooting 72% from the free throw line as a freshman. He shows good shooting form and in the preseason exhibitions he showed a willingness to make and take three's, after attempting just one as a freshman. If he can add the three ball to his game, this will make him near unguardable offensively. Most people consider Ngongba as a first round talent, but I have him as a top 15 player in the class entering the season, and would not be at all surprised if Ngongba is a lottery selection come draft time. Duke is once again littered with NBA talent, including potential #1 pick Cam Boozer, but do not be surprised if Ngongba puts together an All-ACC campaign as a sophomore and solidifies himself as the best center prospect in this draft class.

Ernest Udeh Jr - Miami, Senior, Center

Udeh was probably one of the most under appreciated big men in the country last season and it is refreshing to see him get some well deserved recognition as he was recently announced to the preseason Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List. Last season Udeh was Honorable Mention All-Big 12 with TCU and will look to be one of the best players in the ACC this year, as he has transferred to Miami to player under first year head coach Jai Lucas. Ernest is one of the best athletes in the country at 6'11", 260lbs. He is an elite vertical and lob threat, as 73% of his baskets a year ago were dunks. Udeh is one of the best rebounders in the nation and one of the best and most versatile defenders. He ranked 11th in blocks per game in the B12 last year and posted a 17% Total Rebound Percentage in his two years at TCU. He also is quick enough laterally to guard ball-handlers effectively and disrupt the rhythm of guards, a rare skill for someone of his size. Udeh's biggest weakness is his shooting touch as he has shot just 56% from the free throw line and has not even attempted a three pointer in his college career. While he does lack shooting he is still an offensive weapon as he is a capable passer and makes smart decisions with the ball in his hands off of DHO's. Miami is one of the most intriguing in teams in the country this season with all of their new pieces, and Udeh is sure to be one of the most important. While Udeh might not have the most eye popping statistics, he is one of the most impactful players in the country and will be sure to garner interest for teams in the second round of the draft looking to add big man depth.

Terrance Arceneaux - NC State, Junior, Guard

The Houston transfer is one of the deepest sleepers on my board during this draft cycle. The long, wiry, defensive minded guard will look to elevate his game under new head coach Will Wade. Arceneaux was an All-AAC Freshman team member in 2023, but a torn achilles cut his sophomore season short. It felt like it took Arceneaux some time to find his in game rhythm last season and it took a while for his athleticism and explosiveness to come back. Understandable after such traumatic injury. I think the change of scenery will show us the talent the former top 100 recruit has. Arceneaux will be one of the best wing defenders in the ACC. He is a winning player and posted a very good 8.6 BPM a season ago, albeit on one of the best teams in the nation a year ago. It will be interesting to see if his winning impact translates over to a less talented program. With a bump in his three point percentage I can see some similarities to former #48 pick from a few years ago, Harrison Ingram. Right now there really is not any draft buzz for Arceneaux, but if he can show improvements on offense and continues to be a defensive menace I think he will get 2nd round interest.

Andrej Stojakovic - Illinois, Junior, Guard

Stojakovic is one of the most skilled offensive players in the nation. Last year at Cal he averaged nearly 18 points and 5 rebounds per game. Stojakovic has a craftiness to his game and has the unique ability to get to his spots regardless, despite not having elite athletic tools. Stojakovic gets to the line at an extremely high rate as well, which is a good indicator of one's ability to translate scoring to the pros. He can get to his spots and get to the line. Stojakovic needs to improve his efficiency as he has shot sub 50% from two and just 32% from three in his two years at Stanford and Cal, respectively. Now part of that is the sheer offensive burden he has had to carry at those schools as the primary offensive threat. Last year his 27.8% usage rate was the 8th highest in the ACC. I imagine this will decrease this year in Champaign as he will be surrounded by much more talent, and players like Kylan Boswell and the Ivisic brothers will have a lot of the ball in their hands. I will be very interested to see how Stojakovic looks when surrounded by more talent. Can he play off ball? We know he has top scoring talent but he will need to showcase his abilities to do more. Can he playmake for others? Can he defend at an at least average level? Can he play off the ball as more of a wing than primary creator? All questions I want him to answer, but his scoring ability alone has him on my radar as a sure fire NBA prospect.

Kam Williams - Kentucky, Sophomore, Wing

Kentucky had a complete roster overhaul this offseason, bringing in ten new faces to the university for Mark Pope's second year at the helm of the program. The most underrated portal pickup for them was bringing in Kam Williams. Williams quietly posted a very good freshman season for Tulane a year ago, posting 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 2.5 stocks per game. Williams has a unique blend of size and athleticism allowing for him to guard on the perimeter but also matchup with forwards. Under Mark Pope I can see Williams playing anywhere from the 2-5. Williams was impressively efficient as a freshman, including from behind the arc where he shot 41%. Williams has a chance to be the unsung hero for the Wildcats this season, as his defensive skillset and ability to impact the game without the ball will be a beautiful compliment to the plethora of talent that is on the Kentucky roster. He will rebound, defend, and hit down open threes. I can see him being among the elite role players of college basketball this season. I want him to use his size a little more on the offensive end. He averaged just 2.5 shot attempts inside the arc a year ago and I think he can use his size to get to the paint more and try to get to the free throw line at a higher clip. One of the lesser talked about portal moves this offseason could end up being one of the most important for a Kentucky team looking to make a deep run in March, and I believe that Williams' contributions can potentially garner first round interest from NBA organizations.

Michael Rataj - Baylor, Senior, Forward

I believe the Oregon State is the most underrated transfer of the entire offseason. I think he was a top 10 player in the portal and I think he will bring a unique skillset to Scott Drew's roster and will end up being perhaps the best player in Waco. Rataj is a Swiss-army-knife type of player, where you cannot exactly point out his greatest skillset, but you cannot truly find a weakness in his game either. Rataj can score, as he averaged 17 a game a year ago on great efficiency. Albeit on low attempts, Rataj shot 35% from three and got the line at a high rate. He puts pressure on defenses as he is bigger, stronger, and more skilled than most people who guard him. I would love to see Rataj improve his playmaking and limit turnovers slightly. An improved handle will do him wonders and will open up his game as a driver. The biggest area of improvement that NBA teams will need to see from Rataj is on the defensive end. He is not an explosive athlete and doesn't offer great rim protection and does not have the ability yet to keep up on the perimeter with smaller, shiftier guards. Rataj is someone who does not have the measurable or the jaw-dropping ability that screams "NBA", but he has the IQ and savviness that can earn him a 2-way contract and a spot in the league.

Sam Walters - SMU, Junior, Forward

Someone who I can see making a huge jump in production this year is Walters. He has only played in 60 games in his first two collegiate season and averaged just 12 minutes per game. He has been buried on the depth chart for talented teams and has never really broken through the rotation. I can see him being a key contributor in the ACC for the Mustangs this season. Looking at Walters Per 40 stats, you would think this is an All-American type player. Per 40 minutes he would average 17 points per game for his career while shooting 38% from three on 9 attempts per game. Obviously those numbers would dip with higher usage but it does give us a glimpse of his potential with a higher usage rate. Shooting is Walters calling card. While on limited attempts, Walters has shot 38% from three in his college career. There are not too many 6'10" players who can shoot the ball like he can. I think Walters needs to improve in lots of areas and increase his all around productivity but I think with a bump in production this season, he can put his name on the radar of NBA teams, especially for the 2027 draft. He might not have all the tools (yet) for the NBA but a 6'10" forward that shoots near 40% from three will always bring interest from NBA teams.