We are officially entering conference tournament time with March Madness right around the corner. This time of year is especially important for NBA draft prospects hoping to increase their stock. In college basketball specifically, having big performances in postseason play can help to cement or elevate their status. So which college basketball players should we be looking out for?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take a look at college basketball\u2019s best NBA draft prospects at this point in the season!<\/p>\n
Cody Williams<\/a> has been rising up draft boards consistently and may still be the first collegiate player selected. Colorado is currently riding a winning streak and sits as a bubble team for March Madness play. The latest projections have them projected as one of the last four in. Either way, Williams will want to capitalize on the Pac-12 tournament and secure a spot in the big dance. He\u2019s a six-foot-eight slender wing in his freshman season at Colorado this year. Williams is the younger brother of starting NBA guard Jalen Williams<\/a>\u00a0of the\u00a0Oklahoma City Thunder. He\u2019s a smooth and fluid athlete who looks to have a very polished all-around game for his age. Young wings with production and upside like Williams are usually always at the top of the draft.<\/p>\n Rob Dillingham<\/strong><\/a> is a twitchy scorer who plays with a lot of flash. The major concern for Dillingham coming into the season was exactly what role he could fill at the next level. Was he a spark-off-the-bench microwave scorer? Can he play true point guard? Dillingham answered these questions by mostly proving he can succeed at whatever role is needed. He\u2019s thrived with just about any lineup on the floor. He\u2019s been able to dish out assists, handle point guard responsibility, or even become an explosive scorer if that\u2019s needed.<\/p>\n Dillingham will be one of the biggest prospects to watch in March Madness as he’s always capable of big game performances.<\/p>\n Reed Sheppard<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0was another surprise to draft boards and wasn\u2019t expected to be one of the top prospects above other teammates at Kentucky. He\u2019s only six-foot-three and doesn\u2019t possess elite athleticism, but he\u2019s shown that he can be a\u00a0lethal shooter<\/a> and high-IQ passer. He also has shown he\u2019s an extremely adept team defender averaging a ridiculous 2.5 steals per game. Sheppard established himself as a top player on a loaded Kentucky team when not many expected him to. There\u2019s more than enough reason to believe he\u2019ll accomplish the same thing for an NBA team when finding a role.<\/p>\n Sheppard and Dillingham will be the best draft prospect tandem in March Madness. Sheppard will look to cement his lottery status with high-efficiency play.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an easy buy-in process when analyzing\u00a0Ja\u2019Kobe Walter\u2019s<\/strong><\/a> skillset. He\u2019s long, athletic, and can shoot the three-ball at a high clip. He uses this length and athleticism to be very effective on the defensive end as well. This 3-and-D archetype makes Walter one of the safer bets in this draft. He isn\u2019t the strongest in the self-creation department, but he\u2019s so solid at other aspects of the game that scouts can overlook it. Baylor’s preparing to make a deep run in the tournament, and Walter could use big game performances to increase stock.<\/p>\n Kyle Filipowski<\/a> is a seven-foot big man with good perimeter skills. He\u2019s shown much better percentages and overall play so far in his sophomore season at Duke. It’s helped place them as the number nine overall team in the country. His shooting touch and fundamentals for his size certainly all pass the eye test. He hopes to make a team in the back end of the lottery very happy on draft night.<\/p>\n Filipowski will play with other prospects looking to boost their stock in March Madness, but he’s the best prospect. He will hope to make a top-ten push with big-game performances.<\/p>\n2) Rob Dillingham: Kentucky<\/h3>\n
3) Reed Sheppard: Kentucky<\/h3>\n
4) Ja\u2019Kobe Walter: Baylor<\/h3>\n
5) Kyle Filipowski: Duke<\/h3>\n
6) Stephon Castle: UConn<\/h3>\n