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Ranking the Top 10 Most Underrated Freshmen in College Basketball

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Published4 hours ago on September 23, 2024

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Elite high school recruits dominate draft discussions for much of the cycle. Many of these prospects are highly touted players, expected to spend just one year in college before leaving for the draft. Inevitably though, unexpected stars emerge like Reed Sheppard, Bub Carrington, working their way into draft conversations.

Let’s rank the 10 most underrated prospects for the 2025 draft. For our definition of underrated, we’ll only include prospects ranked outside the 247 composite top 40.

 

10. Zion Sensley, W/F, UC Santa Barbara

Sensley stands at 6’8 with a smooth outside shot; that’s a strong foundation to build an NBA prospect off of. He’s skilled with the ball in his hands with enough handling juice to carve his way into scoring on touch shots inside the arc.

He’s not a stellar athlete, as Sensely can struggle to score at the rim and defend quicker players on the perimeter. But as a developmental bet, Sensley makes sense as a large shotmaker with some skill and movement skills to keep an eye on. 

 

9. Christian Anderson, PG, Texas Tech

As sub six-foot guards come, Anderson is as good a bet as any to defy odds and make the NBA. He’s a decidedly nuclear shooter — Anderson shot 48.9% (91-186) from three during his final season at Oak Hill, regularly drilling difficult, pro-style jumpers.

Anderson is a dynamic downhill creator to add onto his shooting, boasting elite playmaking production with incredible burst, vision and creativity. Despite his smaller frame that will limit him some at the college and pro levels, Anderson could be a gifted enough offensive talent to find a home somewhere regardless.

 

8. Julius Halaifonua, C, Georgetown

Halaifonua flew under the radar playing for NBA Global Academy and the Australian youth divisions. The seven footer displays NBA-level traits, namely his great size, touch and coordination. Giant bigs who pass, move and score on the interior like Halaifonua can often develop into solid pros.

He’s not a particularly explosive athlete, most limited covering space on the defensive end. If he can improve physically and become more twitchy and mobile, Halaifonua has the skills and feel for the game to play at the next levels. 

 

7. Jaiden Glover, W, St. John’s

Tall, long wings who shoot and defend always earn eyes among scouts and Glover should be no different. A lanky 6’6 wing, Glover shoots the basketball like a pro with his smooth, one motion jumper off of the catch and off of the dribble. 

Glover isn’t a dynamic on-ball creator by any means but he’s a competent secondary handler when he’s needed who defends with strong quickness and length. He’s a low maintenance, high reward wing who could work his way into prospect status if he find the playing time at St. John’s this year.

 

6. Kur Teng, G/W, Michigan St.

Teng’s prospect case sits on a two-way movement shooting foundation. The 6’4 combo sprints off of screens from NBA range en route to shooting a smoking 47% (39-83) from deep during his last EYBL season. Though Teng isn’t much of an on-ball creation threat, he’s a confident and decisive attacker off of the ball.

On the defensive end, Teng creates deflections with his length and activity. Tom Izzo doesn’t tend to heavily feature freshmen, limiting Teng’s pathway to first year notoriety. He’s talented enough to work himself into draft conversations if he does play his way onto the court for the Spartans.

 

5. Chase McCarty, W/F, Houston

Kelvin Sampson tends to unearth gems in recruiting and McCarty could be his next. Like many Houston players. McCarty’s primary strengths come on the defensive end. He’s one of the 2024 high school class’s premier on-ball defenders. With a stout frame and great lateral quickness, McCarty defends multiple positions on the perimeter comfortably.

He’s a solid spot-up shooter, providing basic spacing value on the other end. The 6’5 wing has the chance to develop into a sturdy three-and-D wing, an ever valuable commodity in the modern NBA.

 

4. Jeremiah Fears, G, Oklahoma

Fears reclassified from the 2025 class to 2024 given his age and will play in Norman this season. Fears suffers from many of the inconsistencies young guards face. He struggles swimming with the flow of offense and his effort levels wax and wane. Despite these problems, Fears’s offensive talent is worth nurturing.

He’s incredibly quick and fluid attacking the hoop, driving with burst and changing directions smoothly with a creative, decisive handle. He’s comfortable running pick and rolls and finding teammates off of his drives with point guard level vision. Continued shooting development will help Fears morph into a real NBA prospect off the back of his on-ball creation talents.

 

3. Jahki Howard, F, Auburn

Most who follow high school basketball know Howard as country’s highest flyers. He’s an absurd vertical athlete; Howard dunked the ball 79 times in his 22 EYBL games last Summer. Most analyses of Howard praise his physical tools and gloss over all other facets of his game. 

It’s true that Howard is still raw in certain areas, but his progression over the years deserves more attention. He’s become a more reliable three-point shooter. Though his feel for the game is still raw, Howard improved decision making and off-ball comfort over the last few years. Those developments added onto Howard’s special explosive athleticicsm give him a shot to surprise some this season and in the coming years.

 

2. John ‘Juni’ Mobley Jr., G, Ohio State

Juni Mobley might step into college basketball as the country’s most dynamic shooter. Mobley plays like a diet Steph Curry, routinely firing threes from parking lot range off of the dribble and off of movement. Life can be tough for six-foot guards, but the ones who make it in college and the NBA tend to be elite shotmakers.

In his final high-school season, Mobley progressed as a passer and handler, increasing his rim frequency and opening his bag of pick and roll tricks. Defense may be a struggle for Mobley, but he’s got a chance to develop into a rare offensive talent. Those players, despite their glaring flaws, are worth believing in. 

 

1. Paul McNeil, G, NC State

If I had to bet on any of these prospects sneaking into first-round conversations this year, it would be McNeil. The smooth 6’4 will be one of college basketball’s premier shooters. According to data from Cerebro Sports, McNeil canned 40% of his threes (0.58 three-point attempt rate) and shot 85% of the line across his high school and AAU career.

McNeil fires from all platforms both on and off ball with some intriguing flashes of intermediate scoring. Athletic translation will be McNeil’s biggest question, especially on the defensive and and as a driver; McNeil attempted a measly 10.9% of his shots at the rim in his final AAU season. If McNeil can survive physically, he’s a talented enough shotmaker and passer to sneak his way into real draft discussions.