The NBA Draft of 2025 was dominated by the best university students in the Nation: 10 of the 14 lottery teams once classified in the 100 best of ESPN, with 17 classified perspectives written in total, and do not expect this trend to disappear. The League tends to covet star talent with Upside, while values players with a production history and strong character features. And first -year university students tend to adapt to the invoice.
The 2026 high school class is already showing signs of elite talent, with players from all over the country that show sets of skills that evoke comparisons with the current NBA stars. While projecting adolescents at the highest level is never an exact science, certain features (size, athletics, versatility annotation, defensive tools) make these perspectives stand out early.
To better understand the rising senior class, let's take a look at 10 players whose games remember the notable names of the NBA and offer an idea of their future potential.
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Updated 2026 ESPN 100 Ranking of players |
Updated 2027 ESPN 60 players ranking |
Updated 2028 ESPN 25 Ranking of players
6 feet 7 | Notre Dame High School (CA) | Uncommitted
NBA comparison: Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
Tyran is angry with the edge 😤 @Tyran_stokes #Usabmu19 unknown #Fibau19 pic.twitter.com/pyquexryqe
– Usabjnt (@usabjnt) July 2, 2025
Few players in high school basketball are built as Stokes. With a physically imposing 6-7, 220 pounds, it is a combination of strength and delicacy. Stokes thrives as attacker downhill, using his strength to end through contact, generate faults and move the ball. His ability to get attention also makes him an effective player. Stokes capable of 3 points, Stokes does its best damage to the transition. And when the game slows down, it can score from multiple points and has no problem living in the free throw line, averaging 12.8 attempts for game in the EYBL game, according to Synergy Sports. Its current profile reflects that of Scottie Barnes at the same stage: both averaged 2.5 triples and connected to a 25%clip. Like Barnes, Stokes is projected as a versatile striker whose combination of size, physicality and game ability conforms to the modern mold of a bidirectional wing.
6 feet 8 | St. John Bosco High School (CA) | Uncommitted
NBA comparison: Bilal Coully, Washington Wizards
The son of former American Deangelo Collins of McDonald's, Christian has a tempting combination of size, length and mobility, more good defensive anticipation. With 6-8 with a wingspan of 7-2, Collins has a natural rebound and feels comfortable driving the ball in transition. It seems to always be in the right place at the right time. Once you find out how to completely use your combination of skill and shot, be careful. Collins's physical ability will allow you to play a game from inside out, where you can work the paint with its length and have an impact in several ways.
6 feet-2 | Paul VI High School (VA) | Uncommitted
NBA comparison: Marcus Smart, Washington Wizards
Smith is the best rebound guard in the recent history of EyBL, with an average of 12 boards for 40 minutes, according to Synergy Sports. It reduces your defensive rebound mentality in an aggressive transition game and pushes the ball with easily open court opportunities. It is also an efficient scorer, occupies the fourth place in the percentage of field goals, and has a healthy 5.4 assistance for 40 minutes despite averaging only 25 minutes. In a small sample size, it is also shooting almost 37% from the deep. Smith, a hard player with defense skills, is one of the most shocking players in the class and also passes to third place in our last classifications.
6 feet 3 | Gown High School (CA) | Uncommitted
NBA comparison: Brandon Jennings
5⭐️ (No. 6 ESPN 60) Jason Crowe Jr. fell 26 points and 7 rebounds on day 1 of the eybl session I 😤 @nikeeyb
Oakland soldiers: 99
Houston Hoops: 62 pic.twitter.com/5u1uykwo0k– SportsCenter Next (@Scnext) April 26, 2025
A left -handed holder, Crowe thrives in transition. He has a balanced and controlled sweater, regardless of whether he is shooting dribbles or capture. Crowe has an amazing ability to ignore the defenders and balance it with an average range of quality and shots capable from depth. It also becomes well of the free throw line. Add everything, and Crowe is the best scorer of the class, regardless of its position. It will also jump from the lanes and create theft of the ball, although it needs to become a more active defender in the ball. A first score guard, the most consistent game will only improve its general game.
6 feet-5 | Grayson High School (GA) | Uncommitted
NBA comparison: Josh Hart, New York Knicks
He did not leave without hardware.@iamcalebholt He led the 3SSB select team to the Eurocamp championship 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xCBRI4Z728
– Adidas basketball (@adidashoops) June 3, 2025
Holt plays with revealing tenacity as his ball skills continue to develop. He is having an exceptional low season, winning MVP at the Euro Adidas camp and taking his team to the championship. A powerful wing, Holt is working in his apple and shooting against an established defense, while understanding the importance of the movement of the ball. It can write down in different ways and is an active rebounder. Defensively, Holt is one of the best in the class. Its perimeter game should continue to evolve as it demonstrates solid skills of shooting and shooting quality.
6 feet 4 | St. John Bosco High School (CA) | Uncommitted
NBA comparison: Kris Dunn, the clippers
McCoy has an excellent position size as an athletic shipowner with speed and vision on the open court, and has adopted its role as a defense mentality that can affect the games. His ability to boost the tempo and become transition is among the best in the class. McCoy will execute the offensive and drive to obtain touches or paint scores. Now, you need to become a reliable open shooter: it is only winning 26% of its 3 despite taking 4.8 per game.
6 feet 9 | Santa María (AZ) | Uncommitted
NBA comparison: Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota Timberwolves
With 6-9, Williams is an innate blocker that shrinks the vision of opposite offenses simply playing with an attentive and inflatable defense with high hands. He also defends the ball screens with its size, as well as the foot game, and is able to get away from the manigues, change or fall into coverage. Williams also obtains easy cubes in transition by beating his opponents. On the half court, he has advanced in leading to the edge, and his jumping shot is maturing while learning to stretch the defenses. His general game is beginning to join while learning to use its size, length and tactor, which has driven it to the top 10 of the classifications. Entering a lower posture in defense and adding more strength to its frame will only bring greater results.
6 feet-5 | Long Isand Lutheran (NY) | Uncommitted
NBA comparison: Tyreke Evans
Mingo is dynamic when the ball is in his hands. It can write down in transition and in the half court, where it attacks the defenders of dribbles and knows how to maneuver the ball screens. It also feels comfortable slowing down and processing the game against established defenses, then using a deep variety of score, rebounding and game skills to have a positive impact. Outside the ball, it includes the spacing and movement of movement, resulting in an extremely productive basketball section at both ends of the court.
6 feet-5 | Bishop McNamara (MD) | Uncommitted
NBA comparison: James Harden, the clippers
With 6-5 with a wingspan 6-11, Samuels plays with a long and left-handed frame and an intrepid score skill. He aggressive and with confidence seeks scoring opportunities and understands how to shoot quickly with the rhythm. In recent outputs, Samuels showed that he could create his own offensive or obtain assistance. It also obtains its fair part of points of the free throw line because it has a physical body ready for the university. The 3 points of Samuels will help your game translate.
6 feet-5 | Christopher Columbus (FL) | Uncommitted
NBA comparison: Jason Richardson
Jaxon's father, Jason, starred in the state of Michigan and then in the NBA. His brother, Jase, also played in the state of Michigan before being chosen in the first 2025 draft round by Orlando Magic. As is the case in the Richardson family, Jaxon is the best talent most of the time he asks for the court. He has a dynamic vertical rebound and will always affect the games on the edge, but his swing skill is his middle -range development and beyond the arch. He has made legitimate progress as a stationary shooter, in the race and in capture and shooting stages, to the point that defenders must now honor their shot and close strongly. Then, he has them right where he loves them, since he opens his impulse game. As a rising senior, it is time for Richardson to complete his game and have a greater impact on defensive and glass.
