As the NBA draft approaches, one of the most fascinating storylines to watch is the hierarchy of bigs expected to come off the board. Duke product Khaman Maluach is the favorite as things stand to be the first true frontcourt player off the board, but there’s plenty of uncertainty throughout the first round and lots of diverse skill sets that may be valued differently from team to team.
What does the frontcourt big board look like with the draft just days away? Here’s the latest look.
Khaman Maluach, Duke Blue Devils
The impact Maluach made on college basketball as an 18-year-old who’s still relatively new to the game was remarkably impressive. His length and timing makes him an elite deterrent at the rim, forcing opponents to shoot under 50% at the rim and posting a block rate north of 6%. He also uses that length on the glass, where he was excellent at generating extra possessions, and as a lob threat offensively. The rest of Maluach’s offensive game is limited, but after seeing the early impact Dereck Lively has made in Dallas, there’s a clear path for someone like Maluach (who has even more impressive measurables than Lively) to come in early and contribute defensively. That should give Maluach the runway to continue to add elements to his offensive game as he continues to mature and grow into his body.
Derik Queen, Maryland Terrapins
There’s no denying Queen’s freshman season at Maryland was brilliant. He led the Terps to their first Sweet 16 in nearly a decade while being one of the most productive freshmen in the sport, his gifted offensive game allowing him to dominate at times even against top competition. There are questions though: Queen’s a bit of a tweener between the 4 and the 5 who tested poorly at the combine, raising concerns about his athletic profile and how it translates. He’s also old for his class, turning 21 before the end of this year, and occasionally a bit too casual in his approach. It seems unlikely Queen would fall out of the lottery, but his range inside that seems fairly wide as teams will likely have a wide range of opinions on a player as unique as Queen is.
Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina Gamecocks
Murray-Boyles is a polarizing prospect, posting monster numbers in a losing situation at South Carolina and profiling as one of the top defenders in this draft but also being stuck between positions as an undersized non-shooter. Hopes of him developing as a catch-and-shoot threat seem further away after watching his work at the NBA combine. That said, there’s a world in which Murray-Boyles blossoms into an elite role player whose motor and feel make him an incredibly valuable low-usage offensive asset at the next level.
Danny Wolf, Michigan Wolverines
Wolf is a unique prospect who spent last season at Michigan being deployed as a jumbo ballhandler of sorts at just shy of 7 feet tall. In the NBA, he’s more likely to be used a bit more traditionally, though still exploiting his elite passing chops and feel for the game at the 4 and the 5. Whether he’s consistent enough from deep or good enough defensively to stay on the floor is the main question.
Joan Beringer, Cedevita Olimpija (Slovenia)
Beringer’s a gifted prospect especially on the defensive end, where his ability to protect the rim and move his feet on the perimeter gives him one of the highest ceilings in this class. He carved out a key role in the Adriatic League this season and has earned plenty of interest starting in the late lottery. At this point it seems unlikely he’ll fall into the 20s.
Thomas Sorber, Georgetown Hoyas
I’m a big believer in Sorber, who flashed serious upside in his lone season at Georgetown before a foot injury ended his lone college campaign early. He’s a skilled offensive player with toughness, some feel and shooting touch, and has used his hawking 7′ 6″ wingspan to impact shots at the rim. Depending on how early other bigs like Maluach and Queen come off the board, he could end up as high as the last few picks of the lottery, or fall into the early 20s at worst.
Noa Essengue, Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany)
Essengue is another likely mid-first round prospect who has earned plenty of intrigue thanks to a strong finish to his season in Germany. He’s impressive physically and an explosive athlete to go with solid feel for the game and passing flashes. While far from a finished product, the talent here is undeniable.
Asa Newell, Georgia Bulldogs
Newell played at Montverde Academy with Cooper Flagg, Queen and Liam McNeeley, then followed that up with a monster season at Georgia. Teams considering him at the higher end of his draft range in the early teens will have to buy into his three-point shot long-term, but he’s a high-motor frontcourt player with good size and mobility who should be able to plug and play.
Maxime Raynaud, Stanford Cardinal
Among the big winners of the combine, Raynaud has earned tons of first-round attention after being arguably the best player in the event’s scrimmages. He has a unique background, growing up focusing more on swimming than basketball in France before enrolling at Stanford as a developmental prospect and turning into a star over four years in Palo Alto. He’ll add most of his value offensively, with a diverse skill set that includes the ability to consistently stretch the floor. That said, he has made strides defensively that should help him stay on the floor and be less of a matchup-specific piece, bolstering his first-round candidacy.
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton Bluejays
Kalkbrenner has been on the NBA radar for years thanks to a record-setting five-year career at Creighton. In that time, his game has evolved from a rim protector and lob threat with limited skill to a player with more offensive versatility that can step out and make the occasional catch-and-shoot three. His path to real minutes early on as second-unit rim protector seems fairly direct, even if the ceiling on such a pick is relatively low.
Johni Broome, Auburn Tigers
Another five-year college star, Broome has always found ways to produce despite fairly mediocre physical tools. He’s a beast on the offensive boards, possesses real passing chops and has shown enough ability to make catch-and-shoot threes to keep defenses honest. Whether he can stay on the floor defensively because of his limitations in space is another story.
Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Penn State Nittany Lions
Niederhauser’s rise from part-time starter at Northern Illinois in 2023–24 to fringe first-round pick in ’25 has been remarkable to watch. He possesses highly impressive physical traits and can impact the game as a roller to the rim and shot-blocker. Toughness has been a question mark, but he showed more willingness to scrap during the G League Elite Camp and NBA combine.
