March Risers and Revelations: Draft Watch, NIL Calculus, and What Scouts Are Saying
How Florida’s Bigs, Late-Season Surges, and a Shifting Landscape Are Shaping the 2025 NBA Draft
After breaking down the standout performances and stock shifts from Duke’s freshman trio, Walter Clayton Jr., and Derik Queen earlier this week, we’re back for part two of March Risers and Revelations: My 2025 NBA Draft Takeaways from the Big Dance. This time, the focus shifts to some of the fastest-rising names on NBA draft boards—prospects who either used March as a launching pad or continued their ascent with high-stakes performances.
I’ll dive into the more polarizing evaluations in this class, with scouts split on a handful of prospects who’ve drawn both first-round buzz and second-round skepticism. And to close, I’ll tackle a compelling question a current NBA general manager posed to me about Tahaad Pettiford, and what the evolving landscape of NIL and the transfer portal might mean for draft decisions in 2025 and beyond.
Florida’s Twin Towers of Draft Momentum
About six weeks ago, Florida’s frontcourt duo of Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh weren’t showing up on many mainstream draft boards. You might’ve seen Condon pop up in the second-round range here and there, but Haugh? Largely viewed as a 2026 prospect at best. Fast forward to now—after Florida’s NCAA Tournament run and a strong close to the season—and that narrative has completely flipped. Condon’s name has been creeping up steadily since February, while Haugh’s stock has absolutely skyrocketed.