The 2025 NBA Draft is just over 11 months away, but it’s never too early to start projecting potential risers in the draft class. Last summer, CBS Sports identified a handful of players (such as Purdue’s Zach Edey, Dayton’s DaRon Holmes ll and Weber State’s Dillon Jones) who remained in school for another season and then skyrocketed up draft boards to become first-round picks.
The difference between this upcoming class and the last draft cycle is the blue-chip talent. The 2024 NBA Draft was full of household names but not necessarily players who will become All-NBA caliber players. The headliner of the 2025 draft class is Duke incoming freshman Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 overall pick in his class and Rutgers freshman wing Ace Bailey, but it’s not just those two getting buzz.
One of the key returning sophomores in the sport is South Carolina forward Collin Murray-Boyles, who would’ve likely been a draft pick if he kept his name in the 2024 NBA Draft. Instead, Murray-Boyles returned to the Gamecocks looking to raise his stock and solidify himself as a first-round selection.
These 10 players will have a chance to improve their stock the most and become potential first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft if their respective 2024-25 seasons go according to plan.
The former FAU star will spend his last college season with John Calipari and Arkansas. Davis was ranked the top player transfer in the portal by CBS Sports’ David Cobb after averaging 18.2, 6.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists. Davis played a key role in FAU reaching the Final Four in 2023 and will be the leader on a transfer-heavy Arkansas squad this winter. Davis averaged career highs in just about every statistic during the 2023-24 campaign at FAU and transferring to Arkansas will allow his game to shine on a bigger stage. Davis should be one of the top contenders to win SEC Player of the Year.
In somewhat of a stunning eleventh-hour…
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