LAS VEGAS — I spent three days at the Players Era Festival last week and between that and the Arizona vs. UConn game, I’ve now gotten eyes on twenty different college programs and dozens of NBA Draft prospects within the last few weeks.
Beyond the value of my own live evaluations, that time also provided an opportunity to get the pulse of the draft community, as there were a plethora of agents, NBA scouts and decision makers in Vegas.
Here are 10 things I learned from the Players Era event in Las Vegas last week:
1. Kansas’ Peterson sits, stock stays high
While Kansas freshman star Darryn Peterson didn’t play last week in Vegas, more and more executives are now publicly acknowledging his spot atop the class. Remember, it was AJ Dybantsa who was the top ranked player in the 2025 recruiting class until the very end, and even then, 247Sports was the only national outlet to make the switch
Since then, the rapid rate of progression Peterson displayed as a senior has only intensified. The limited looks we’ve had of him this season have shown an unprecedented level of fitness, and consequent burst, along with extreme shot-making that looks ahead of schedule. For NBA decision-makers, it’s the playmaking that sounds like it could be the differentiating factor. When you’re picking atop the class, regardless of who you are, there’s an inherent expectation that you land an immediate impact player, and in the NBA, that often comes in correlation to their ability to create offense.
2. Physical limitations rear ugly head
The other requisite of being an immediate impact player as an NBA rookie is being physically ready. That’s an even more daunting challenge than it was a few years ago as the level of physicality in the NBA game has increased. That trend, and the implications on scouting decisions, was a major talking point for executives last week. It favors prospects like Cameron Boozer and…
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