March Madness is a great opportunity to show scouts what they’ll do on the biggest stage before the 2025 NBA Draft and a few players did exactly that.
Even though it was the Florida Gators who eventually became national champions, there were several players who also came away from the tournament as big winners as they set to begin their professional careers as well. So which prospects were the biggest stock risers?
For The Win spoke to an NBA scout on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on behalf of their team.
Meanwhile, for more prospect coverage, here is our latest NBA mock draft at For The Win.
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1. Walter Clayton Jr.
No player did more to help himself for the 2025 NBA Draft during the NCAA men’s basketball tournament than Florida star Walter Clayton Jr., who won a national championship.
He led the tournament in scoring, via CBB Analytics, with 20 points more than any other player during the Big Dance.
Clayton also had the most long 3-pointers beyond 25 feet (12) and the most unassisted 3-pointers (9) connected. He recorded the most combined field goals made on 3-pointers and at the rim (39) as well. Additionally, no player drew more shooting fouls (21) or converted more and-one attempts (5) during the tournament.
While it remains unclear just how high he can go based on his performance, a first-round selection is certainly one of the likely outcomes, even if evaluators are rightfully skeptical of undersized upperclassmen.
2. Jeremiah Fears
One scout who spoke to For The Win said that Oklahoma’s Jeremiah Fears was his favorite player to watch during March Madness.
According to the scout, Fears looked at his best under the bright lights of the tournament. He was described as an “elite scorer” who is “very clutch” and that made him difficult to stop. He moves the ball well and it is hard to stay in front of him and he plays well against pressure.
Even though Fears is the second-youngest American player (behind Cooper Flagg) projected to hear his name called in the 2025 NBA Draft, opposing teams had Fears highlighted on their game plans. But there was still very little to do to stop him even though he was the head of the snake in the Sooner offense.
He recorded 20 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals against the defending national champions during his only game of the tournament.
The scout added that the background intel on Fears is “great” and that teams should feel comfortable selecting him as a top-5 pick if they want a point guard.
3. Derik Queen
Maryland’s Derik Queen was another breakout star of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, helping lead his team to appearance in the Sweet 16.
Queen hit a game-winner against Colorado State, which was arguably the most exciting moment of March Madness. As noted by my colleague Mike Sykes, the shot solidified his stock in the 2025 NBA Draft:
“Queen went from being off big boards completely to being projected as a top 20 pick to, now, seemingly being a lottery-level talent for the NBA draft. After this shot, though? There’s a legitimate case to make for Queen as one of the best three prospects in the upcoming draft class behind Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper.”
Queen’s passing is sensational and in a modern NBA system that often plays through their big man, that is an incredibly valuable player.
He is able to see the play before it happens and advance the ball in a way that might remind fans of Kevin Love. Any team looking for the ultimate connector will find an answer to their prayers by selecting Queen.
4. Nique Clifford
Before the 2025 NBA Draft, we correctly predicted Nique Clifford was the prospect most likely to pull off an upset in the first round.
Among teams that made the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and played at least 60 percent of minutes for their team, via Bart Torvik, no player had a higher box plus-minus after March 1 than Clifford. He finished the season as one of the overall leaders in all-in-one metrics like Wins Above Replacement Player and Win Shares.
He had 21 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks against Maryland in a nail-biter of a game.
The biggest knock on Clifford is that he is the oldest player we have projected in the first round of our latest mock, but at this point, that is also a bonus to his game as well. It reminds scouts that the do-it-all forward is trustworthy with legitimate maturity to his game.
While his advanced age may have made some evaluators skeptical about potentially using a first-round pick on him, those doubts are quickly quelled by his undeniable productivity. Clifford is now likely to hear his name called as one of the first 20 players in this class or at least somewhere near that range.
5. Carter Bryant
Another player who significantly improved his draft stock during March Madness is Arizona freshman Carter Bryant.
Perhaps a prospect like Bryant would have considered going back to school for another season baed on his relatively small role while playing for the Wildcats during his first collegiate campaign. But instead, he showed undeniable flashes of what he can contribute during the Big Dance.
His best performance was shooting 3-of-4 on 3-pointers during the opening round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, adding 5 rebounds with 1 steal and 3 blocks in a win over Akron.
Bryant proved that he is a high IQ basketball player who is willing to do anything, he can hit open 3-pointers, and he is a solid defender. An NBA scout told For The Win that it would be shocking if Bryant is not a first-round pick.
6. Chaz Lanier
One more player who did well to help himself during the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is Tennessee senior Chaz Lanier.
Lanier is ready to produce as a sharpshooter in the NBA because he is able to shoot from deep, especially coming off pin-downs. His primary scoring came from off-ball screens, per Synergy, which is a play type where he led all Division I men’s basketball players in points scored (175) this season.
Despite only playing four games, he had nearly double the points (34) using off-ball screens during March Madness than any other player in the tournament.
He trailed just Clayton (who played two extra games) in 3-pointers made from beyond 25 feet during these games, too.
Lanier has likely put himself in a position to get selected in the late first or early second round of the 2025 NBA Draft.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 6 players who improved their NBA draft stock during March Madness