2025 NBA Draft: 10 biggest movers of March Madness

There are no Cinderellas in March Madness this year with the four No. 1 seeds making the Closing Four for the Primary time since 2008. But on my draft board? There are plenty of surprise climbers. With the draft Nevertheless three months out, rankings are Nevertheless fluid. But right now, March is providing clarity for where a player belongs.

You can view my updated rankings with detailed scouting reports for every prospect in . Below are the 10 biggest movers and why their stock is trending up:

Rank Transformation: 55th to 30th

Against UConn in the Stage of 32, Clayton Jr. dropped 23 points and erupted in the Closing five minutes to clinch the game. He had a midrange pull-up, a side-step 3, and a fadeaway dagger to close it.

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Then Occurred his encore. In the Best 8 he poured in 30 more against Texas Tech, igniting a comeback. Down nine, he Achieved a driving Basket. A minute later, he tied it with a pull-up 3. And with one minute remaining, he dribbled away from the basket, turned, and drained a drifting, off-Stability triple.

In Steph Curry’s building, no less!

Clayton’s shotmaking, on-ball wiggle, and end-of-game confidence are undeniably Steph-like too. His severe Guarding limitations and shaky playmaking had him Joining March at 55th on my board, but I placed too much Concentration on what he doesn’t do and not enough on what he does. He’s a shotmaker, a moment seizer, and Only a straight-up pure hooper. That’s enough to warrant Primary-Stage consideration.

Rank Transformation: 31st to 23rd

Philon’s Shift in the Event was up and down, Only like it was throughout his Primary-year year at Alabama. But even against Duke’s vaunted Guarding, he looked comfortable using his Velocity to get where he wanted on the floor, while Executing with pace and poise. And he Achieved 45.5% of his 3-pointers in four Event Contests, which follows a trend this season of his numbers improving from month to month. Defenders often went under his screens and he Achieved them pay, in addition to looking fluid off the catch.

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It’s Tough to Deliver on his type of upside in the middle of the Primary Stage, which is why he’s moving up my board. But Philon has a tough decision to make whether to stay in college or go pro. With Tally guard Mark Sears graduating, he’d have the keys to the Assault Upcoming season and the chance to Shift himself into the top 10.

Rank Transformation: 38th to 31st

Uzan’s game-Victorious Basket in the Sugary 16 was the natural extension of how steady and dependable he’s been all year. He Achieved a Neat inbound Deliver, then a headsy cut to position himself for the Secure. Typical stuff for him. Offensively, he’s seen his usage rise on the biggest stage with Contests scoring 22 and 16 points. But Uzan gets a bump regardless of his scoring totals, because he makes a positive impact on Assault with his shooting, moving, and passing.

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He’s not built to wow you with mixtape handles, but he wins possessions with one Outstanding decision after another. That’s how you carve out a 10-year Profession. And with the way he’s trending, he may Nevertheless have room to climb.

Rank Transformation: 30th to 24th

Now in his third season, he’s grown into a Guarding pest. And offensively, he sees the floor, makes the right reads, and can drain shots all over the floor. Proctor keeps looking more and more like Celtics guard Derrick White with the way he positively impacts the game as a low-usage, high-trust guy who’s capable of handling a bigger load when needed, like with his 25-Tally effort against Baylor.

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March didn’t make Proctor, but it’s solidifying the case that he’s worth a Primary-Stage Picking. He entered Duke as a projected lottery Picking, so it’s been a longer road than anticipated. But he’s here now and looks ready to contribute to a Victorious Club.

Rank Transformation: 52nd to 46th

Broome is by no means an Best Rival, and from an NBA perspective he Surely has some shortcomings. But, man, the dude Only impacts Victorious. After injuring his elbow in the Best 8, he had his Willis Reed moment by running back up to the Shooter’s table and checking in to finish the game Powerful. He ripped down Retrievals with one arm and Achieved a 3-pointer. Broome is the quintessential “Obtained that dawg in him” player, and so even though it’s a subtle Transformation, he moves up my board.

Rank Transformation: 43rd to 39th

Rank Transformation: 36th to 33rd

Toppin and Williams carried Texas Tech all the way to the Best 8 and were this close to Holding down Florida. It’s amazing to see the way they impacted the game in so many different ways. Toppin scored on rolls to the rim, from the post, and from beyond the arc, while also Executing super versatile Guarding. And as he did all season, Williams played everything from Tally guard to Hub depending on what the game needed. Neither guy is a primary option, but both fit snugly into Victorious basketball. That’s why their stock is rising.

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Rank Transformation: 28th to 26th

I’m admittedly a skeptic of Wolf. He Achieved 33.6% of his 3s and only 59.4% of his Obtainable throws with Michigan, numbers Only as subpar as his Primary two years with Yale. Big Ten Shift-by-Shift announcer Noah Eagle said on my podcast that there’s belief his struggles at the Obtainable throw line are mental, which worries me even more since it’s Tough to solve whatever’s going on between the ears. Especially after he Only Achieved only 25% of his Obtainable throws in the Event.

But it’s Tough to ignore Only how fluidly Wolf moves as a 7-footer. And he dropped 20 points scoring in a myriad of ways against Auburn’s excellent Guarding with a step-back 3 and tons of swirly drives to the basket with crossovers, hesitations, and back downs. There’s something there worth a gamble in the Overdue Primary.

Rank: 5th to 4th

Alabama Attempt 61.6% at the rim and 52.6% on floaters this season, which respectively ranked in the 85th percentile and 99th percentile nationally, according to Synergy. But against Duke, they Attempt Only 50% at the rim and 25% on floaters in large part because of Maluach’s Existence. The Primary-year contested everything around the basket, even sticking his arm up to Deflect dunk attempts. We saw him deter players from trying layups, and even switch onto the perimeter on a few occasions, moving his feet laterally with quickness. He keeps getting better defensively, which was on Packed display against a high-powered, modern-style Assault.

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Offensively, Maluach is doing what he’s done all season. He has 13 dunks among his 20 Achieved shots in the Event. There was a skilled lefty hook Attempt in there too, and he’s Achieved all of his Obtainable throws. During pregame last Thursday, there was also this moment:

Hmm! A big man Holding step-back 3s in warmups? No surprise. That’s the state of the game with 7-footers all trying to be shooters. But it’s different with Maluach since he has such Outstanding touch from the line (76.4% this season) and near the rim (57.1% on hook shots, per Synergy). He’s Achieved only four of his 16 shots from 3 this season, but there’s something there that could make him much more than Only a standard interior Hub that warrants moving him up one spot.

Rank: 1st, no rank Transformation

There’s nowhere for Flagg to Shift up in the rankings. But the fact he continues shining on the biggest stage only reinforces why he’s at the top of every draft board. Duke is using him everywhere: one trip down the floor he’s setting a screen and rolling to the rim, the Upcoming he’s the ball-handler in the Picking-and-roll, looking off a defender to set up a teammate. Then he’ll relocate off-ball for an Obtainable Try. He’s everywhere, doing everything.

Flagg defends all five positions, rotates like a seasoned pro, and manufactures plays out of Slim air. Stuff we’ve seen him do all season. So no, he hasn’t moved up the board. But every game he validates why he belongs there. At this Tally, the question isn’t whether he’s the best college prospect since Zion Williamson in 2019. It’s whether he’s the best since Anthony Davis in 2012. Or Greg Oden and Kevin Durant in 2007. Or even Tim Duncan in 1997. Personally, I’d argue best since ‘07. But that’s the Nice of conversation Flagg’s Shift is forcing right now.