Six players in 2025 recruiting cycle providing optimism for 2026 NBA Draft

Through each recruiting cycle, you eventually see the crowd of players play their way into tiers. For some class cycles, this happens early and for some, it can wait until the very last update, after the all-star games. In the 2025 recruiting cycle, we are starting to see six players break away from the group.

At On3 we have never shied away from transparency in our rankings process. At the end of the day, we are ranking toward NBA Draft night. Looking across the top six players in the updated 2025 On3 150, they are looking to have an upside toward the NBA Draft Lottery.

We are coming off of a 2024 NBA Draft cycle that many made note was down at the top. In fact over the last two NBA Drafts, six of the players taken among the top five in each draft were drafted from outside of the college ranks. A quick snapshot in time, the 2026 NBA Draft class, is starting to shape up to be very interesting with domestic high school prospects.

While AJ Dybantsa has separated himself individually from the group, the top six players in this 2025 recruiting cycle have started to break away from the rest of the pack. After going through the 2024 NBA Draft cycle, the conversations are already starting about the 2026 NBA Draft is looking quite promising.

READ: AJ Dybantsa remains No. 1 in 2025 On3 150

Cameron Boozer, Nate Ament, Darryn Peterson, Chris Cenac, and Caleb Wilson each also have NBA Scouts talking. There is an excitement about the group. There is not only excitement about the current production this group is experiencing but also the high-end upside that each of these players’ potential archetypes brings to the table.

With the potential archetype outcomes of each of these players proving quite valuable in today’s game, let’s take a glance at each of the top six players in the 2025 On3 150, and talk through their games.

No. 1 SF AJ Dybantsa, Hurricane (UT) Utah Prep

When you mix the size, the athleticism, the alpha mentality, and the skill together you have a high school prospect that checks a lot of the boxes the highest levels are looking for. AJ Dybantsa, the 6-foot-8 small forward who will play his senior season at Hurricane (UT) Utah Prep, carries the requisite positional size as well as the ability to self-create offense in the half-court. He is decisive off the bounce and his shot load and release are consistent regardless if he is shooting off the catch or the bounce. Dybantsa has the length and athletic pop to be effective on defense and he has produced consistently at the highest levels he is able to play.

This summer, Dybantsa won his second gold medal with USA Basketball. He averaged 14.1 points and 4.1 assists en route to the gold. He followed that up by finishing second in Peach Jam in scoring, last year he led 17U Peach Jam in scoring, averaging 23.1 points on 48.3 percent shooting. Dybantsa was the MVP of the Grind Session at Napa (CA) Prolific Prep this high school season and finished his freshman year at Needham (MA) Saint Sebastian’s as Massachusetts’ Gatorade Player of the Year.

Dybatnsa is going to have to continue working through his balance points, this plays into his ability off the bounce as well as throughout his shot load, especially off the bounce. Continuing to tighten his footwork will be worth watching over his next couple of years as well. Dybantsa has improved his ability to put pressure on the rim in the half-court, showing self-creation off the bounce and proving capable of consistently putting two feet in the paint.

A look at his current production, the projectable size, and his skill set and tools, the projections are high for AJ Dybantsa, and he already has NBA Scouts talking about him atop their 2026 NBA Draft lists.

No. 2 PF Cam Boozer, Miami (FL) Columbus High

No high school player over the past decade – perhaps even further – carries a resume as impressive as Cam Boozer. The son of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, the 6-foot-8 power forward has won three Florida 7A State Championships, three Nike Peach Jam titles, and two FIBA gold medals with USA Basketball. The Five-Star Plus+ power forward has played in seven different seasons since he entered high school basketball, and won a championship in all seven of them.

Not only has Boozer won a championship in every season he has played in, he has also been named league MVP of most of them. This summer, Boozer played on his second USA Basketball team when he helped take home a gold medal in the FIBA 17U World Cup. He averaged 20.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 2.7 steals per game en route to tournament MVP honors. In his sophomore season, Boozer was named the Gatorade and MaxPreps National High School Player of the Year. After returning from Turkey for the FIBA U17 World Cup, Boozer helped lead his Nightrydas team to the Nike Peach Jam championship, the third he has won in his age group. He averaged 20.4 points and 10.1 rebounds throughout the tournament.

While the production has been consistent for Boozer, across all levels of competition, I have heard some NBA Scouts questioning where Boozer’s top-end upside lies. While the general consensus is that Boozer should play a decade-plus in the NBA, the wonder comes in what level of impact he can have on a championship-caliber team. One NBA Scout commented to me in a recent conversation, “I have no doubt he is going to play in our league, but will he be anything more than a fourth starter on a good team? Don’t get me wrong, the league needs those guys, but I wonder about his ultimate ceiling.”

Boozer has strong hands and natural instincts on the boards, using his base to do the work early and find himself in a consistent position to secure area rebounds. He is an excellent outlet passer and is able to push the break himself in the open floor. The Five-Star Plus+ forward has shown he can quickly turn rebounds into transition opportunities. Boozer prefers facing up in the half-court. He has a smooth shooting touch when his feet are set and he can finish with both hands at the rim through contact using an array of up-fakes and reverse pivots.

A name I have heard multiple people bring up when talking about Cam Boozer comparisons is Kevin Love. His dad, Carlos Boozer, is another comparison I have heard brought up. His steady production at the highest levels of play remains very appealing.

No. 3 SF Nate Ament, Warrenton (VA) Highland School

For starters, Nate Ament is listed at 6-foot-9. You cannot help but take notice when he walks on the floor because along with his height, Ament has good length and a projectable-looking frame. The part of Ament’s game that has been most intriguing to me has been his quick processing and his ability to make and deliver on reads.

Ament is comfortable as the primary ball-handler in pick-and-roll situations, and he can consistently distribute passes with either hand, on target. While Ament has been ranked among the top ten players in his class by On3 for the last three updates, Ament’s progression on the boards and on the defensive end took his ceiling to another level.

Ament is thin, listed in the 175-pound range. He is going to have to continue adding weight, which will help solidify his base and balance. He has thin hips and thin ankles, so, while it is not yet a cause for concern, it will be something worth paying attention to. Ament is capable of self-creation from multiple levels. He operates within two or three dribbles from the mid-post and he can get downhill with the ball from the perimeter.

This summer, on the Adidas 3SSB Circuit, Ament averaged 15.4 points while shooting 41.7 percent from three and 85.4 percent from the free throw line. The 6-foot-9 wing also averaged 7.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per contest.

As you look at the size, the consistent upward trajectory and the unique skill set are appealing. Especially when you look at the positional size and fluidity as he continues to progress toward the NBA Draft.

No. 4 SG Darryn Peterson, Huntington (WV) Huntington Prep

Darryn Peterson put on one of the best performances I saw from a guard this summer. In his opening round game of the Adidas 3SSB Palmetto Road Championships, Peterson finished the game with 38 points and 11 rebounds. He poked and prodded his way into the teeth of the defense, absorbed the contact, and he put consistent pressure on the defense.

Throughout the entire week, Peterson proved to be confident on the ball, playing with an excellent pace and attacking open spots on the floor that put the defense on their heels. Where Peterson really impressed was with his ability to get to the free-throw line. During the Adidas Championships, he had two games where he took 20, or more free throws. In the game referenced above, Peterson finished 18-20 from the free-throw line.

Peterson is a strong-bodied guard. While he is comfortable playing off the ball, Peterson was at his best orchestrating things with the ball in his hands. He was especially effective in the pick and roll. He is going to have to become a more consistent threat as a jump shooter, he was sub-30 percent in Adidas 3SSB play this summer, and the ball has a tendency to stick in his hands at times as he misses some passing reads in the half-court.

A big takeaway in watching Peterson this summer is his defensive presence. While the numbers on the offensive end were eye-popping, and his analytics are really good, some left the Adidas Championships enamored with Peterson’s defensive output. Peterson averaged 4.2 steals and 3.0 blocks throughout the event. He showed a tenacity along with timing on the defensive end. He was very aggressive off the ball and almost acted as a bully with his physicality when guarding the ball.

Peterson has excellent positional size with a strong and physical frame and the ability to get into the teeth of the defense and put pressure on the rim. Even with the inconsistent shooting, he carries a lot of traits that are intriguing to the highest levels.

No. 5 PF Chris Cenac, Branson (MO) Link Academy

While Chris Cenac has been a top 20-type prospect for the better part of the 2024 calendar year for On3, his reputation has just recently started to rise across the industry. Cenac’s game continues to improve. When On3 initially moved Cenac into the top 25 of its rankings in October of last year, it was on the back of his ability to knock down threes from the corner and switch and slide his feet defensively along the perimeter.

Over the past few months, Cenac has grown to a legit and lengthy 6-foot-10. While still needing to continue adding weight, he has gotten stronger in his base, able to better hold his ground. Where his skill set has really popped of late is his play on the ball. Cenac is capable of attacking a mismatch in the half-court and getting to the front of the rim and is comfortable pushing the break under control, off the rebound. Cenac is also capable of shooting, from three, off movement, or stepping into shots if the opposing defender sags off.

With Cenac’s robust, and continually developing skill set, he is still finding ways to explore the totality of his game, in competition. He will need to continue working on his balance points and his footwork. Also, finding his spots on the floor he is most effective and working through ways to get to his spots. The game is still developing, but the top-end ceiling is as high as anyone in the class.

It has become a common theme here, but positional size with length along with a versatile skill set is looked at fondly across the highest levels of the game. Cenac’s ability to switch on defense and stretch and create on offense lends to his top-end archetype outcome being very high.

No. 6 PF Caleb Wilson, Atlanta (GA) Holy Innocents

Caleb Wilson has reinvented himself, and with the consolidation of his game, his value has become more robust. Playing this Summer with the Nightrydas program, alongside Cam Boozer, Wilson was able to settle into a valuable role.

At 6-foot-9, Wilson showed he could possibly be the top two-way-type wing/forward prospect in the class. At first, after the move, there was some clunky play from Wilson as he learned to play beside a positionally redundant, already-established, Boozer. Wilson’s game shifted from figuring things out as a primary option to a top-of-the-line complimentary piece that significantly raised a team’s floor.

Wilson shows promise as a player who can self-create. He created clean looks from the mid-post and showed developing comfort in getting to the rim off two and three dribbles. Wilson will need to continue working on his scoring package, his footwork and balance need continued tightening, and so does his shooting touch off the catch. Wilson’s shooting release is high and consistent, however, his shot load is inconsistent. It can flatten out and can have a relatively significant hitch in it.

With that said, throughout Peach Jam, en route to a championship, Wilson consistently shined on the defensive end. He averaged 2.6 blocks and 1.8 steals. The 6-foot-8 forward showed capable of sliding his feet along with excellent timing and instincts in rotation.

Coming out of Peach Jam some of the player top-end comparisons people were talking about were across the Jaden McDaniels and Patrick Williams player archetype. Someone with this kind of length and size, the versatility to lock down opposing forwards, and some upside of offensive creation has a lot of value.

The 2026 NBA Daft Class

We are around 23 months away from the 2026 NBA Draft night. None of the top six players in the 2025 recruiting cycle have committed to school yet. I say that to note that we still have a long way to go in this process.

With that said, at this point in the process, this group of domestic players has some NBA Scouts excited, more so than they have been over the past couple of cycles. There are six players, unique in their skill set, whose top-end outcomes provide real value with the way basketball is being played at the highest levels of the game.