3 Kentucky players among ESPN's Top 100 NBA Draft prospects

Times are changing in Lexington. Gone are the days of the Kentucky men’s basketball program masquerading as a one-year stopgap between high school and the NBA. While the Big Blue Nation surely hopes new head coach Mark Pope can land a couple of one-and-dones each offseason, five-star freshmen will no longer be relied upon as the primary reason for success.

Keep that in mind when we talk about ESPN’s favorite prospects for the 2025 NBA Draft. On Wednesday, draft analyst Jonathan Givony released his Top 100 rankings for the best players going into next year’s draft. Kentucky had three players crack the list, but none in the Top 60.

• No. 69 | SG/SF Koby Brea (Age: 21.9)
• No. 90 | SG/SF Jaxson Robinson (Age: 21.8)
• No. 96 | PF/C Brandon Garrison (Age: 20.5)

It’s admittedly a bit shocking to see Robinson check in so low, considering he was a borderline second-round draft pick back in the spring. He tested the waters and nearly made the leap before ultimately following Pope by transferring from BYU to Kentucky. The reigning Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year is expected to be the Wildcats’ go-to scorer this season after posting 14.2 points per game in 2023-24.

The biggest surprise of the three was Brea grading as the best NBA prospect. Like Robinson, he also tested the draft waters in the spring before pulling his name out and transferring from Dayton to UK. A two-time A-10 Sixth Man of the Year, Brea has some tools the NBA looks for as an elite outside shooter at 6-foot-6. But everyone knows about his shooting at this point. Professional scouts will look to see what else he can bring to the table this season as a fifth-year senior.

Finally, with Garrison, some have labeled him as the Wildcat with the most NBA Draft potential. It’s easy to see why. After a solid freshman season at Oklahoma State, the former McDonald’s All-American has defensive skills that are tough to teach at 6-foot-10, 250 pounds. Will the offense come around too? That’s what NBA personnel will keep an eye on as he enters his sophomore campaign.

Other notable rankings from Givony’s Top 100 include a trio of Duke players among the first 10. Cooper Flagg (No. 1), Kon Knueppel (No. 6), and No. 8 Khaman Maluach (No. 8) are three expected one-and-done freshmen for head coach Jon Scheyer. Kentucky and Duke will clash in Atlanta on Nov. 12. The Wildcats will hold the edge in experience, but the Blue Devils will have the talent advantage.

Looking at John Calipari’s first Arkansas team, he has five of his players on Givony’s list, although none are considered Top 30 prospects. Boogie Fland (No. 32), Adou Thiero (No. 40), Zvonimir Ivisic (No. 45), Jonas Aidoo (No. 71), and Johnell Davis (No. 99) fill out the Razorbacks who made the cut. Illinois freshman Will Riley, who had Kentucky in his group of finalists back in the spring, checks in at No. 22.