2025 NBA Draft: 6 sleepers to watch in the Sweet 16

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A lot of the NBA scouts I chat with don’t spend too much time obsessing over lottery prospects. What they care about is the meat of the draft, those late first-round and second-round prospects that don’t grab headlines but end up being key contributors. Who has underrated upside? Who can play immediately? Who got lost in the shuffle? Here are six sleepers you’ll see in the Sweet 16 that could have long NBA futures:

Fland was the 17th-ranked high school prospect before committing to Arkansas, and now he’s ranked in the second round by most analysts, including myself. He’s only 6-foot-2, missed multiple months due to thumb surgery and Arkansas wasn’t all that great this season in John Calipari’s first season as head coach.

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But now the Razorbacks find themselves in the Sweet 16 with Boogie back on the floor. Neither of Fland’s two games in his return from injury were all that productive as a scorer: He made just four of his 15 shots. But you also see the flashes:

Fland is a shifty shot-creator who can get into the teeth of the defense. Normally, he’s looking to pass. But Arkansas might need Fland to be the scorer that Calipari recruited him to be to have any chance of outsourcing Texas Tech, who ranked fifth in KenPom’s offensive rating. Fland is making 47.6% of his catch-and-shoot 3s as a freshman, and he can catch fire off the dribble. His ceiling as a bucket-getter is way higher than anyone else on the roster.

On the latest episode of my podcast, my former co-host Chris Vernon said Fland has become way too underrated. The Sweet 16 will be an opportunity to prove Verno right.

You will spot Tugler as soon as you turn on the Houston game. Just look for Inspector Gadget with the dreadlocks. The Cougars sophomore is 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, and blocks two shots in only 21.8 minutes per game.

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Tugler has a 89.8 defensive rating when he’s on the floor, best in the nation. When he’s off? It drops to 98.3, per CBB Analytics. Still elite,…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/2025-nba-draft-6-sleepers-to-watch-in-the-sweet-16-194033043.html

Author : Kevin O'Connor

Publish date : 2025-03-26 19:40:00

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