Arizona Wildcats Freshman Could Be Lottery Pick in 2025 NBA Draft
The Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball team is once again projected to be among the best teams in the nation.
In all three seasons under head coach Tommy Lloyd, the team has been a top seed in the NCAA Tournament. They have won at least 27 games each campaign, earning a No. 1, No. 2 and No. 2 seed.
This season, there will be a few new faces in Llyod’s rotation. Four key players from last season’s rotation, Keshad Johnson, Oumar Bello, Ky Boswell and Pelle Larsson all won’t be back after graduation, transferring or entering the NBA.
To help compensate for the frontcourt losses, Arizona was able to land Trey Townsend from Oakland in the transfer portal. They also landed highly-touted freshman Carter Bryant in their recruiting class.
At 6’8” and 220 pounds, he is the prototype that coaches are looking for in their wing players in the modern game of basketball. He has the size to be a multi-positional defender and become a dominant scorer offensively.
The upside is immense, as Jonathan Givony of ESPN has Bryant ranked as the No. 13 player in his 2025 NBA draft big board.
“Bryant drew positive reviews in practice at Arizona before being sidelined by a back injury. At 6-8 and 220 pounds, with a big wingspan and terrific frame, he has versatility and upside to tap into long term with his dynamic shotmaking ability, passing creativity, ability to finish emphatically around the rim and defensive versatility,” the ESPN basketball expert shared.
He already moved up one spot, as he was No. 14 in the previous big board before this one.
As is the case with all young players, there are some things that need to be ironed out. Bryant has to get healthy first and foremost, but there are areas of improvement that Givony highlighted.
Motor and consistency are near the top; two things that ail many young players before they learn how to carry themselves at higher levels of basketball.
“Consistency wasn't always there in high school, as his decision-making, toughness and shot selection were sporadic at times, making him a little more theoretical than some evaluators hoped, something we'll have to learn more about this season. He's likely to get minutes at both forward spots for an Arizona team looking to make a deep NCAA tournament run.”
Earning minutes at multiple spots will only help improve his stock in the eyes of NBA scouts. If he can prove capable of playing both forward spots in college, his stock will continue to rise throughout the season.
