High School Spotlight: Why Jaden Toombs is Among the Most Underrated Players in 2025 Class

Highlighting one of the most underrated prospects in the 2025 high school class.

The SMU Mustangs cheerleaders run out on to the floor for their game against the Memphis Tigers at the Moody Coliseum on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020. W 20054a / Joe Rondone/The Commercial Appeal, The Commercial Appeal via Imagn Content Services, LLC

An SMU commit who grew up in the same metroplex as the campus he’ll be playing at following his final high school season, Jaden Toombs is one of the most underrated players in the current senior class. 

As SMU continues its rise on the hardwood with a great recruiting class coming in, Toombs could be a piece that makes a real impact from day one. He has a frame ready to compete against the biggest and best athletes in the country at 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and a strong build. 

Simply put, Toombs is an enormous physical presence on both ends of the floor. He’s an extremely productive rebounder who can dominate the glass and change the possession battle in a game by himself. Over the past few years, he’s emerged as an even better athlete as he’s worked hard on conditioning and getting his body right. That should only continue once he makes it to a college campus, as he can continue to develop into an even more physical big. This will prove to be key on the defensive end, where he’s already disruptive and an adequate drop defender, but could flash more versatility with a bit more mobility. 

While he may appear at first glance to be more of a throwback big who isn’t suited for the modern game, that’s not the case at all. He’s a phenomenal positional passer who moves very well. He can make plays out of the low post, finding cutters or open shooters on the wing, but is also comfortable putting the ball on the floor and making the defense dictate what happens next. Toombs has good natural feel on the offensive end and generally makes the right read with great processing skills. 

The next step for the DFW native will be expanding his range on the offensive end. He has good touch and go-to moves with his back to the basket, but will need to eventually space the floor. Toombs has already developed in the midrange area as a shooter, but still has some refinement needed with his jumper. From there, it wouldn’t be surprising if he had success becoming a respectable 3-point shooter at the college level. 

The tools are all there for Toombs to emerge as an NBA player. It’s unclear whether he has what it takes to be a one-and-done talent at the collegiate level, but there’s no question he has a pathway to hearing his name called in a future NBA Draft. He isn’t being talked about enough now, but once he takes the stage at SMU, that could all change. 

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