The NBA Draft is still four weeks away, but the work to prepare for it is in full game mode. That includes not just the players but the teams, who are spending long hours hosting workouts, breaking down video, working the phones and discussing over and over again amongst themselves whom they should draft, and where, and what possible trades should be explored
The league held its annual draft combine earlier this month in Chicago, where a lot of the action was played out in public. It’s not easy to suss out what is happening behind the scenes, but that’s what Hoops HQ will do over the next four weeks. You can check out Krysten Peek’s latest report from inside the draft process from earlier this week. Here is what I’m hearing.
There will be much to track between now and June 25-26, when we’ll have all the answers at the draft in Brooklyn, N.Y. In the meantime, here is the inside scoop on some of the hottest topics from around the league.
Khaman Maluach, Top-Five Wildcard?
Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey and VJ Edgecombe have been the most popular names projected in the tier behind Cooper Flagg all year. It’s sounding like Flagg’s Duke teammate, 7-foot-1 freshman center Khaman Maluach, may be entering that tier. Some think he’s going to be the surprise name to leapfrog Edgecombe or wind up going ahead of Tre Johnson, Kon Knueppel and Jeremiah Fears.
While teams often downplay workout performances, citing how one-on-none drills offer no new information, the reviews from Maluach’s Pro Day were wildly positive.
Though teams are all aware of how well the big man moves, this was the first time executives were able to see the shooting touch that was mostly masked at Duke. Maluach delivered shotmaking flashes at the NBA Global Academy prior to this season, and now these workouts have given him an opportunity to sell teams on drafting a finisher/shot-blocker who’ll eventually stretch the floor.
Asking around, scouts can picture a draft where the Hornets or Jazz see Maluach as a bigger difference-maker than Edgecombe, who isn’t great off the dribble; Fears, who struggles with three-point shooting and turnovers; or Johnson, who lives and dies by the jump shot.
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Maxime Raynaud’s Rise Might Be Bigger Than Initially Thought
Raynaud skipped the second day of scrimmaging at the NBA combine after dominating his first. While it’s unlikely any team gave him an immediate promise, there was nothing left to prove.
His performance was very convincing, to the point where scouts now think that projecting him late first round is too conservative. Raynaud, who made 67 threes this year, measured over seven feet barefoot, while projected mid-first-round centers Thomas Sorber and Derik Queen came in at 6-foot-9.
Raynaud’s skill level has risen and expanded each season. Teams valuing more offense at the five position will presumably give him legitimate thought in the teens or early 20s.
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Yanic Konan Niederhauser: Off the Radar to Potential First-Rounder
Penn State forward Yanic Konan Niederhuaser waited until the last few hours before the deadline to announce he’s staying in the draft. Teams believe he’s going to earn real consideration in the late first round, despite the fact he was mostly off the radar one month ago.
His dominance at G League Elite Camp, followed by flashes during NBA combine scrimmaging and excellent measurements/athletic testing results, have led to scouts taking him a lot more seriously as a pro prospect.
There have been rumors about a promise, but those who mentioned it admittedly questioned if it was smoke. Niederhauser could have gone back to Happy Valley and developed his game to the point where he would be a top 20 pick in 2026, but the interest in him appears to be real enough where it convinced Niederhauser to strike while the iron was hot.
Cedric Coward’s Wild New Draft Range
Opinions on Cedric Coward are all over the place, which is understandable given all the variables of a scouting equation that includes just six games played, outstanding numbers/tape, an incredible physical profile and an injury that’s forced him into only non-contact workouts.
I’ve heard everything from potential first-rounder to lottery projections for Coward from various NBA people.
Coward is the ultimate high-risk, high-reward posterboy. He’ll need a team that has an imagination and can afford to take a gamble on a player with an NBA body and valued skill set — just not many results against credible opponents.
NBA Combine for Top International Prospects
After Eurocamp in Treviso, the top international prospects who couldn’t make last month’s NBA combine will go through similar testing and drills this week. Though there isn’t a heavy presence of executives in Italy, Nolan Traore, Noa Essengue, Joan Beringer, Hugo Gonzalez, Ben Saraf and Noah Penda will be there to get measured and participate in shooting drills.
Traore and Penda’s season have concluded, but Essengue, Beringer, Gonzalez and Saraf are still playing overseas. Their ability to work out for NBA teams could come down to how far their own teams advance in the playoffs.
