With the NCAA and other leagues worldwide officially in full swing and the NBA season already at the first quarter mark, NBA scouts are now hard at work looking for their teams’ next potential star and core pieces. As a part of Sports Business Classroom’s 2025 NBA Draft series, the following are scoring guards to watch ahead of June’s draft.

A scoring guard is categorized as somebody in the guard position who possesses a score-first approach to their offense, as opposed to a lead guard who approaches it with a pass-first mindset. Scoring guards can typically score in various fashions, including with and without the ball, in the paint, beyond the arc, and more.

VJ Edgecombe has been a relatively polarizing prospect to start the season at Baylor but has remained a consensus top-10 prospect. Regarding his offense, he has lacked consistency in the shooting category, both from the three-point and free-throw line. So far in the season, Edgecombe has been shooting 26.3 percent and 63 percent, respectively. Nevertheless, he has impressed in almost every other category as an elite defender on and off the ball. While the numbers back this up at 2.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, Edgecombe has also passed the eye test by moving his feet exceptionally well and hustling to close-outs and loose balls. He also stands out as a fast, high-flying athlete who excels in the open floor by getting downhill in a blink and finishing high difficult attempts at the rim or throwing down a monster dunk. If Edgecombe can grow as a shooter, he has the potential to be the best all-around prospect in this draft. 

Jeremiah Fears came out of nowhere this season and has quickly put his name in lottery conversations for the upcoming draft. After being a four-star recruit and ranked 40th by ESPN coming into college, the Oklahoma freshman has taken the SEC by storm. He currently ranks 13th in points, fifth in assists, and third in steals through his first nine collegiate games (sliding into Coach Porter Moser’s starting five for the 9-0 Sooners. He is a combo guard with scoring potential at all three levels. He is a crafty ball-handler and finisher but must develop his jump shot. His slower release leads to his shots becoming more contested than they need to be. His play making however adds another level to his offensive game that currently masks his shooting woes to a degree. Look for him to continue to move up the boards over the season.

 

First Round:

  1.     VJ Edgecombe – Baylor
  2.     Tre Johnson – Texas
  3.     Jeremiah Fears – Oklahoma
  4.     Ian Jackson – UNC
  5.     Kam Jones – Marquette
  6.     Nique Clifford – Colorado St.
  7.     Joson Sanon – Arizona St.

Second Round: 

  1.     Hunter Sallis – Wake Forest
  2.     KJ Lewis – Arizona
  3.     Ben Henshall – Perth Wildcats (NBL Australia)
  4.     Jalil Bethea – Miami
  5.     Jamir Watkins – Florida St.
  6.     Chaz Lanier – Tennessee
  7.     Dame Sarr – FC Barcelona (Spain)

G League/Undrafted:

  1.     Gabe Madsen – Utah
  2.     Wooga Poplar – Villanova
  3.     Chris Youngblood – Alabama
  4.     Johnell Davis – Arkansas

At only 20 years old, Perth Wildcat’s Ben Henshall carries himself as a veteran both on and off the court. He plays a very fundamental form of basketball. Henshall takes good shots, makes quality passes, and commits well on both ends of the floor. He can play various roles on the offensive end, whether a shooter, a cutter, or a primary or secondary play maker. However, he loses some value as a prospect through his limited athleticism, struggling to stay in front of quick guards on defense. While his slower pace may cater well in the NBL, it will limit his on-ball abilities offensively in the NBA.

A trend is becoming apparent at Tennessee: bringing in talented mid-major hoopers and turning them into NBA prospects during their final year of eligibility. It happened last season with Dalton Knecht and is happening this season with Chaz Lanier. Lanier played his first four seasons with the University of North Florida and has averaged 19.1 points per game on 48.0/48.6/78.9 percent splits in his first season with the NCAA powerhouse. While his defense is lacking, he is one of the purest and most dynamic scorers in college and will be looked at to bring some scoring depth to teams drafting in the second round.

Johnell Davis is playing in his fifth collegiate season and his first for Arkansas under Coach John Calipari. His stats are down in all categories, but he is adjusting to an entirely new role by having to share the ball a lot more than over his four seasons at FAU. With that, he is still the talented, three-level scorer that he has been over his career, and with the offensive freedom of the G League, he has ample opportunity to thrive there. If Davis can find his groove in the G League, NBA teams may be willing to take a chance on his scoring talents.