With the NCAA and other leagues worldwide officially in full swing and the NBA season approaching the halfway point, scouts are now hard at work looking for the next potential star and core pieces. As a part of Sports Business Classroom’s 2025 NBA Draft series, the following are traditional bigs to watch ahead of June’s draft.

From the 1980s to the early 2000s, the typical big man grabbed rebounds, protected the rim, and attempted most of their shots in the paint. Nowadays, a typical big man can shoot the three, defend the perimeter or even serve as a primary playmaker—in addition to the old-school taks. We have classified the “traditional big man” by what position most of their minutes come from and whether they possess two of the three aforementioned traditional skills to a high degree (rebounding, rim protection, rim scoring, etc.).

For example, Joel Embiid would be considered a traditional big man, even though he can shoot and knock down free throws at an elite level. Domantas Sabonis, even with some elite high-post playmaking skills, would also be considered traditional.

A modern take on traditional NBA centers are those who can dunk anything within three feet, consistently grab eight or more rebounds per game, and attempt to block any shot in their reach (Dereck Lively II, Mark Williams, Jalen Duren, etc.). Khaman Maluach fits that archetype perfectly. His physical gifts give him special skills at 7’2”, 250 lbs, and a 9’8” standing reach at only 18 years old. His vertical spacing lets him get to an airborne ball first over almost anyone, be it on a lob or off a rebound. At Duke, over half of Maluach’s made shots have been dunks (via Barttorvik), and he is putting up 11.7 rebounds per 40 minutes. Malauch has excellent hands, is a high IQ defender around the rim, and has impressively knocked down 77.3 percent of his free throw attempts this season. Although he projects as a relatively one-dimensional player, his skills and abilities are pretty rare and will permit him to contribute right away in the NBA. Keep an eye on Maluach to push for the top 10 in this year’s draft.

Derik Queen is one of four potential first-round picks from the 2023-24 Monteverde Academy roster (along with Cooper Flagg, Asa Newell, and Liam McNeeley). His skill set may be more challenging to implement instantly into the style of the NBA when compared to a player like Maluach, but the level at which he executes these skills is worth teams taking a chance on. Queen is not the most athletic, but his finishing ability around the rim is special. Per Barttorvik, he finishes at a 75.7 percent rate from “close two” range, which is where most of his shots come from. Queen has a 6’10”, 246 lbs frame and while this works to his advantage when in isolation from the post, it limits his ability to play above the rim. Queen’s reliance on his footwork, down-low, and soft touch will only take him so far in today’s game, so if he wants to see a long career, he will have to develop some offense elsewhere on the court. However, in a smaller role where he is not the focal point offensively, his scoring prowess in the paint could help complement an offense.

First Round: 

  1.     Khaman Maluach – Duke
  2.     Asa Newell – Georgia
  3.     Thomas Sorber – Georgetown
  4.     Derik Queen – Maryland

Second Round:

  1.     Rocco Zikarsky – Brisbane Bullets (NBL Australia)
  2.     Maxime Raynaud – Stanford
  3.     Hansen Yang – Qingdao Eagles (China)
  4.     Johni Broome – Auburn
  5.     Danny Wolf – Michigan
  6. Flory Bidunga – Kansas
  7. Tomislav Ivišiç – Illinois
  8. Zvonimir Ivišiç – Arkansas

G League/Undrafted:

  1. Hunter Dickinson – Kansas
  2. Ryan Kalkbrenner – Creighton
  3. Izan Almansa – Perth Wildcats (NBL Australia)
  4. Joan Beringer – KK Cedevita Olimpija (Slovenia)

One of the more polarizing traditional big prospects is Rocco Zikarsky. He will be 18 years old on draft day and already boasts a 7’2”, 227 lbs frame, yet he has yet to do much in limited minutes to stand out against some of Australia’s finest. He is arguably the best rim protector in this class and has shown flashes of a jump shot, but Zikarsky will have a lot of developing to do over the next few years, both in terms of skill and IQ, if he wants to prove that he is more than just a big body. 

Flory Bidunga is the lone freshman in Coach Bill Self’s rotation for the Jayhawks and for good reason. His size and narrow offensive skillset will limit his draft ceiling, but teams will be looking to take a flyer with Bidunga as a bouncy big man with potential as a versatile defender. He is only 6’9” and struggles with his shot, but he can jump high and is not afraid to use his body when fighting for rebounds. He protects the rim at a high level, recording a season-high six blocks versus UCF on January 5 in only 21 minutes. Although Bidunga is undersized for his position, he is leading the Big 12 in field goal percentage at 79.6 percent (third in the NCAA). If he can find a way to prove that his size is a non-factor against NBA-level bigs, the Congolese native could be one of the biggest surprises of this draft. 

Ryan Kalkbrenner shot up draft boards almost immediately after posting a 49-point, 11-rebound, three-block outing versus Texas-Rio Grande Valley in his first game of the season. While he has not necessarily outdone that performance since, Kalkbrenner has continued to impress in his fifth season with the Blue Jays. While his high-level finishing (69.4 percent for career from two-point range) and rim protecting (2.3 career blocks per game) have always been there, he has added a reliable three-point shot this season. While it is only on 1.4 attempts, the 7’1” big man is making them at a 42.9 rate, up from 29.6 percent last season on similar attempts. While age (23 years old on draft day) is against him in terms of development, and his quickness is not an asset, Kalkbrenner has the skills and physical tools to potentially earn some consistent minutes in an NBA rotation.