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 versatile forwards to watch ahead of June’s draft.

A versatile forward is a player with an above-average-sized frame who can wear many hats for a team. These are typically high-quality complementary players (such as Draymond Green, Shane Battier and Aaron Gordon). However, in recent years, especially with the emphasis on positionless basketball, versatile forwards have become much more than that. Young players such as Paolo Banchero, Scottie Barnes and Evan Mobley are examples of the modern elite versatile forward.

Cooper Flagg came into this season as the undisputed No. 1 overall prospect in this draft, which has continued to be the case throughout the year. While a few of Flagg’s limitations have come to light during Duke’s first 14 games, he has continuously impressed with his offensive versatility, defensive IQ, effort, and strong leadership after only turning 18 in late December. While he still needs to grow as a three-point shooter and shot creator off the dribble, he’ll undoubtedly put in the time and work to improve and position himself to become an NBA All-Star.

After two underwhelming seasons at Kentucky, Adou Thiero followed Coach John Calipari to Arkansas and excelled in his more significant offensive role. While he is not necessarily a three-point threat (24.0 percent on 1.9 attempts per game), Thiero is a dangerous scorer in the lane. His drives are very purposeful and well-calculated. He reacts exceptionally well to defensive rotations, allowing him to consistently and effectively maneuver to the hoop for a high-percentage shot. With a strong 6’8″ frame, almost seven-foot wingspan, and excellent horizontal and vertical athleticism, Thiero has all the tools to be a high-level NBA defender, which he already displays at the college level. He currently displays similarities to OG Anunoby when he came into the league. If he can develop his outside shot as Anunoby has, he could also grow into one of the top 3-and-D role players in the league.

First Round:

  1.     Cooper Flagg – Duke
  2.     Noa Essengue – Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany)
  3.     Adou Thiero – Arkansas
  4.     Rasheer Fleming – St. Joseph’s
  5.     JT Toppin – Texas Tech
  6.     Donnie Freeman – Syracuse

Second Round:

  1.     Kanon Catchings – BYU
  2.     Darrion Williams – Texas Tech
  3.     Collin Murray-Boyles – South Carolina
  4.     Malique Lewis – South East Melbourne Phoenix (NBL Australia)
  5.     Tyler Harris – Washington
  6.     Dink Pate – Mexico City Capitanes (G League)
  7.     Derrion Reid – Alabama

G League/Undrafted:

  1.     Lachlan Olbrich – Illawarra Hawks (NBL Australia)
  2.     Bogoljub Marković – Mega Basket (Serbia)
  3.     Milan Momcilovic – Iowa State
  4.     Baba Miller – FAU
  5.     Tucker DeVries – West Virginia

Darrion Williams has transformed into a high-level contributor for Texas Tech in his junior year. On top of scoring a career-high 16.2 points per game on 47.9/34.9/88.6 shooting splits, Williams is also currently averaging 5.3 assists per game, up from 2.5 from last season. This skill and his 6’6″, 225 lb frame make him highly effective and versatile in the pick-and-roll. Williams creates with high-level sneaky passes or uses his strength to score inside, shooting 63.3 percent (via Barttorvik). Conversely, Williams can set a strong screen and become an excellent secondary playmaker or finisher. He is limited athletically (vertically and horizontally), limiting his defensive potential, but his passion for the game should help.

While Collin Murray-Boyles has been a popular name with scouts over the past two seasons, his physical limitations and narrow offensive skillset may make it difficult for him to find a place in the NBA. Where Murray-Boyles makes his name is with an elite interior scoring ability (shooting 64.5 percent inside the arc, with most of these points coming right around the rim). He is a powerful dunker with a wide variety of post-moves to get more effortless looks at the rim. He is one of the SEC’s best rebounders and has shown flashes of witty playmaking. However, Murray-Boyles is only 6’7″ and his lack of speed and outside scoring at this size will give him and his coaches a challenge to figure out how he can continue to thrive against NBA-level defense. 

Bogoljub Marković, a tall, lanky teenager playing in Serbia (6’11”, 195 lbs), has been taking the Liga ABA by storm this season. While he has a lot of growing to do defensively as a rim protector (0.93 blocks per 40 minutes), Markovic has shown to be a dynamic scorer, displaying a smooth jump shot (36.1 percent rate) with impressive ballhandling and the ability to get the rebound at one end and go coast-to-coast. He also possesses a fundamentally sound playmaking style that sees him finding open teammates both inside and out. He will need to hit the weights if he wants any chance to defend in the NBA and his offensive skillset will be hard to transfer to the fast pace of the NBA if he cannot improve his quickness. However, keep an eye on him; his currently high impact in a professional league at only 19 years old has been a rare sighting.