As a part of Sports Business Classroom’s 2026 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 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, as basketball has become increasingly positionless, versatile forwards have become much more than that. Young players such as Paolo Banchero, Scottie Barnes, and Cooper Flagg are examples of elite modern, versatile forwards.

 

First Round: 

  •     Cameron Boozer – Duke
  •     Caleb Wilson – North Carolina
  •     Yaxel Lendeborg – Michigan
  •     Koa Peat – Arizona
  •     Thomas Haugh – Florida
  •     Joshua Jefferson – Iowa State
  •     Nate Ament – Tennessee
  •     Amari Allen – Alabama

Second Round

  •     Joseph Tugler – Houston
  •     JT Toppin – Texas Tech
  •     Donnie Freeman – Syracuse
  •     Baba Miller – Cincinnati
  •     Dillon Mitchell – St. John’s
  •     Malik Reneau – Miami
  •     Michael Ruzic – Joventut Badalona (Spain)

Undrafted / G League

  •     Tobi Lawal – Virginia Tech
  •     Tucker DeVries – Indiana
  •     Mouhamed Dioubate – Kentucky
  •     Kwame Evans Jr. – Oregon
  •     Trevon Brazile – Arkansas

This season has a large group of versatile forwards hoping to hear their name on draft night, but all should expect to hear Cameron Boozer’s name first. Boozer has exceeded what were massive expectations heading into his freshman year with the Duke Blue Devils. He is leading the ACC in scoring at 22.6 points per game and has been efficient from all three levels. He is shooting 71.7 percent at the rim, which is almost unheard of for an 18-year-old. He has incredible footwork and patience, along with an elite post-spin move that is almost impossible to stop. 

Boozer ranks third in the ACC in rebounding at 10.0 per game, which can be credited to his substantial 6’9”, 246-pound frame, and the effort he puts into boxing out. Boozer is built like a stereotypical power forward, but his skillset goes beyond that on both ends. Boozer is a fantastic outlet passer and creator out of the post, has shot the three much better than expected (39.6 percent), and can even jump passing lanes and lead a fastbreak. Boozer is arguably the most NBA-ready player in this draft, and he will have a great chance to be the first name called on draft night. 

The “unicorn” prospect of this freshman class is Tennessee Volunteers’ Nate Ament. Ament had one of the most tantalizing highlight reels coming out of high school and was poised to be a top-10 draft pick. He is 6’11”, 185 lbs and can score at all three levels. However, Ament’s lack of aggression on both ends has cast a large question mark over his ceiling. It is not rare to watch Ament just go through the motions. His shooting splits have been subpar this season (41.9/32.4/79.9), and this is largely due to a lack of intentionality in his shot diet.

This docile approach also shows on the defensive end, highlighted by his abysmal 12 blocks through 27 games. While there are attributes and stats you can chalk up to age, his lack of engagement for someone who was primed for a top-five selection warrants concern. Nevertheless, his frame alone suggests he will grow into a quality defender who can shrink the floor and rotate seamlessly. 

Over the past couple of weeks, Ament has picked it up on offense, scoring 20+ points in six of his last nine games. During this stretch, we have seen him attack the basket with intent and shoot with confidence. If we continue to see this version of Ament, he may be able to play his way back into the top-10. 

Not many have had a more polarizing collegiate career than Baba Miller. He was a highly touted international prospect from Spain before joining the Florida State Seminoles in 2022 as a freshman. His size, mobility, and potential to stretch the floor immediately set high expectations for him. He grew as a defender in his sophomore season, but his poor shooting (44.9 percent from the field at 6’11”) still forced NBA teams to search elsewhere. Fast forward to his senior season with the Cincinnati Bearcats, and Miller is finally showing that he can be a reliable two-way force. 

Miller is pulling down the second-most rebounds per game in the Big 12 at 10.2. And he has adapted offensively to play more inside. Miller has become a big-time interior threat, throwing down 50 dunks so far this season (tied for 13th in NCAA) and shooting 79.2 percent at the rim. This is a complete switch-up from his junior year with the FAU Owls, where he only had 34 dunks all season and shot 39.3 percent of his shots from beyond the arc, compared to only 18.1 percent this year. 

Malik Reneau has finally started shooting the three-pointer (2.1 attempts per game), which has opened up his game during his senior year. Reneau transferred to the Miami Hurricanes for his fourth year, where he has been putting up career numbers across the board, including 19.5 points (5th in ACC), 6.4 rebounds, and splits of 56.8/36.2/78.1, all career-bests. Reneau was previously projected as a potential G League star at best, but with the emergence of a confident jump shot, he may find his way into a second-round selection. 

Reneau has always had impressive footwork and touch at the rim, but this season he has also begun attacking more from the perimeter, resulting in 5.4 free-throw attempts per game. His lack of speed and effective ball-handling remain concerns that may limit his role at the next level, but the more versatility he shows, the more opportunities he will have in the NBA. 

Tucker DeVries has been an offensive force through his five-year collegiate career, including back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) player of the year awards in his sophomore and junior seasons with the Drake University Bulldogs. However, his role has become more specialized over his past two seasons with the West Virginia Mountaineers and Indiana Hoosiers. He was having a career year shooting from beyond the arc while improving his defense in 2024-25, before a shoulder injury ended his season after only eight games.  

He has been utilized as a three-point shooter so far this season, taking about two-thirds of his shots from behind the arc. He comes off screens very well, has a quick release, and a deep range. His consistency is concerning, but he always remains active without the ball and is hard to stop when he is on. His defense is weak, lacking vertical athleticism and quickness. He may have a hard time finding his place on an NBA court without any sort of consistent impact on this end.