A Scout’s Eyes: The 2025 Margin Monsters
Jam evaluates 14 prospects who are lurking in the margins for NBA teams to target in the 2025 NBA Draft.
We all know by now how crucial it is for NBA front offices to win on the margins with smart, cost-effective moves for prospects that outperform their contract/projected value. With the crippling Collective Bargaining Agreement restrictions heaped on repeating tax-paying organizations, it’s really a necessity to hit on these types of players in order to effectively supplement and build sustainable rosters that can compete for championships.
For clarity's sake, I consider margin prospects as those that are not considered to be consensus first round picks heading into draft night, likely will sign two-way or Exhibition 10 deals and/or will be available as an undrafted free agent (UDFA).
Under the same margins spirit, I wrote about 10 prospects last cycle that qualified. Those prospects are listed below, and the complete article can be found here.
For the inaugural Margin Monsters, I’ve selected 15 prospects and have also included their projected role ceiling and floor. Here are the 2025 Margin Monsters!
Kam Jones | Ancillary Guard | 6’4” | 6’6 wingspan | Senior | Marquette
I’m confident that Kam Jones would be a consensus first rounder if he didn't shoot a career-worst 31.1% (6.1 3PA) from deep this past season. Despite the drop, Jones is a solidified NBA-caliber shooter (career 36.6% three-point mark, 6.3 3PA per game) and dynamic shotmaker/microwave scorer who made a significant playmaking leap with more lead guard usage after Tyler Kolek’s NBA departure. NBA teams should feel good about adding a plug-and-play guard who can operate pick-and-rolls when on the ball and be a legitimate off-ball threat with his shooting and playmaking.
Role Ceiling: Sixth Man/Low-end Starter
Role Floor: End of the Rotation Player
Yanic Konan Niederhauser | Big | 7’0” | 7’3.25” wingspan | Junior | Penn State
Outside of Cedric Coward, there probably wasn't a bigger pre-draft process riser than Yanic Konan Niederhauser. A transfer from Northern Illinois, the Swiss big shined in his first and only season as a Nittany Lion. Equipped with an NBA-ready body and positional tools, he’s a play finishing-shot blocking big with a clear path to impacting NBA games in a translatable and familiar role.
Thanks to his footwork, fluidity, touch flashes, and mechanics, there is some upside to tap into as well as a post scorer and capable jump shooter—either from mid-range (more likely) or beyond the arc. While he’s a natural fit for the majority of teams in the league, I really love his potential fit with the Lakers, Clippers, and Hawks.
Role Ceiling: High-end Starter
Role Floor: End of the Rotation Player
Adou Thiero | Wing | 6’7” | 7’0 wingspan | Junior | Arkansas
Thiero is the classic case of an “if he could shoot” prospect because if teams were confident that Adou Thiero could develop into something resembling a league average three-point shooter (career 28.4% on 74 total attempts), he would be a slam dunk first rounder and a likely sure-fire lottery pick.
An explosive athlete with tremendous physical tools and two-way upside, Thiero can still consistently contribute to winning even if the jumper never fully comes around. Offensively, he brings value with his play finishing, ball skills, underrated connective passing, and shotmaking upside. Defensively, Thiero leverages his captivating tools, motor, and defensive instincts to flourish as a multi-positional defender and disruptive defender (2.3 stocks per game).
Role Ceiling: Starter
Role Floor: End of Rotation Player
Chaz Lanier | Wing | 6’5” | 6’9 wingspan | Senior | Tennessee
Arguably the most impactful transfer this season, former North Florida star Chaz Lanier torched the nets all season long in the toughest conference in the country. Lanier proved to be amongst the top tier shooters (39.5% mark on 8.2 3PA per game) in the class and that his skillset had little issues adjusting to a massive leap in competition on a nightly basis.
With shooting always at a premium, Lanier is a great bet on a lethal off-ball shooter with some defensive tools (stout frame and a plus four wingspan) that can fill it up from deep in a hurry off the bench. An Isaiah Joe low-end outcome makes sense.
Role Ceiling: High-end Rotation Player/Low-end Starter
Role Floor: End of the Rotation Player
Koby Brea | Wing | 6’7” | 6’5.25” wingspan | Senior | Kentucky
You can’t talk about the best shooters in the class without mentioning Koby Brea. He’s a lethal sharpshooter with shooting versatility who owns a career 43.4% three-point mark (730 total attempts). Although limited athletically and possessing a less-than-ideal wingspan, Brea’s combination of a bankable and highly coveted NBA skill alongside his ball skills and positional height should give him the opportunity to be in an NBA rotation for a long time.
Role Ceiling: High-end Rotation Player
Role Floor: End of the Rotation Player
RJ Luis Jr. | Wing | 6’7” | 6’10.5” wingspan | Junior | St. John’s
To a degree, it feels like the controversial end to the St. John’s season overshadowed a marvelous season from RJ Luis Jr. that saw him become just the third player in program history to win the Big East Player of the Year award. The two-way wing is a rangy and athletic defender who can defend multiple positions and be a valuable defensive playmaker (2.0 stocks per game) all across the floor.
His biggest hurdle to a seamless 3-and-D transition that would return easy lottery value is, of course, the three-point component (career 31.4% shooter on 223 total attempts). Those who are more optimistic about his shooting projection, like I am, are encouraged by his 33.6% clip this season on career-high volume (3.9 3PA per game), 38.3% on spot-up threes on 81 attempts (via Synergy), and overall shotmaking prowess.
Role Ceiling: Starter
Role Floor: Fringe Rotation Player
Micah Peavy | Wing | 6’7” | 6’7.25” wingspan | Senior | Georgetown
Micah Peavy’s emergence as one of the top transfers and players in the Big East went a bit under the radar. Alongside Thomas Sorber, he was an engine on both sides of the floor for a Hoyas squad that had NCAA tournament hopes before Sorber’s season-ending injury. Peavy’s profile is of a 3-and-D wing with shooting questions (career 32.3% shooter), but he appeared to ease some of those concerns by connecting on 40% of threes this season (4.1 3PA per game) thanks to mechanical changes and hard work. Although another year of shooting production most likely would have cemented him as at least a consensus borderline first rounder, I believe in the changes and his shooting projection.
Role Ceiling: High-end Rotation Player
Role Floor: Fringe Rotation Player
Brice Williams | Wing | 6’7” | 6’10.75” wingspan | Senior | Nebraska
I’m buying the Big Ten’s second-leading scorer, Brice Williams (20.4 PPG, 13th in the NCAA), providing instant value in a scaled-down bench role. Williams profiles as a versatile wing floor spacer (38.5% career three-point shooter, 561 attempts) with on-ball scoring upside and positional size and length. Even though he’s a limited athlete, he’s a pass-dribble-shoot wing with some defensive tools in his length and anticipation skills that every team should feel comfortable selecting.
Role Ceiling: High-end Rotation Player/Low-end Starter
Role Ceiling: End of the Rotation Player
Jamir Watkins | Wing | 6’6” | 6’11.25” wingspan | Senior | Florida St.
Equipped with an NBA-ready body, Jamir Watkins is a powerful two-way wing with ball skills, playmaking chops, and defensive versatility. He falls into that familiar “if he could shoot” mold (32.5% on 443 career 3PA), but I’m buying his shooting projection because of his shotmaking upside, 40.5% mark on spot-up threes (84 3PA), and 39.1% mark on 64 unguarded catch-and-shoot attempts this season (via Synergy). In a league that’s always searching for athletic wings that can defend and at least have ball skills and/or feel like Watkins, he’ll be one of the best potential 3-and-D options available in the second round.
Role Ceiling: High-end Rotation Player/ Low-end Starter
Role Floor: Fringe Rotation Player
Max Shulga | Ancillary Guard | 6’5” | 6’5.75” wingspan | Senior | VCU
The name of the game for the versatile Max Shulga is his ability to leverage a mix of high-level shooting (39.2% career, 3.7 3PA per game), ball skills, feel, size, and playmaking on both ends of the floor to compensate for a lack of ideal NBA athleticism. At 6'5”, Shulga’s prowess as a pick-and-roll decision maker and tremendous off-ball shooting threat brings lineup versatility and connectivity to the floor for any team.
Role Ceiling: High End Rotation Player
Role Floor: End of the Rotation Player
Jonathan Pierre | Big Wing | 6’9” | 7’0 wingspan | Senior | Belmont
Jonathan Pierre is an excellent swing on a pass-dribble-shoot (36.9% on 6.0 3PA per game) big wing with feel and ball skills. Considering he’s a late growth spurt prospect out of a mid-major school via Nova Southeastern (Division II), it’s reasonable to believe there is still plenty of untapped potential under pro-level resources on a daily basis. It’s the easy way to go, but Pierre screams the type of player that would excel in the Miami Heat development system or any organization that has a reputation of successfully prioritizing and developing young players.
Role Ceiling: Low-end Starter/High-end Rotation Player
Role Floor: Fringe NBA Rotation Player
Kobe Johnson | Wing | 6’6” | 6’7.5” wingspan | Senior | UCLA
A prospect with NBA bloodlines, Kobe Johnson has long been on the NBA radar because of his blend of positional size, athleticism, ball skills, and defensive upside (career 2.1 stocks per game, including 3.0 stocks per game his last season at USC). His lone season at UCLA produced evidence of the 3-and-D profile (36.2% on 3.1 3PA, 1.9 stocks) that we all are hoping that he can fill. If Johnson’s shooting can remain steady, he has a chance to be a real steal that can outproduce his projected undrafted free agent status.
Role Ceiling: Rotation Player
Role Floor: Fringe NBA Rotation Player
Kadary Richmond | Ancillary Guard | 6’5” | 6’9.5” wingspan | Senior | St. John’s
Despite the glaring concerns about his three-point shooting swing skill (30.7% career, 215 total attempts), Kadary Richmond is still worth prioritizing on an Exhibit-10 or two-way deal. His defensively tilted value as a disruptor (2.9 stocks per game) and point of attack defender, alongside his advanced pick-and-roll operation/facilitation and slashing ability on the offensive end. Outside of the shooting, the ingredients of an effective backup rotation guard are there.
Role Ceiling: Rotation Player
Role Floor: Fringe Rotation Player
Stefan Todorovic | Wing | 6’8” | Senior | Pepperdine
If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m usually always willing to bet on the mix of positional size/length, shooting, and ball skills/feel. Stefan Todorovic falls directly into that mold. In his first and only season with a real opportunity in significant usage, Todorovic took advantage at Pepperdine and was a top player in the WCC with averages of 18.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.0 steals on 36.6 % shooting from beyond the arc on 5.3 3PA per game. He’s a sneaky candidate to produce on an Exhibit-10 contract or out of one of the three allocated two-way contract slots.
Role Ceiling: Rotation Player
Role Floor: Fringe Rotation Player