The 2027 NBA Draft is still more sketch than blueprint, which is exactly what makes this part of the process so much fun.
Some players have already established themselves near the top of the class. Emerging freshmen, intriguing international prospects, and plenty of returning stars will enter the season with a target on their backs. But there is still a ton of room for the board to get weird.
College basketball has a special talent for doing that: draft sickos.
Give a talented player another year, hand him a bigger role, let him sand down a weakness in his game, and suddenly the scouting report you wrote in October looks like it was written by someone who had never actually watched him play.
That is especially true for returning players.
A bigger offensive role can completely change how a prospect is evaluated. A shooting improvement can unlock an entirely different archetype. A young big can become more comfortable making decisions outside of the restricted area and suddenly look far more modern. Sometimes, a player simply gets the chance to show something that was already there.
That is what I am looking for here.
These are not necessarily the five best players returning to college basketball. Plenty of players could make a case for that distinction. Instead, these are five players I believe have the clearest paths to dramatically improving their NBA Draft stock over the next eight months. Phew, can you feel my excitement for this upcoming hoops season through the screen?
Some are already firmly in the first-round conversation. Others still have considerably more proving to do.
That is what makes this group so interesting. I’m here to tell you all about these five guys, so let’s dive in.
1. Amari Allen — Alabama
2025-26: 11.4 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 3.1 APG, 44.6 FG%, 34.1 3P%, 73.8 FT%
Amari Allen is my bet to make one of the biggest jumps in the 2027 NBA Draft class, largely because the ingredients are already there. He can handle the ball, rebound, pass, defend multiple spots, and space the floor. He just hasn't had the chance to put all those skills under a much heavier offensive workload.
As a freshman at Alabama, Allen averaged 11.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 28.2 minutes per game. He shot 44.6% from the field and 34.1% from three on 4.3 attempts per game while starting 24 of Alabama’s 32 games.
Those are strong numbers. The more intriguing part, though, is the player behind them.
