Sleeper Prospects of the Week | Week 17
We are in the MONTH OF MADNESS! Which 2026 NBA Draft prospects have caught fire in the early onset of March? Stephen Gillaspie dives in!
Let’s start March with a bang!
Baba Miller | Cincinnati | Forward/Big | Senior | 6’11” | 225
In this edition of the SPOW (Sleeper Prospects of the Week), I wanted to focus on some players who are a part of higher major schools who haven’t had many words on them. Some are players who will be looking to make professional careers following this season. Others will likely return, but may have a shot to increase their long-term value. We’ll start with Baba Miller.
Baba Miller was a player who came into the college landscape with a ton of hype. At his size, Miller had a solid handle and some unique passing feel. He committed to play for Florida State as a freshman, but was suspended for the first 16 games of the 2022-2023 season due to accepting some travel aid. It’s funny how the college landscape has changed since then. Miller would play 15 games with the Seminoles, starting two games. He returned to the program as a sophomore, but had an underwhelming year. He transferred to Florida Atlantic for his junior year, and he really started to show some promise. He started all 34 games for the Owls, and showed off his improved shot selection and efficiency—as well as some elite defensive playmaking. Building on the positional handle and playmaking, Miller would transfer again to the Cincinnati Bearcats for his senior year.
On the season, Baba has averaged 13.8 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.2 BPG, and 0.8 SPG—with splits of 54/21/66. Since the start of conference play, he’s averaged 13.8 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 4.3 APG, 0.9 BPG, and 0.6 SPG. That has come with splits of 52/25/70. His improved play this season has really begun to turn heads and has given him a strong possibility of being drafted in the Second Round of the 2026 NBA Draft. His last outing came against BYU, where he dropped 15 points on 5-of-10 scoring. He also grabbed 12 rebounds, five assists, and a block.
Baba has always had the height and length to be an intriguing prospect, but the way that he has filled out his frame has been impressive. It gives him a real path to potentially finding minutes on an NBA court. This frame has allowed him to be a consistent finisher in the paint and has given him some lower-body strength to finish over the top of defenses. He can also finish through defenses. He leads a long and tough Cincinnati team in free throws with 139 (+50 more than the next player), as well as And-Ones drawn with 13. His added strength has resulted in him becoming a strong rebounder, as well. Even with these improvements, Miller still has good passing feel. He has solid pass placement and timing, and can really zip the ball to the open man.
Defensively, Baba has always shown flashes of excellence, but he has really grown into a playmaker. His strength allows him to contest and maintain his position while making contact with the ball. He is no longer getting bullied. Instead, he is looking to get into other players. His improved lower-body strength has improved his verticality to block shots. He has handled post-up bigs much better this season. His length presents challenges—not only for shooting, but for passing. His presence has begun to deter—not just alter.
The biggest challenge with Baba has existed since his freshman season: his shooting. Yes, he shot almost 35% from deep with FAU last season, but he is down to under 21% from deep this year—a career low. He is experiencing a career-high in free-throw percentage at just under 66%. Not great. But, outside of shooting, Miller has really become a well-rounded player. Rebounding, passing, finishing, and defense at his size are tantalizing, even with the lack of shooting. There is a real path to being a second rounder with Miller.
Nigel James Jr. | Marquette | Guard | Freshman | 6’0” | 190
Next up is Marquette freshman Nigel James Jr. Nigel came into this season as a prospect on the boundary of the RSCI Top 100. Nigel played at Long Island Lutheran and averaged 11.3 PPG, 4.5 APG, and 2.4 SPG. Over the course of his high school career, he was recognized for his ability, winning EYBL Scholastic Sixth Man of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. He was recruited by schools such as Iowa, Rutgers, Minnesota, USC, Wake Forest, and St. John’s, but he ultimately committed to the Golden Eagles.
In his lone college season to this point, Nigel has averaged 16.3 PPG, 4.8 APG, 3.5 RPG, 1.9 SPG, and 0.3 BPG. That has come with splits of 48/37/68. Since the start of conference play, he’s averaged 19.3 PPG, 5.4 APG, 4.1 RPG, 2.1 SPG, and 0.4 BPG—on splits of 50/41/64. It has been fun watching him grow over the course of the season, especially in his two most recent games against DePaul and Providence. In those games, he has averaged 17.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, 3.5 SPG, and 1.0 BPG.
It’s quickly apparent on the film, but Nigel is a smaller guard. What makes that less of an issue at face value is how tough he plays. Nigel does a great job of dribbling through contact and shows solid touch around the basket. He finishes with craft and tough finishing angles. He gets to his spots well, thanks to a stellar handle. Nigel changes pace with the best of them and is able to explode past unsuspecting defenders. He also thrives at “wrong-footing” defenders. His shot is tremendous off of the catch—where he is shooting around 48% from deep. His playmaking is solid, as reflected by his 1.8 Assist-to-Turnover Ratio (ATO). Defensively, James does an amazing job of being an irritant. His Steal Percentage of 3.7 puts him as one of nine Freshmen with such a metric. His activity and anticipation give him a distinct edge defensively despite his frame.
While Nigel is a strong and explosive guard, he is the size that he is. His gambling on defense is high-risk, high-reward. When it’s successful, it looks amazing. When he isn’t converting on such a play, he gets way out of position. Nigel’s passing numbers are solid, but his passes when he is driving to the paint can be off target at a high rate. He is a good shooter off the catch, but he has a ways to go as a shooter off the bounce. Being sped up and not set has resulted in him shooting just over 27% from deep. He’ll also need to become more of a knock-down free-throw shooter to address some concerns that go along with his shot. Still, James Jr. has been a fun freshman to watch this season and is just a few developments away from being a real draft prospect.
Cade Tyson | Minnesota | Wing | Senior | 6’7” | 195
Cade Tyson has always felt a season away from actualizing his potential since he came into college. In high school, Tyson scored over 2,000 points while playing for Carmel Christian School. In his senior year, he averaged 24.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, and 1.9 SPG. He led his school to the NCISAA 4A State Championship, where he scored 31 points in the championship game. He was also awarded the 2022 Mr. Basketball in North Carolina. After high school, Cade played at Belmont for two seasons, where he developed a strong reputation as a dead-eye shooter.
Within those two seasons with the Bruins, Cade shot almost 45% from deep on almost five attempts per game. He also averaged over five rebounds and one assist per game. After his second season with Belmont, Tyson transferred to North Carolina, where he had a very underwhelming season. He played less than eight minutes per game on shooting splits of 40/29/56—not what anyone was expecting. To no one’s surprise, Cade transferred and opted to play for Minnesota this season.
This season for the Golden Gophers, Tyson has averaged 19.7 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.8 SPG, and 0.2 BPG on splits of 49/43/82. Since the beginning of conference play, Cade has averaged 18.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.5 APG, 0.9 SPG, and 0.2 BPG—on splits of 48/45/82. Since the start of conference play for Minnesota, Cade has never scored under double digits—scoring at least 20 points nine times in 21 games. His latest game came against Indiana, where Tyson scored 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting.
The sell with Cade is the shooting at his size. Cade is listed at 6’7”, and he appears to be very close to that on film. He has shot almost 43% from deep on over nine attempts per 100 possessions. He has really weaponized the shot to where he is a 40+% shooter off of the catch (whether he is open or not), and a 40+% shooter off of the dribble. The form is smooth and effortless, which gives him a real skill that can get his foot in the door to the NBA at some level. What helps is that Cade has grown into a sound connective passer. He isn’t a break you down off the bounce playmaker, but he can make sound decisions to keep the ball moving within the flow of the offense. He competes on the glass, too, and always has. One impressive sign for Cade’s translation is his finishing efficiency around the rim. He currently ranks in the 91st percentile in at-rim finishing. His length and strength have granted him the ability to drive to the rim and finish through contact more consistently. This development has provided Tyson with a more varied shot diet, with almost 32% of his shots coming at the basket.
The limitations with Cade have to do with his acceleration and athleticism. Cade is going to have to win with his mind—which he is doing in college now, but how well can that translate? The passing is acceptable but limited, which relegates Tyson to more of a perimeter-based play finisher. Defensively, Cade has a long way to go. The athleticism caps his recovery and lateral mobility. Tyson has to do his work early in possessions to be an impactful defender, but even then, he can be manipulated frequently. He has the length to get there, but he is going to have to work a lot to be slightly below average.
Bangot Dak | Colorado | Forward/Big | Junior | 7’0” | 203
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Bangot Dak is one of the more interesting prospects in college basketball. As a senior in high school, Dak averaged 11.8 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 2.3 BPG. His efforts led his team (Lincoln Southeast High School) to the quarterfinals of the Nebraska Class A State Tournament. In the quarterfinals, Bangot scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in that game. After high school, Dak committed to play for Colorado. In his first season, he played around seven minutes per game in 23 games played—cutting his teeth against high levels of competition. As a sophomore, Dak played about 20 mins per game—averaging 8.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 1.1 APG, and 0.8 SPG. Coming off a strong role as a reliable contributor, Bangot was primed for a solid junior season.
To this point of the season, Dak has put up 11.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 1.4 APG, and 0.6 SPG. That has come on shooting splits of 48/24/74. Since conference play has kicked off, Bangot has averaged 11.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.5 BPG, 0.9 APG, and 0.6 SPG—with splits of 48/24/73. Against Utah, Dak dropped 22 points on 6-of-9 scoring. He also grabbed ten boards and swatted four shots.
Dak is a long, bouncy big man who is capable of making plays on defense. His lift and length have made him a very strong rim protector. As of now, Bangot has 47 blocks and 20 steals. That is compared to just 54 fouls committed. This is reflective of his protection prowess with solid fundamentals. Dak is a very good rebounder as well. On offense, Dak does a solid job of converting around the rim. He will punish mismatches after slipping a screen to force a switch. His hands are solid, which allows him to gather high passes. Once he has the ball within arm’s reach of the basket, Dak is looking to quickly dunk it. Bangot doesn’t have a consistent jumper yet, but he is growing more comfortable with expanding his game out.
Bangot has worked to play a bit tougher, but he is pretty thin for his size. This strength deficit is why some of the finishing numbers aren’t elite as opposed to solid. He can get outworked by teams that have like-size to that of Dak, which is where he can be taken out of a game. He needs to become more physical, similar to how Baba Miller has developed greater physicality. With some finishing inconsistency, the shot not being fully developed can limit him. There are some decent flashes of good passing feel, but that can be negated if he cannot be reliably used in DHO sets. Added strength would also provide more explosion in his base, which would allow him to cover more ground on defense. That would, in turn, accentuate his shot-blocking ability.
Jadon Jones | Oklahoma | Guard/Wing | Senior (R.S.) | 6’5” | 190
We’ll close things out here with a player who has been playing college hoops for a while now: Jadon Jones. He hasn’t been the most productive player this season with Oklahoma, but the body of work with Jadon is interesting. His mother played college basketball at Boise State, which gives Jones the DNA edge. Jadon played high school at St. Anthony High School—where he averaged 19.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 4.0 APG his Senior season. After high school, Jadon committed to play at Long Beach State, where he played four seasons. During his time with the team, he averaged 10.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 1.4 APG, and 0.8 BPG. That came on splits of 42/37/84. Jadon opted to commit to play for the Sooners for his final year.
To this point of the season, Jones has averaged just 6.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 0.7 APG, and 0.7 BPG. His splits have come out to be 39/37/73. The season hasn’t been the one some may have hoped for, but he has had some moments. His most recent game came against Missouri. Against the Tigers, Jadon scored 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the floor—including going 3-of-3 from deep.
The most intriguing aspect of Jones’s game begins with his shooting. We’ve looked at how good of a shooter he has been at Long Beach State, but he has continued his sharp-shooting ways in Oklahoma. He’s shooting over 37% on over 11 attempts per 100 possessions. Jadon is a lefty—which is always fun—and the shot is pretty. It has a high release, and he gets it off quickly. He shoots well whether he is open or not. He is very quick on defense and can get up to contest and block shots. He shows good recovery skills; he consistently feels like he can get back in time to either get the ball or pressure the ball-handler.
Look, Jadon is skinny, which isn’t great for a redshirt Senior. This shows up on the glass, and it shows up in the two-point attempts. He doesn’t have the deepest volume of passing clips, either. So, why is he here? The history of Jadon being a disruptive defender and a knock-down shooter is intriguing. I’m not suggesting that Jadon will be drafted, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds his way to some level of professional basketball based on the “3-and-D” profile he boasts.
Honorable Mentions
Jaidon Lipscomb | Cleveland State
Koree Cotton | Texas Rio Grande Valley
Gage Lattimore | North Carolina Central
Francis Folefac | Siena
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