College basketball practices are well underway across the country, which means NBA scouts are back on the road to begin the evaluation process for the 2027 draft cycle. Fall practices used to be the first extended look that NBA scouts would get of college freshmen, beyond an early preview at events like the McDonald's All-American Game and Nike Hoop Summit. But now front offices are doing more legwork than ever in both high school and FIBA spaces.
Still, fall practices mark a new stage in the evaluation process and a more intense focus for the coming year. While each NBA front office has its own system and calendar for evaluating potential draft candidates, there are quite a few norms across the league. At this point in the fall, the vast majority of teams are still building their prospect list and then beginning to sort prospects into tiers.
They may know the big names, but they're looking for more subtle ones or some diamonds in the rough. It's not uncommon for teams to have 200 names they're interested in exploring at this point, and they'll continue to add and subtract from that in the coming months. Then, most NBA teams create and build categories that go something like: lottery pick, potential lottery pick, potential first-rounder, potential two-way or second-rounder, and future name.
As the fall goes on and gives way to the season, they'll sort the prospects on their lists into one of those categories, as both a precursor to eventually creating their own big board and also to help determine the players that the ultimate decision-makers have to prioritize seeing during the year. That general process is relatively common among teams and consistent from year to year. What varies, of course, is the talent in each class.
As the 2026-27 college basketball season begins, here is a look ahead to five storylines we are tracking for the 2027 NBA Draft class. Last year's freshman class had a clear big three of AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Cameron Boozer that was already established in high school and stayed consistent through draft night, when those were the first three names called. This year's class has neither that level of star power nor certainty at the top.
There is only one freshman with comparable natural talent: Tyran Stokes. The Kansas jumbo playmaker is built like an NFL tight end and can create like a lead guard. But Stokes arrives in the college ranks with more questions about his habits, consistency, and approach than any of the top prospects from the last cycle.
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