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5 NBA Draft sleepers in the NCAA Tournament

By Joseph Nation

NEW HAVEN, CT - MARCH 17: Yale Bulldogs guard Miye Oni (25) with the ball during a college basketball game between Yale Bulldogs and Harvard Crimson on March 17, 2019, at John J. Lee Amphitheater in New Haven, CT. (Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEW HAVEN, CT - MARCH 17: Yale Bulldogs guard Miye Oni (25) with the ball during a college basketball game between Yale Bulldogs and Harvard Crimson on March 17, 2019, at John J. Lee Amphitheater in New Haven, CT. (Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The NCAA tournament can have a huge impact on the NBA draft stocks of the players in it.  Here are a few potential sleepers who could have breakouts in the tournament.

Every year, the NCAA tournament brings a new prospect into the light.  Whether it’s a strong mid-major’s best player bursting onto a national spotlight, like Stephen Curry did in 2008, or a big school getting some unlikely contributions from a further down the pecking order young guy, like D.J. Wilson in 2017 or Donte DiVincenzo in 2018, the tournament, for better or for worse, has a huge impact on how players are perceived.  It can take players from “he’s going back to school” to “he might be a lottery pick”.

This year, one of the strongest for mid-majors ever, also happens to be a generally weak draft from a talent standpoint.  Outside of Duke’s Zion Williamson, no one is really comfortable with any of the prospects, and more then ever, picks No. 2 through 60 are up in the air.  Which also means that players that have gone under the radar so far have ample opportunity to, with a strong tournament, plant a flag in the first round or even the lottery.  Therefore, here are five NBA draft sleepers who stand to improve their stock with a strong NCAA tournament performance:

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