There are no Cinderellas in March Madness this year with the four No. 1 seeds making the Final Four for the first time since 2008. But on my draft board? There are plenty of surprise climbers. With the draft still three months out, rankings are still fluid. But right now, March is providing clarity for where a player belongs.
You can view my updated rankings with detailed scouting reports for every prospect in the NBA Draft Guide. Below are the 10 biggest movers and why their stock is trending up:
1. Walter Clayton Jr., Florida guard
Rank change: 55th to 30th
Against UConn in the round of 32, Clayton Jr. dropped 23 points and erupted in the final five minutes to clinch the game. He had a midrange pull-up, a side-step 3, and a fadeaway dagger to close it.
Then came his encore. In the Elite 8 he poured in 30 more against Texas Tech, igniting a comeback. Down nine, he made a driving layup. A minute later, he tied it with a pull-up 3. And with one minute remaining, he dribbled away from the basket, turned, and drained a drifting, off-balance triple.
In Steph Curry’s building, no less!
That Walter Clayton 3 to take the lead looked like Steph Curry WTF 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/xG92UMjkC5
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) March 30, 2025
Clayton’s shotmaking, on-ball wiggle and end-of-game confidence are undeniably Steph-like too. His severe defensive limitations and shaky playmaking had him entering March at 55th on my board, but I placed too much focus on what he doesn’t do and not enough on what he does. He’s a shotmaker, a moment seizer and just a straight-up pure hooper. That’s enough to warrant first-round consideration.
2. Labaron Philon, Alabama guard
Rank change: 31st to 23rd
Philon’s play in the tournament was up and down, just like it was throughout his freshman year at Alabama. But even against Duke’s vaunted defense, he looked comfortable using his speed to get where he wanted on the floor, while playing with pace and poise. And he made 45.5% of his 3-pointers in four tournament games, which follows a trend this season of his numbers improving from month to month. Defenders often went under his screens and he made them pay, in addition to looking fluid off the catch.
It’s hard to pass on his type of upside in the middle of the first round, which is why he’s moving up my board. But Philon has a tough decision to make whether to stay in college or go pro. With point guard Mark Sears graduating, he’d have the keys to the offense next ...
