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The Brooklyn Nets still have 14 games left in their 2024-25 NBA season to make something happen, starting with Tuesday's matchup at the reigning champion Boston Celtics. However, with Brooklyn unlikely to make it to the Eastern Conference's play-in tournament given that they are six games behind the ninth and 10th seeds, there will at least be some focus on the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament that technically begins on Tuesday.
The NCAA Tournament's First Four starts on Tuesday and the four games that will take place between Tuesday and Wednesday will involve St. Francis (PA) and Alabama State, North Carolina and San Diego State, Mount St. Mary's and American University, and Xavier and Texas. While some of these schools do not have players that are on the 2025 NBA Draft radar, there are some teams that have some promising talent.
Most NBA fans are familiar with Texas freshman guard Tre Johnson, a player that is expected to be selected somewhere in the top-10 of the Draft after the season that he's had for the Longhorns. However, there are other players on the radar that also will be seen in the First Four and with the Nets having multiple picks in the upcoming Draft, here are five players to watch out for before the NCAA Tournament begins:
Tre Johnson, G, Texas
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Out of all the players that will be playing in the First Four stage, Johnson is the most highly-regarded of the quintet of guys listed here and it makes sense when one considers what he has done this season. Johnson, who is averaging 19.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 42.7% from the field and 39.2% from three-point land, is coming off a season in which he was named the SEC Rookie of the Year, All-SEC, and the SEC All-Freshman team.
Ian Jackson, G, North Carolina
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Jackson is currently projected to go in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft, but that doesn't mean that his stock can't rise or fall depending on how he plays in the First Four and possibly beyond if North Carolina manages to beat San Diego State on Tuesday. Jackson comes into the Draft with some accolades of his own as he made the ACC All-Freshman team after averaging 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game while shooting 46.4% from the floor and 39.6% from deep.
Drake Powell, G, North Carolina
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Powell, Ian Jackson's teammate, does not have the kind of numbers that Jackson has nor did Powell make the ACC's All-Freshman team, but there are some mock drafts that have Powell being taken in the second round of the NBA Draft as well. Powell profiles as more of a wing that he does as a guard like Jackson does, but Powell brings more athleticism and positional size to the shooting guard/small forward spot while also bringing some shooting upside after averaging 7.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 49.5% from the field and 37.1% from behind the three-point line.
Miles Byrd, G, San Diego State
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Byrd is one of those players that could see his stock rise depending on how he performs in the NCAA Tournament. Byrd, a junior, is averaging 12.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game for a San Diego State team that has a chance of being a team that goes deep in the tournament and possibly busting some brackets if players like Byrd step up to the challenge.
Dailyn Swain, SG/SF, Xavier
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Swain will be going against Tre Johnson and Texas with the goal of making it into the NCAA Tournament as the 11th seed with the chance of pulling off an upset in the first round if possible. Swain, who is averaging 10.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 52.7% from the field and 18.2% from deep, is one of the players that could go undrafted, but if he plays well during the Tournament, he could see his stock rise into the second round of the NBA Draft where a team like the Nets could take a shot on him, similar to what Brooklyn did with Jalen Wilson in the 2023 Draft.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: 5 Nets 2025 Draft prospects to watch heading into NCAA First Four
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