The Top NBA Prospects to Watch in CBB Major-Conference Tournaments

College basketball's regular season is over, and major-conference tournaments are taking place this week. With that, NBA teams are ramping up their prep for June's draft. The conference tournaments and the NCAA tournament are college prospects' last chance to impress scouts and improve their standing.

This year's NBA draft class is widely projected to be one of the weaker ones in recent memory. There's no Zion Williamson-type sure-thing prospect. Georgia's Anthony Edwards is commonly seen as the No. 1 overall pick, but even he isn't a slam dunk to be a star at the NBA level. And a couple of the top American prospects—LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton—are playing overseas rather than in college.

Those watching the conference tournaments and the NCAA tournament this year with an eye on the NBA draft will be mostly scouting for future role players and diamonds in the rough rather than foundational stars. Here are some of the names to keep an eye on over the next week and beyond.

As the 13th seed in the SEC, Georgia might not get far in the conference tournament. But freshman guard Anthony Edwards is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in many mock drafts (including the latest from Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman), so he'll garner plenty of attention in the next week regardless.

Edwards has garnered acclaim during his freshman season as a readymade NBA scorer with pro-level athleticism who can play on or off the ball. He had a couple of rough games to close out the regular season, shooting 3-of-10 and 6-of-22 from the field, respectively, in a pair of losses to Florida and LSU. His efficiency in his freshman season has left something to be desired (40.9 percent from the field, 30.1 percent from three-point range), but it's obvious the physical tools are there for him to be an elite scorer at the NBA level.

With Georgia scheduled to tip off SEC tournament play Wednesday against 12th-seeded Ole Miss, Edwards has at least one game left to solidify his standing as the top pick ahead of June's draft.

Isaac Okoro's stats don't jump off the page, but he's consistently projected as a lottery pick thanks to his combination of size and skill, particularly on the defensive end. His offense has been inconsistent in his freshman season, but his defensive upside is obvious.

Okoro is a solid finisher, but his outside shooting needs considerable work. He projects as a solid role player at the NBA level. Given the overall shallowness of the 2020 draft class, that's enough to potentially make him a high pick.

As the No. 2 seed in the SEC, Auburn will have a bye through the first two rounds of the conference tournament. The Tigers face off Friday against the winner of Thursday's game between Texas A&M and Missouri. Auburn has a chance to go far in the SEC tournament and is a lock to make the NCAA tournament, so Okoro has plenty of basketball left to play this season before turning pro.

Poised to be one of the top guards taken in the draft, freshman Tyrese Maxey goes into the SEC tournament after wrapping up a strong regular season at Kentucky. He averaged 14.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game and led the Wildcats to a conference-best 15-3 record in SEC play and a No. 8 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25.

Maxey doesn't project to be a star at the NBA level, but he's a solid two-way player, the kind of contributor who could be valuable to teams in several different roles. His outside shot isn't where it needs to be (29.2 percent from long range), but he's demonstrated an ability to finish around the basket and plays physical defense.

Kentucky is the top seed in the SEC and should get a high seed in the NCAA tournament, so Maxey will have an opportunity in the next month to boost his draft stock even higher, pushing himself into the conversation for a top-five pick. As it stands, he's likely to go in the lottery.

With James Wiseman gone from Memphis amid a cloud of NCAA controversy, USC's Onyeka Okongwu is the best big-man draft prospect left in the college game as the conference tournaments ramp up. The freshman center is commonly projected to be taken in the top 10.

Okongwu's calling card is his defense—he's established himself as one of the best rim protectors in college basketball, averaging a whopping 2.7 blocks per game. His offensive game isn't that versatile—he doesn't have much shooting range and is mostly a finish-around-the-basket player on that end of the floor. But he's young enough that he could develop that aspect of his game. Even if he doesn't, a rim-running shot-blocker still has plenty of value in the NBA.

Okongwu and the Trojans will kick off their Pac-12 tournament effort Thursday, facing the winner of Wednesday's game between Arizona and Washington.

Nico Mannion came to Arizona as a 5-star recruit with top-pick buzz, but the Italian guard's freshman season with the Wildcats has been up and down. The college game has been an adjustment for him, with questions arising about his athleticism and playmaking ability against higher-level competition.

Still, Mannion has done enough to keep himself in the conversation to be a lottery pick. He doesn't have one special skill at this point but is good enough at enough different things—passing, floaters, spot-up shooting—that he should find a role in the NBA.

Arizona is the No. 5 seed in the Pac-12 and kicks off conference tournament play Wednesday, facing off against No. 12 Washington. The Wildcats have a chance to string together a run, which would help Mannion's stock.

Cole Anthony, the son of former NBA guard Greg Anthony, entered his freshman season at North Carolina with buzz as a possible franchise point guard and top pick. He's fallen slightly out of that discussion—Wasserman's latest mock draft projects him to go No. 5, while ESPN has him at No. 11. But even with UNC's disappointing 6-14 performance in ACC play, he'll be worthy of attention in the upcoming conference tournament.

Anthony is a solid bet to be a productive scorer in the NBA, although there are questions about his playmaking ability. He hasn't had the most efficient freshman campaign (38.8 percent from the field on 16.3 shots per game), but he's made a respectable 35.6 percent from beyond the arc, and his effectiveness should increase when he's playing with NBA teammates and isn't the sole focus of opposing defenses.

Devin Vassell has broken out in his sophomore season at Florida State, helping power the Seminoles to the top record in the ACC and the No. 4 ranking in the country. His length is his greatest asset, along with his shooting—he's made 41.7 percent from long range through two seasons.

Vassell isn't outrageously athletic, but he's a creative enough defender to hold his own at that end. Combined with his shooting stroke, he projects as a prototypical NBA three-and-D wing, which earns him a first-round pick in most mock drafts.

There will be plenty of opportunities for NBA teams to check out Vassell over the next month. Top-seeded Florida State comes into the ACC tournament as the favorite to win it and has a high seed in the NCAA tournament in its future.

Seen as one of the top pro prospects in the Pac-12 along with Okongwu and Mannion, McDaniels has had a solid freshman season for the Huskies, averaging 13.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 31.1 minutes per game.

McDaniels' appeal as a draft prospect, however, is based more on upside than college production. He moves well for his size and has a versatile skill set. There are questions about what position he'll defend in the NBA level, as well as a shooting stroke that hasn't come around yet.

McDaniels will have the chance to help himself in the Pac-12 tournament when the Huskies face fifth-seeded Arizona in the first round Wednesday.

After potential top pick James Wiseman's departure, fellow freshman big man Precious Achiuwa is Memphis' top pro prospect. His stats were impressive in his first season—15.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.

But while Achiuwa's numbers look good, he's still seen by NBA evaluators as a work in progress. He's a raw physical talent without much skill at this point and will take time to develop into a productive NBA player when he reaches the next level. That he manages to put up good numbers with physical tools alone at the college level could either mean he flames out in the NBA or is able to put all that raw talent together into a more polished package, depending on the fit with the organization he lands with.

Jay Wright's Villanova program consistently churns out quality NBA players below the star level, and sophomore forward Saddiq Bey looks like a good bet to be the next one in line. He's broken out in his second season, averaging 16.1 points and 4.7 rebounds and shooting a staggering 45.1 percent from three-point range on 5.6 attempts per game.

That shooting stroke will make Bey an appealing prospect for NBA teams in June's draft, but he also has the size to defend multiple positions and could have more offensive upside to unlock beyond his excellent shooting. With Villanova seeded second in the Big East and poised for yet another NCAA tournament run, he'll have plenty more opportunities to showcase himself to NBA scouts and executives.