Gone from men's college basketball are one-and-done wonders such as Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith Jr. and Chet Holmgren. In their place come the likes of Dereck Lively II, Keyonte George and Nick Smith Jr. to dominate in 2022-23.
It's already a foregone conclusion that 7'4" French sensation Victor Wembanyama will be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, while G League star Scoot Henderson is expected to go No. 2. That means we won't have to spend the entire college basketball season hearing about who's in the mix for the No. 1 pick for a change.
All the same, our top 10 freshmen to watch likely won't be back as sophomores to watch in 2023-24, so soak them up while you can.
Players are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Honorable Mentions: Skyy Clark (Illinois), Gradey Dick (Kansas), Jalen Hood-Schifino (Indiana), GG Jackson (South Carolina), Dillon Mitchell (Texas), JJ Starling (Notre Dame), Kel'el Ware (Oregon)
Bread and Butter: All-Around Performer
What Others Are Saying: "Bailey is a crafty combo guard with a smooth left-handed jumper who can put the ball on the floor and create while easily getting his own production as well. He has the wiggle that reminds of a young D'Angelo Russell." - Kyle Boone, CBS Sports
In recent years, we haven't gotten to see many highly touted, 6'5", total-package combo guards in college basketball.
From the 2019 class, R.J. Hampton went to New Zealand. The following year, Jalen Green and Daishen Nix went straight to the G League. Last year, Jaden Hardy went the G League route and Shaedon Sharpe spent a semester on Kentucky's bench without playing a game.
This year, we're finally getting one in UCLA's Amari Bailey.
Boone's comparison of Bailey to D'Angelo Russell is great. Not just because Bailey is left-handed, but because he has the tools to be a nightly triple-double threat.
With Tyger Campbell back for yet another season as UCLA's point guard, Bailey might never actually hit double digits in assists. Even if he's primarily playing off the ball, though, he'll make a major impact on both ends of the floor with his slashing, his active hands and his ability to play above the rim.
Bread and Butter: Vision/Distribution
What Others Are Saying: "The 6-7 guard has the potential to be a matchup nightmare. He's a very good passer, can play multiple positions and is also a capable defender." - Jeff Borzello, ESPN
You don't see many point guards listed at 6'7". Anthony Black uses that height to his advantage.
Black is able to see better through/over traffic than the vast majority of his ball-handling peers. And he is happy (almost to a fault) to take that advantage and set up his teammates for buckets.
Black is one of those deceptively athletic guys who seems to be both moving in slow motion and seeing the game in slow motion. He can dunk, but he isn't likely to make any top-10 highlight reels for a rim-rattling slam. And he can lead a fast break, but he isn't likely to get sped up into careless turnovers—once he gets comfortable at the collegiate level, at any rate.
NBA scouts are routinely going to be showing up to Arkansas games to watch Black's teammate, Nick Smith Jr. But they might walk away just as impressed with Black's game, particularly if he improves his perimeter stroke.
What Others Are Saying: "When it comes down to it, George is simply one of the best in this upcoming class at getting a bucket. He’s proven at the high school level that he’s willing and able to take and make big buckets, especially down the stretch of close games" - Sports Illustrated's Draft Digest Staff
Keyonte George is a walking bucket.
Off balance. In transition. Through contact. Desperation heaves. Head fakes. At the rim. Mid-range. Beyond the arc. Doesn't matter. This young man can do it all.
When he isn't scoring, though, what will he bring to the table for Baylor?
George gets unanimous praise for his ability to put the ball in the hoop, but how will he contribute to what has been one of the better defenses in the nation over the past few years? And will he share the rock enough to still make a positive impact on nights when his jumper just isn't falling?
If he's just a volume shooter and starts getting compared to Malik Monk...well, that's still pretty good and would probably be worth a lottery pick. But if he showcases some talent beyond scoring, it just might make Baylor the team to beat.
Bread and Butter: Being Large and In Charge
What Others Are Saying: "Lively could be the best two-way freshman in the country, provided he can prove his shot will translate from high school to high-level Division I." - Matt Norlander, CBS Sports
What if Chet Holmgren was 40 pounds heavier?
Dereck Lively II might be the answer to that question.
Lively has been dealing with a calf injury for the past few weeks and probably won't be in tip-top shape for Duke's big Champions Classic showdown with Kansas next week. By the end of the season, though, this big, versatile shot-blocker might be a solid consolation prize for the NBA teams that fall just shy of winning the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.
Lively thrives at the rim, both as its last line of defense and as a dunker. But he also has the smooth athleticism to defend out to the three-point arc and has been working on adding a perimeter jumper to his game.
If he can hit triples at even a 30 percent clip and at least keep defenses honest when he steps out there, it will open up so many other things for Duke's offense.
What Others Are Saying: "One of the more naturally gifted all-around talents in the 2022 recruiting class, the key for Miller has always been consistency. But if he puts it together, he has few peers in the class." - Jeff Borzello, ESPN
Brandon Miller is one of those do-it-all combo forwards who just seems to have no ceiling.
Miller was ranked 15th in this year's class by 247 Sports, which suggests he perhaps shouldn't be a lottery pick. It's probably due to his streaky shooting and general inconsistency from one game to the next.
When he gets into a groove, though, mercy. Everything he does is just so fluid, from his turnaround jumper to his ball-handling, passing and gazelle-like ability to run the floor and soar above the rim.
Miller isn't Paolo Banchero or Jabari Smith Jr., but he could be close to that level with some seasoning. The uptempo style of play that Nate Oats fosters at Alabama should be right in Miller's wheelhouse. The more he can glide around the court, the better.
Bread and Butter: Getting Buckets
What Others Are Saying: "Shifty off the dribble, dangerous for his shooting and float game and capable of playmaking in a setup role, he's looking like the early favorite to come off the board first among college prospects." - Jonathan Wasserman, Bleacher Report
In Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball history, no player has been drafted higher than fifth. Eventual Hall of Famer Sidney Moncrief set that high-water mark in 1979.
Nick Smith Jr. just might break that record.
Smooth, crafty and shifty are words that pop up all the time in scouting reports on Smith, as he has a knack for creating space off the dribble.
Give him any room and he'll nail a jumper in your face. Get up in his grill and he has the first-step explosiveness to break ankles en route to a slam dunk.
It bears watching how he and fellow freshman Anthony Black coexist in the Arkansas backcourt. It should be nightmare-inducing for other coaches in the SEC if they live up to the hype. Black has the vision to set Smith up for easy buckets, but Smith can excel as a dribble-driver, too.
Expect a very high usage rating for Smith, an extremely fun-to-watch season in Fayetteville and at least one lottery pick from this team.
Bread and Butter: Brute Strength
What Others Are Saying: "Walker is a big, strong, long and skilled power forward who can rebound. He’s capable of putting it on the floor, and will also be able to stretch defenses. Kelvin Sampson will also make certain he is ready to defend in the NBA." - Jeff Goodman, Stadium
For the past several years, Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson has been turning mostly unheralded recruits and cast-aside transfers into college stars.
In Jarace Walker, Sampson now has the highest-rated recruit in program history.
Walker looks like he was built specifically to thrive at Houston, where grit and defense reign supreme.
Do you remember Isaiah Stewart from a few years ago with the Washington Huskies? A 6'8", 240-pound wrecking ball with a ridiculous wingspan in the paint? Walker should be a lot like that, except with a better mid-range game and a significantly better supporting cast.
With any luck, we'll get a Houston-Kentucky showdown in the NCAA tournament. Walker vs. Oscar Tshiebwe could be one heck of a battle of the titans.
Bread and Butter: Lockdown Defense
What Others Are Saying: "Kentucky desperately needed to add a combo guard who can defend, shoot and add as a creator, and Wallace checks all the boxes on a Calipari-coached team set to make a leap from last season." - Kyle Boone, CBS Sports
John Calipari is now in his 14th season at Kentucky, and far more often than not, he has had a defense ranked in the top 50 nationally. However, that's usually because of an elite shot-blocker in the post and rarely because of a turnover-forcing perimeter pest. (Ashton Hagans and Tyler Ulis were two of the only exceptions to that rule.)
In Cason Wallace, though, Kentucky might finally have a guard who averages at least two steals per game for the first time since Rajon Rondo in 2005-06.
He'll make an impact on offense, too. Veteran point guard Sahvir Wheeler figures to do most of the ball-handling, but Wallace will be like a secondary point guard on the court. He's also a solid perimeter shooter, which is something the Wildcats desperately needed after losing Kellan Grady, Davion Mintz and TyTy Washington, who were responsible for more than 81 percent of the team's made three-pointers last season.
But the defense will be his calling card.
Bread and Butter: Versatile Physicality
What Others Are Saying: "With confident three-point range, a dangerous pull-up and step-back package and athletic driving ability, Whitehead has translatable tools and skills for on and off-ball scoring at a high, NBA level." - Jonathan Wasserman, Bleacher Report
Dariq Whitehead is working his way back from a foot fracture that he suffered in August, and it's currently unclear when he'll be available for the Blue Devils. But once he's able to play without fear of aggravating his injury, this projected lottery pick should make an instant and major impact.
Whitehead has a good bit of Stanley Johnson in him, in that he looks like a linebacker on the court. He was a good football player before going all-in on basketball, and his brother, Tahir, was an NFL linebacker for a decade.
Whitehead is a physical driver and defender and an angry dunker when he gets to the rim. He's nowhere near "Zion Williamson big," but Whitehead is not one of those highly touted recruits for whom "filling out his frame" or "packing on some muscle" is a concern.
The big question about Whitehead (aside from his foot) is his perimeter jumper. If he can regularly drain threes, the college basketball world will be his oyster.
Bread and Butter: Bounce and Motor
What Others Are Saying: "Whether it’s in transition or in a half-court set, Whitmore leverages his strength and weight to bully his opponents. He’s one of the best scorers off the dribble in this class and has proven to be able to get to the rim any time he wants to." - Sports Illustrated's Draft Digest Staff
Just like Dariq Whitehead, Cam Whitmore is an uncommonly strong 6'7" wing who is going to miss action early in the year due to a recent injury.
Whitmore had surgery on his right thumb after injuring it in practice in early October. He doesn't have an official timetable to return, although Villanova/college basketball fans can only hope he'll be back by Thanksgiving for the Phil Knight Invitational, where the Wildcats will face Iowa State before possibly drawing AP No. 1 North Carolina in the semis.
Before the injury, Whitmore was rising up mock drafts like a supernova.
He is sensational in transition. He's able to deftly maneuver through traffic and somehow play under control while also building up the inertia for a jaw-dropping dunk. But he has also improved drastically in the half-court offense since committing to Villanova in October 2021.
If he returns soon and stays healthy, there's a good chance he'll be both the Big East Player of the Year and a top-five pick in the 2023 NBA draft.
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