While most of the players taken in each draft play for high major schools, there’s always prospects that can make an impact in the NBA after playing several seasons at smaller universities. Whether it’s as a second-round pick or even a high value undrafted free agent, all NBA teams keep a pulse on what’s going on across the country, regardless of the size of the school.
There's already a handful of college players that aren’t get as much national attention as they deserve, but are incredible players that could make an impact at the next level.
For this week’s spotlight, we take a look at Chattanooga center Jake Stephens, who has legitimate NBA talent.
Jake Stephens (Center | Chattanooga Mocs)
7’0” | 275 lbs
Season Stats: 20.6 PPG | 10.1 RPG | 2.6 BPG
Notable Accolades
A double-double machine, Stephens has been a huge part of Chattanooga’s early season success. The transfer spent four years at VMI leading up to this season, earning 2021-22 All-Southern Conference First Team honors.
He’s been been a really good player over the past four years, but has really thrived in the Chattanooga system. There’s a ton of big bodies in the college game, but few that have the skill that Stephens has.
Stephens is ranked in the top spot of Cerebro Sports’ C-RAM metric among all college basketball players with a score of 13.9 this season. He’s just ahead of Drew Timme (12.9), Zach Edey (12.8) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (12.5) who are all bigs projected to get second-round consideration in the 2023 NBA Draft.
He’s more than just a guy that has success because he’s bigger than everyone. Stephens is a highly talented center.
NBA Upside
The 7-footer always been a solid 3-point shooter for his size, but has reached a new level this season. He’s knocking down 41.6% of his 5.1 attempts from beyond the arc. He’s also a solid free throw shooter, at 85.1% from the line this season.
Between the shooting touch, rebounding upside and size, Stephens should at least be in consideration to get picked up by an NBA team. Although he’s already 23 years old, he could provide depth on a team that needs frontcourt talent.
He’s also an underrated passer, producing 3.5 assists per game which leads his team despite being a center.
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