NBA Draft profile: What are Dawson Garcia's chances of hearing his name called?

It's officially NBA Draft week. Former Gophers forward Dawson Garcia hasn't been routinely mentioned among sure-fire prospects in this year's class, but he'll likely get a chance to prove himself in the NBA in some way or another.

ESPN's latest top 100 prospect rankings from Saturday rank Garcia as the 79th-best prospect in this year's class. He reportedly had a pre-draft workout with the Timberwolves, and he competed in the 2025 NBA G-League Elite Camp. His draft projection seems to be the backend of the second round or, more likely, an undrafted free agent (UDFA).

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Former Gophers wing Jamison Battle faced a similar draft projection last year, but he ended up signing with the Toronto Raptors as a UDFA. After earning a two-way contract, he averaged 7.1 points per game as a rookie and his deal was converted to a standard three-year, guaranteed contract.

Garcia has the pedigree of a former McDonald's All-American, and he had five years of production at the highest level of college basketball. He'll turn 24 in September, so teams might be turned away from his long-term potential, but he's too talented not to get an opportunity.

Will Garcia hear his name called this week? Probably not. ESPN is the only major publication that has him ranked on their big board, and nbadraft.net has him ranked as the 86th overall prospect in the class.

Minnesota hasn't produced an NBA draft pick in back-to-back seasons since Rick Rickert and Kris Humphries in 2003 and 2004. Garcia has an outside chance to follow Cam Christie, who was a second-round pick last year to end the U's 20-year drought. It's probably more likely he signs with a team after the draft and looks to earn his way onto a roster like Battle did last season.

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