Three players who boosted their draft stock during first weekend of NCAA Tournament

Egor Demin

While Egor Demin perhaps hasn't had a momentous moment quite like Queen thus far in the tournament, Denim’s level of play overall has been admirable. In addition, the fact that he’s pushed his sixth-seeded BYU team into the Sweet 16 is a feat worthy of adding toward his draft stock.

As a player not highly regarded for being a shooter, it is encouraging to see Demin up his three-point shooting from just 28.1% during the regular season to 38.5% with five made three-pointers so far during the tournament. While Demin’s perimeter struggles have led to many Josh Giddey comparisons, his performance during the tournament thus far suggests he may be similarly capable of developing into a player comparable to that of Deni Avdija. Avdija, who is in the midst of a career year for the Blazers, is unlikely to be mistaken for a member of the splash family, but at 36.6% from deep on the year, he’s certainly a threatening presence from the outside. 

Demin's all-around skill set was specifically on display during BYU's round of 32 matchup against Wisconsin, where he cashed in two threes on his way to 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists — and just one turnover. 

This type of performance will continue to encourage scouts to trust Demin's ability to develop into a highly desirable NBA point forward. Whether Demin can continue his hot perimeter shooting while leading BYU could go a long way in further convincing NBA scouts that he’s not only worthy of being a first-round pick, but a late lottery pick. 

Tyrese Proctor

Tyrese Proctor's heater brings back serious memories of guys like former Donte DiVincenzo (Villanova), Carsen Edwards (Purdue) or Shabazz Napier (UConn). These players used prolific March Madness runs to vault themselves up NBA Draft boards. 

As a junior, Proctor is not a guy typically brought up in most draft discussions — Bleacher Report’s most recent mock draft has him slated in at pick No. 48 — but the way he’s playing right now has to have teams at the back end of the first round a little intrigued. 

Through two NCAA Tournament games, Proctor has hit an astonishing 13 of his 16 three-point attempts. That’s 81.3% from long range. That would be an impressive mark from the free-throw line. 

Of course, a two-game sample is not enough to buy Proctor as the second coming of Stephen Curry. Proctor is far from unfamiliar with bouts of inconsistency, but what he is doing is almost unprecedented. If Duke is able to continue steamrolling teams en route to winning the national championship, and Proctor continues to shoot even half as well as he currently is, he should be in line for some serious first-round consideration.