Arizona State has surprising NBA talent on its roster

For the first time in over 30 years, the Arizona State men's basketball team likely has two first-round NBA Draft picks on its roster.

NBA scouts are salivating over Bobby Hurley's two five-star freshmen, Jayden Quaintance and Joson Sanon. Several scouts were in attendance Saturday night for ASU's 72-66 overtime loss to Baylor. In addition to Quaintance and Sanon, Baylor freshman VJ Edgecombe is drawing a ton of NBA interest.

Sanon and Quaintance struggled against Baylor, but that shouldn't impact their draft stock. Hurley has already called Sanon "the best shooter" he's ever coached, and Quaintance is still just 17 years old.

How Good Is Joson Sanon?

A 6-foot-5 shooting guard, Sanon initially committed to the Arizona Wildcats, then flipped to Arizona State when Caleb Love announced he was returning to Tucson.

Sanon has prototypical size for a shooting guard and has drawn comparisons to Bradley Beal. NBA Draft Room projects him as a top-20 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Here's their analysis of his game: "A powerful, big combo guard with an NBA frame and an aggressive game. Has nice passing instincts and good handles and can hit the 3pt shot."

Sanon sprained his ankle against BYU on New Year's eve and missed two games. He returned against Baylor and struggled in his 18 minutes, finishing with just 5 points on 2-of-5 shooting.

Sanon, who made it clear before the season that he's planning to enter the 2025 NBA Draft, is averaging 12.8 points and 3.2 rebounds and shooting 47.2% from the 3-point line.

Joson Sanon said before the season that he’s a one-and-done prospect. How fitting for him to back up that claim in the home of the Phoenix Suns?

Sanon scored 21-points on Thursday, the most by an ASU true freshman since 2019. Bucket getter. 🪣@DevilsDigest | @joson_sanon pic.twitter.com/NrcNbv6ZrL
— Justin LaCertosa (@LaCertosaSports) November 15, 2024

Jayden Quaintance Has To Wait For NBA

A 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward from Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, North Carolina, Quaintance is so young that he won't be eligible for the NBA Draft until 2026. Which means Hurley has him for two full seasons.

"Jayden is special," Hurley said before the season started. "What he's going to be a couple years from now is scary because he's already so advanced for his age, turning 17 in July. He'll be one of the youngest players in college basketball, but you look at him physically, he's prepared to compete at this level."

Quaintance is averaging 9.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocks through 15 games. He is fourth in the nation in blocked shots per game, and has had six games with four or more blocks.

NBADraft.net projects Quaintance will be the No. 12 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Only the Beginning 😈

Jayden Quaintance recorded his 3️⃣rd double-double of the season to earn @Big12Conference Newcomer of the Week 🔱@qjayhoops /// @TheSunDevils pic.twitter.com/LG6TJkluN6
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) December 29, 2024

The last time the Sun Devils had more than one first-round NBA Draft pick on their roster was the 1980-81 season when they featured Byron Scott, Fat Lever and Alton Lister. That team won the Pac-10, finished No. 3 in the nation in the final AP Top 25 Poll and received a No. 2 seed in the 1981 NCAA Tournament.