Arizona State Freshman on Brink of Rise up NBA Draft Boards

TEMPE -- The 2025-26 Arizona State men's basketball season has been a wild ride.

A fair share of highs and lows have resulted in the team posting a 13-12 record going into Wednesday night's game against Texas Tech - one of the most conspicuous constants in the season has been freshman center Massamba Diop, who has grown a great deal over the course of 25 games.

Head coach Bobby Hurley has been a massive proponent of the former Real Madrid standout since Diop signed with Arizona State over the summer - continuing this sentiment when sitting down with local radio show "Bickley and Marotta" for their annual "newsmaker's week" on Tuesday.

fewffe — Feb 7, 2026; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils center Massamba Diop (35) during the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Diop's Development Trajectory is Incredible

Hurley believes that Diop is just a few months away from turning into a top-15 prospect in the 2027 NBA draft, also pointing out a tidbit of information in the process that makes the center's growth this season appear all the more impressive.

"He's very advanced. He was very well coached and very fluid player, good IQ for the game, very skilled, and he just knows not to put himself in bad positions. I think he's like one offseason strength program and a like, we didn't even get him into the second week of September, so he missed our whole summer workout program. He's he's like, one year away from potentially being a lottery pick. That's how much upside and how high his ceiling is, and he's going to keep getting better and better, because he's got a great attitude and work ethic."

fewfweef — Jan 10, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley with center Massamba Diop (35) against the Kansas State Wildcats in the second half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The fact that Diop was able to integrate into the context of a team that was already almost entirely new over the course of roughly seven weeks, start from the first season of the game on, and grow enough to be worthy of an All-Big 12 Freshman team selection is nothing short of incredible.

The 21-year old has an incredible feel for the game (on both sides of the ball), a shooting touch that is likely to make him an intriguing stretch-big prospect at the NBA level, and the ability to impact the game on the defensive side of the ball that should open the eyes of numerous scouts.

While it remains unlikely that Diop will enter the 2026 draft cycle, there are numerous signs that point to the center being an in-demand prospect the following year - Arizona State needs to put in all the effort that they possibly can to retain the star for at least one more season, regardless of who is at the helm of the program.

Read more on the bold strategy that head coach Bobby Hurley employed with comments on 1/21 here, and on why Arizona State may have saved the season with the win over Cincinnati on Saturday here..

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