Every Baylor Basketball Player Drafted to the NBA Under Scott Drew
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With the NBA draft just a few weeks away, a pair of Baylor Bears are projected to go in the first round. Head coach Scott Drew has been the head of the program for 23 seasons and has had 15 players drafted into the NBA during his tenure.
Tied as the longest tenured head coach in the Big 12, Drew has built a consistent contender in Waco and has a proven track record of sending talent to the NBA. With the expectation of Cameron Carr and Tounde Yessoufou being drafted next month, the number will move to 17 players drafted under Drew.
Before we focus on the future, let’s look at all the Baylor players drafted while playing under Drew in Waco.
Ekpe Udoh (2010, Round 1, 6th overall to the Golden State Warriors)
The first player drafted directly under Drew, Udoh was a low post nightmare during his time in Waco. After being selected by the Warriors, Udoh played in 58 games (18 starts) during his rookie season. Across 17 minutes per game, he averaged 4.1 points. 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. Udoh was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks after 38 games the following season and averaged 5.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 23 games for the Bucks.
Udoh spent two more seasons in Milwaukee, one season with the Clippers, two seasons internationally and two seasons with the Jazz before retiring following the 2019-19 season at 31 years old. Udoh never found his footing at any of his stops and finished his career with underwhelming averages of 3.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 384 games.
Perry Jones III (2012, Round 1, 28th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder)
Jones was initially projected to be a lottery pick but medical concerns led to him slipping to near the end of the first round. The Duncanville, Texas native never carved out a legitimate role in Oklahoma City as he spent a large portion of his rookie year in the G-League before moving up to the Thunder for 38 games.
Jones played 62 games in his second year and scored a career-high 32 points versus the Clippers in October 2014. Following the 2014-2015 season, Jones was traded to the Celtics but never saw the court as he was waived before the season began. Over his three-year career, Jones averaged 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in 143 games (11.7 minutes per game).
Quincy Acy (2012, Round 2, 37th overall to the Toronto Raptors)
After a legendary four-year career in Waco, Acy managed to last seven seasons in the Association thanks to his high motor, big dunks and hard-nosed defense. Acy spent his first two seasons in Toronto before being traded to the Kings. After the Kings, Acy spent a season with the Knicks, went back to Sacramento and finished his career with stops in Dallas, Brooklyn and Phoenix.
His best statistical year came in 2017-2018 with the Nets, where he averaged a career-high 5.9 points combined with 3.7 rebounds. Over the course of his seven-year career (337 games), Acy averaged 4.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and shot 35% from the three-point line. Following his NBA career, Acy played in China, Israel and Greece before coaching for the Dallas Mavericks and Wichita State.
Quincy Miller (2012, Round 2, 38th overall to the Denver Nuggets)
Miller appeared destined for great things as he was a top five recruit nationally in high school but a torn ACL during his senior year took away some of that momentum. Miller bounced back and earned Big 12 co-Freshman of the Year before entering the draft. Similar to the previous players on this list, Miller never could stick the landing in the NBA after spending two seasons in Denver and splitting time with the Kings and Pistons during the 2014-15 season.
Across 69 NBA games, Miller averaged 4.3 points and 2.4 rebounds. Despite the lack of success in the NBA, Miller transitioned to international play where he found much more success for the EuroLeague’s Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) and earned an All-EuroLeague second team selection.
Pierre Jackson (2013, Round 2, 42nd overall to the Philadelphia 76ers
After averaging nearly 20 points per game during his senior season in Waco, Jackson fell to the second round of the draft. Jackson experienced bad luck immediately when he tore his Achilles during his first summer league appearance for the 76ers in 2014. After a year recovery, Jackson landed in the D-league, now the NBA G-League, and set a single game D-League scoring record with 58 points, he also notched two D-League All-Star selections.
Following his D-League success, Jackson finally got on the NBA floor in a regular season game three years after being drafted when he played eight games for the 2016-17 Dallas Mavericks. He would average 4.4 points, 1.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 10 minutes per game. The Las Vegas native reached the high point in his career after the Mavericks in international play with a Turkish League title with Fenerbahce, winning an Israeli league title and a Chinese Basketball Association scoring title.
Cory Jefferson (2014, Round, 60th overall pick to the San Antonio Spurs)
Jefferson made a pair of All-Big 12 teams and was part of three Sweet Sixteen squads in Waco. The Spurs did not hang on to Jefferson for long and the Brooklyn Nets scooped him up for the 2014-15 season, where he appeared in 50 games. He averaged 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in Brooklyn before heading to Phoenix the following season. I
n eight games with the Suns, Jefferson notched 2.8 points and two rebounds per game. Jefferson moved to international play following his second NBA season, playing in Italy, Turkey, China and the Philippines before trying his hand at coaching in the Mavericks organization.
Taurean Prince (2016, Round 1, 12th overall pick to the Utah Jazz)
Prince was the first Baylor Bear to be a lottery pick in six years when Utah took a chance on him in 2016. The longest tenured/active former Baylor Bear has carved out a solid career as a solid 3-and-D wing for multiple playoff teams. The Jazz ended up trading Prince to the Atlanta Hawks, where he spent three seasons averaging 11.4 points. 3.8 rebounds and two assists. Following Atlanta was a year-and-a-half with the Nets and 29 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Prince took his talents to the Minnesota Timberwolves for two seasons and the LA Lakers for one season before landing with the Milwaukee Bucks this past season. Just a few weeks into the season, Prince suffered a painful neck injury and missed four months. Prince would return for the final month-plus and managed five double-doubles over the final two weeks. For his career (608 games, 351 starts), Prince has averaged 9.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 38.7% from the three-point line.
Davion Mitchell (2021, Round 1, 9th overall pick to the Sacramento Kings)
The first lottery pick since Prince five years prior, Mitchell’s career got off to a rocky start as he struggled to find consistency with a constantly rebuilding franchise. In three seasons with the Kings (227 games), Mitchell averaged 7.4 points, 2.8 assists and 1.6 rebounds. The Hinesville, Georgia native started the 2024-25 season with the Toronto Raptors before getting traded to the Miami Heat.
In the final 30 games of the 24-25 season, Mitchell showed signs of improvement, averaging 10.3 points, 5.3 assists and 1.4 steals. During this past season, Mitchell elevated his game to a new level in South Beach, averaging 9.3 points, 6.5 assists, 2.7 rebounds and one steal per game. Mitchell’s future appears bright as the starting point guard for the Miami Heat.
Jared Butler (2021, Round 2, 40th overall pick to the New Orleans Pelicans)
The 2021 Final Four Most Outstanding Player was traded from the Pelicans to the Jazz, where he averaged 3.8 points and 1.5 assists across 42 games as a rookie. Butler rarely saw the floor for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2022-2023 season. Butler rebounded to play in 40 games for the Washington Wizards during the 2023-24 season, averaging 6.3 points, 3.2 assists and 1.8 rebounds.
He would start the 2024-25 season with the Wizards but was traded after averaging 6.9 points and 2.6 assists in 32 games. Butler appeared to finally find his footing with the 76ers, making 17 starts in 28 games and averaging 11.5 points. 4.9 assists and 2.5 rebounds. Butler signed with the Phoenix Suns last summer but was released just before the season started and would not play in an NBA game this past season. Butler landed with Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) in Serbia after the release.
Jeremy Sochan (2022, Round 1, 9th overall pick to the San Antonio Spurs)
Sochan seemed to be headed towards a solid NBA career after averaging 11 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 53 starts as a rookie. The Guymon, Oklahoma native continued to hold a key role in the Spurs rebuild the following two seasons. Things rapidly fell apart during the 2025-26 season with the Spurs skyrocketing to championship contender status and Sochan’s offensive game continuing to be below-average.
His run in the Alamo came to an end in mid-February following a release, which allowed him to sign with the New York Knicks. Sochan has a chance to win a championship in the Big Apple, but he has sparingly played since joining the team. Sochan’s future in the NBA looks murky and there is a chance he will go play internationally to develop his offensive skills.
Keyonte George (2023, Round 1, 16th overall pick to the Utah Jazz)
George is the face of Baylor basketball alumni in the NBA as he took a big step towards becoming a bona fide star in year three. After averaging 13 and 16.8 points per game his first two seasons, George jumped to 23.6 in 54 games (all starts). Along with the scoring acumen, George averaged 6.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals while playing over 33 minutes a night.
His pace of play had him right in the mix for the Most Improved Player of the Year Award before injuries forced him to miss enough games to make him ineligible for any awards. Despite the injuries, George is slated to make a run at an All-Star appearance as the star of a young, high potential Jazz squad in 2026-27.
Ja’Kobe Walter (2024, Round 1, 19th overall pick to the Toronto Raptors)
Walter was a formidable depth piece as a rookie in 2024-25 for a rebuilding Raptors team in which he averaged 8.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 52 games (18 starts). Walter started off the 2025-26 season in a similar role until injuries allowed Walter to take on an elevated role which saw him shine bright in big moments. The Dallas native had a pair of 20-plus point performances in the first round of the playoffs versus the Cavaliers. Walter is expected to be a key piece to a contending Raptors squad in 2026-27.
Yves Missi (2024, Round 1, 21st overall pick to the New Orleans Pelicans)
Similar to Walter, Missi landed in a rebuilding situation in the Big Easy and still managed to nearly average a double double (9.8 points and 8.2 rebounds) in 67 starts as a rookie. Missi was poised to continue developing during the 2025-26 season, but an early injury kept him out for almost a month and when he returned, a new head coach was in charge.
Once he returned from injury, the vibes seemed off as his playing time was inconsistent and trade rumors swirled around the Belgium-born big man. Despite the playing time issues, Missi was a force in the paint when he got an opportunity and averaged 5.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. Nobody truly knows where Missi will play in 2026-27 but he will be a fierce low-post enforcer no matter where he ends up.
VJ Edgecombe (2025, Round 1, 3rd pick to the Philadelphia 76ers)
The highest draft pick in Baylor history, Edgecombe took the NBA world by storm with a historic NBA debut that saw him score the third most points by an NBA player in their first game. The high-flying, energetic guard was a treat to watch as he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting, won MVP in the NBA All-Star Rising Stars game and became a core piece of the 76ers future. He finished the season averaging 16 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals across 35 minutes per game. Edgecombe has a long, bright future in the NBA ahead as long as he stays healthy.
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Allen began covering college sports as an intern for InsidetheGators.com for the Florida Gators 2021 football season. He has been a freelance sportswriter for the past four years at newspapers such as the Ocala Gazette, Ocala Star-Banner and GatorBait Media. As a lifelong sports fan, Allen's dream is to cover sports every day.