Baylor's Cameron Carr continues to shoot up draft boards, Yessoufou falls
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The college basketball season is thoroughly underway, and for many teams, they are coming to the end of their non-conference schedules. In the case of the Baylor Bears, they have one more game to play against Arlington Baptist before their Big 12 conference schedule begins on January 3rd with a matchup against TCU.
So far this season, the Bears have been quite impressive and have far exceeded the expectations of many sports analysts who were not high on this iteration of Scott Drew's team. Even with a team comprised entirely of transfers and freshmen, Drew and the Bears have started the season off quite strongly, boasting a 9-2 record with their only losses coming to Memphis and St. John's.
Even though the season is far from over, many basketball analysts are already looking to the 2026 NBA draft and some of the prospects this season who have already been turning heads. When it comes to the Bears, two names have been highlighted by NBA draft writer and analyst Jeremy Woo. Unsurprisingly, the two players listed from the Bears are also the leading scorers for Scott Drew: freshman Tounde Yessoufou and transfer Cameron Carr.
Both Yessoufou and Carr have been pivotal to the Bears' success so far this season, with the two combining for roughly 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists on average, while boasting strong shooting splits. Both Carr and Yessoufou are both younger, with Carr being a sophomore and Yessoufou being a true freshman, something that appeals to NBA scouts and will allow both athletes to continue to develop.
When looking at both athletes, Woo said the following regarding Carr & Yessoufou
Sophomore | Height: 6-5 | | Age: 21.0 | Previous ranking: 48
Carr has been on a heater to begin the season, a surprising breakout after he spent two seasons riding the bench at Tennessee (he made zero starts and averaged less than 10 minutes per game). The small sample and his streaky shot selection have made him a tricky assessment for NBA teams, but he is an explosive athlete with plus-length who is scoring at a high level (55.1% FG), making him intriguing in the eyes of evaluators.
Scouts will be curious whether Carr can create easy looks against better competition and maintain his current 42.6% 3-point clip. That he's not much of a playmaker for teammates nor a defensive standout also creates questions. Suffice to say, the former top-100 recruit has put himself back on the radar as a prospect, with room to rise if he can keep performing like this.
2025-26 stats: 21.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists in nine games
Freshman | Height: 6-5 | Age: 19.5 | Previous ranking: 13
While Yessoufou hasn't quite lived up to the hype that followed him after the Nike Hoop Summit -- he was ESPN's No. 9-ranked recruit in the 2025 class -- he has been productive in adjusting to the college game and already has an NBA frame. He's not a polished scorer for someone who takes as many shots as he does (25.1% usage) and has experienced finishing struggles driving downhill against bigger bodies.
Yessoufou projects best as a 3-and-D energy wing, but he needs to make big strides in both areas to realize that potential. Improving his shot selection and buying in further as a defensive stopper would make a difference and help assuage some of the concerns about his court awareness. He's more of a natural four-man with shooting guard size, which complicates his projection, but will make for an interesting developmental case, with his tools and motor still interesting selling.
2025-26 stats: 17.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists in nine games
Both Yessoufou and Carr are off to fast starts to being the college basketball season and if they continue to keep this pace, they will only continue to shoot up draft boards further and further.
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Josh started covering Baylor athletics in July 2025. Prior to Baylor Bears on SI, he worked as an intern for TheMichiganInsider at 247Sports. Josh graduated from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, with a bachelor’s degree in economics, where his passion for collegiate athletics continued to grow after attending his first game in The Big House. Combining his analytical background and his affinity for collegiate sports, Josh enjoys providing his unique perspective on the shifting dynamic equilibrium of the collegiate athletics landscape. When not watching sports, Josh enjoys cooking a nice meal, running, and traveling to new places with his friends and family.