Former Gopher Under Ben Johnson Has Developed Into Legit NBA Prospect

Jaden Henley is firmly in the discussion to be a second-round pick in next month's NBA Draft.

Dec 6, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Grand Canyon University Antelopes guard Jaden Henley (10) shoots a free throw against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the first half at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images | Anna Carrington-Imagn Images

When Jaden Henley signed with the Gophers out of high school, he was barely a top-200 prospect in the class of 2022. More than 1,600 days later, he has developed into a legit NBA prospect.

In a recruiting class with in-state stars such as Pharrel Payne, Braeden Carrington and Joshua Ola-Joseph, Henley was the unknown prospect on Minnesota's 2022-23 roster. He started 18 games as a true freshman that season. He averaged 5.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game on 37.6% shooting from the field, 37.8% from three and 63.3% from the free throw line.

Mar 8, 2023; Chicago, IL, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Jaden Henley (24) looks to pass the ball against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Henley is close friends and AAU teammates with former four-star high school prospect Dennis Evans. When Evans committed to the Gophers in the 2023 recruiting class, they once looked like future building blocks of the program. Evans decommitted from the Gophers on Feb. 24, 2023, and Henley went to the transfer portal for the first time less than one month later.

It wasn't an immediate transition into stardom, as Henley averaged just 8.6 points per game the next season at DePaul. He started 23 games that season, and he showed improvements with 43.6% shooting from the field. The Blue Demons fired head coach Tony Stubblefield midway through that season, so Henley went to the portal again.

Feb 17, 2024; Providence, Rhode Island, USA; DePaul Blue Demons guard Jaden Henley (10) shoots the ball during the second half against the Providence Friars at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The Ontario, California native headed west and landed at UNLV before the 2024-25 season. He took a major lead in production with the Runnin' Rebels, averaging 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He shot 43.3% from the field and 35.1% from three. Head coach Kevin Kruger was fired that offseason, so Henley went to the portal again.

Three years after it was originally supposed to happen, Henley teamed up with his former AAU teammate Dennis Evans, but this time it was at Grand Canyon. Evans struggled to find a role with just 8.4 minutes per game, but Henley experienced a breakout campaign. He averaged 17.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game on 46.6% shooting from the field.

Henley is now firmly in the discussion to be a second-round pick in this year's NBA Draft. ESPN's latest big board ranked him as the 72nd-best prospect in the draft. Referencing a coaching staff's NBA Draft picks isn't always linear in the transfer portal era, but Henley could become the fourth player who played for Ben Johnson's Gophers to sign with an NBA team.

Jamison Battle just wrapped up his second season with the Toronto Raptors, Cam Christie has played in 68 NBA games for the Clippers, and Dawson Garcia played in seven games for the Pistons' G-League affiliate in 2025-26.

There's big enough of a sample size to realize that scouting was not Johnson's downfall at Minnesota. His teams were talented, but the issue was just keeping them in a Gophers uniform. It's a fun hypothetical to think about how different things could've looked with a more consistent NIL budget.