3 ACC Teams Could Boast Multiple NBA Draft Prospects in the Frontcourt

The ACC should once again feature an impressive group of draft prospects.

After the conference produced three of the top six picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, and will likely have a few players in the running to be selected near the top of the 2027 NBA Draft during the upcoming season.

The league specifically features some of the best big men in the coutry, even after losing 2026 NBA Draft picks like Cameron Boozer, Ugonna Onyenso, Henri Veesaar and others.

Here's a look at a few schools who will feature multiple 2027 NBA Draft prospects in the frontcourt.

Duke

The Blue Devils feature a deep frontcourt rotation that includes Belmont transfer Drew Scharnowski, rising junior Patrick Ngongba II and coveted incoming freshman Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje and Cameron Williams.

Maxime Meyer, a four-star recruit in the 2026 class, also joins Duke for the upcoming season, but will have to battle with the aforementioned players for minutes.

Boumtje-Boumtje's age will require the 17-year-old to play two years in the NCAA, making him eligible for the 2028 NBA Draft. Scharnowski could play his way into the 2027 draft, but likely won't be a premier prospect.

Ngongba and Williams, however, each have the potential to be first-round picks in the 2027 class.

Listed at 7-feet tall and 215 pounds, Williams was rated the No. 4 overall player and No. 1 power forward in the 2026 recruiting cycle by 247Sports, and should make an immediate impact for Duke. Ngongba, who is listed at 6-foot-11 and 250 pounds, averaged 10.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 60.6% from the field and 25.8% from 3-point range.

Louisville

The Cardinals added a handful of intriguing big men following the 2025-26 season.

In addition to Iowa transfer Álvaro Folgueiras and 7-foot-5 Gabe Dynes, Louisville landed five-star Obinna Ekezie Jr. from the 2026 recruiting class and Kansas transfer Flory Bidunga.

Ekezie, the son of former NBA big man Obinna Ekezie, was rated the No. 17 overall player and No. 1 center in the 2026 cycle by 247Sports. Bidunga is coming off a productive sophomore season at Kansas that saw the former five-star prospect average 13.3 points, 9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 64% from the field.

Both Ekezie and Bidunga have the potential to be first-round picks in 2027.

North Carolina

The Tar Heels enter the 2026-27 campaign with former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone at the helm.

Malone's first North Carolina team will feature a pair of young big men from the 2026 recruiting class who could earn spots in the 2027 NBA Draft.

Sayon Keita, a five-star prospect listed at 6-foot-11 and 215 pounds, joins UNC for the 2026-27 campaign.

With a reported 7-foot-5 wingspan, Keita is originally from Mali, but spent the past two seasons playing for FC Barcelona in Spain. In the EuroLeague, Keita played alongside former NBA players Willy Hernangomez and Tomas Satoransky, averaging 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds while shooting 58.3% from the field in 8.7 minutes per game across six contests.

The Tar Heels also added 7-foot-1 Greek center prospect Alexandros Samodurov from the 2026 recruiting class

The 21-year-old averaged just 2.6 points per game in the EuroLeague this season playing for Panathinaikos, one of the top teams in Europe that features former NBA players like Omer Yurtseven, Kenneth Faried, Richaun Holmes, Cedi Osman and Juancho Hernangomez.

Keita and Samodurov aren't presumed 2027 draft picks to start the season, but could play their way into the conversation with strong seasons at North Carolina.

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