NBA Draft: Checking in on Five-Star Cincinnati Freshman Shon Abaev

The Cincinnati Bearcats have had a solid start to the 2025-26 campaign under the tutelage of head coach Wes Miller.

The team is 6-2 in its first 8 games including a non-conference win against Dayton. One of Cincinnati's losses came at the hands of Louisville and potential top-5 pick Mikel Brown Jr., but the other came against Eastern Michigan.

Still, after a 12-point loss to the Eagles, the Bearcats bounced back on Monday night with another non-conference win against Tarleton State.

Veteran Estonian guard Kerr Kriisa led the way for Miller's squad, scoring 20 points in a 76-58 victory against the Texans. Freshman wing player Shon Abaev chipped in 10 points, 7 rebounds (5 of which came on offense), 2 assists and 2 steals while shooting 4-of-10 from the field and 1-of-4 from beyond the arc.

So far this season, the first-year standout is averaging 11.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 37.8% from the field and 24.5% from 3-point range across 8 starts. While Abaev's efficiency hasn't been great to begin his college career, the former five-star prospect has started to round out his game as the season progresses.

In his first few games with the Bearcats, Abaev didn't provide much outside of his scoring ability. Recently, though, the Broward County, FL, product has started to showcase his versatility, which should help boost his draft stock.

Abaev didn't record a steal in his first three NCAA appearances, but has since notched a takeaway in each contest, including 2 steals in two of his last three games. Additionally, the Calvary Christian Academy alum didn't grab more than 3 rebounds in his first five college games, but has since notched at least 7 rebounds in the past three contests.

While Abaev's scoring might take some time to come around, as it does for many freshman, the talented wing's game becoming more well-rounded could keep him on NBA Draft radars. Listed at 6-foot-8 and 210 pounds, Abaev has great size for a wing player which could also entice NBA teams.

Coming out of high school, Abaev was rated the No. 22 overall player and No. 5 small forward in the 2025 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. A McDonald's All-American, Abaev was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school and has been solid to start his college career.

To earn a spot in the 2026 NBA Draft, though, Abaev will have to perform well against Big 12 competition and likely first-round picks such as; Chris Cenac, Koa Peat, AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and others.

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