NBA Draft: December’s NCAA Prospect Risers

As we’ve reached conference play in the NCAA basketball season, we’re finally getting to a reasonable sample size for evaluating NBA Draft prospects.

After getting initial reactions at the start of the season, prospects have now had chances to either improve on their swing skills, or fall even deeper into habits.

Here are some collegiate NBA prospects who helped their stock in the month of December:

Brandon Miller, Alabama

Miller put himself on draft boards early with stellar shooting and innate ball-handling for his size. A do-it-all forward, there weren’t too many knocks on his game, but his finishing at the rim was one of them.

In the month of December, Miller blossomed his two-point shooting to 50 percent, potentially calming any NBA nerves about his finishing. He also continued his stellar play overall, scoring 18.8 points, brining down 8.8 rebounds and dishing out 2.2 assists in six games.

With each passing game, Miller looks more and more the part of a top-five pick in the 2023 Draft.

Maxwell Lewis, Pepperdine

One of the biggest risers early in the season, Maxwell continued his strong play throughout December and is starting to earn 2023 lottery buzz.

He finished the month scoring 21.7 points, grabbing 5.9 rebounds, dishing out 2.7 assists and nabbing 1.2 steals per game. Most importantly, he shot 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three and 86 percent at the line.

Cam Whitmore, Villanova

After missing out on the first chunk of games due to a thumb injury, Whitmore came back with aplomb, scoring 21 and 19 points in his second and third games back, respectively.

In December, Whitmore is averaging 11.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals. He’s shooting 46 percent overall and 29 percent from three-point land. There’s certainly concerns with Whitmore’s shooting and decision-making, but his build and athleticism make him an intriguing riser nonetheless.

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.