Three Players in the Transfer Portal who Could Break Out in Next Draft Cycle

The college basketball season is officially over, with the transfer-laden Michigan Wolverines having been named March Madness champs.

That makes the opening of the transfer portal all the more interesting, all players across the country are looking to find themselves in ideal sitautions to grow their games.

Here are three players who could be set to drastically raise their NBA Draft stock in the next calendar year:

Massamba Diop, Center

A lengthy 7-foot-1 center, Diop saw a solid first season with Arizona State, functioning as a force on the interior. He averaged 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and a whopping 2.1 blocks per game, panting the vision of a future light-on-his-feet NBA shot-blocker. Even more, Diop wasn’t a total non-shooter, hitting on 31% of his 0.8 threes attempted per game.

With his size, production and increasing skill, there’s a chance Diop could explode in the 2027 draft class. He’ll need to take a leap in terms of counting stats, in addition to helping win games, but he’s a prime candidate to make a lottery jump given his unique size and movement ability.

Matt Able, Guard

Able was a top-25 recruit who got off to a solid start at NC State, but ultimately couldn’t do enough to cement one-and-done stock. He averaged 8.8 points on 42% shooting, with 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game across just 21.8 minutes. A solid base to build on next year.

Able’s NBA case lies in his guard skills at a legit 6-foot-6. He has the ability to moonlight between a few different positions, and showed some 3-point shooting upside in the form of 36% on 4.1 triples attempted per game.

Able will need to land in the perfect situation that can best maximize his combination of skills, but should the game slow down he could easily cement himself as a first-round prospect next season.

Juke Harris, Wing

A “break out” might not best describe what Harris can do for his stock next season, given he already averaged 21.4 points, but he could be one of the class’s top risers.

A 6-foot-7 wing, Harris has three-level scoring ability and an all-around skillset on the wing, tacking on 6.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals for the Demon Deacons as a sophomore. Now, he’ll follow in the footsteps of Aday Mara, Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr. in heading to Michigan.

Harris doesn't need to do much to prove himself an NBA prospect. He'll need to continue to hone his scoring game at all three levels, round out his defensive game and help the Wolverines to wins, all of which should be achievable.