Washington's Hannes Steinbach Issuing Sneaky NBA Draft Case

The Washington big man has been stellar through a few games.

Dec 3, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies forward Hannes Steinbach (6) shoots the ball against the UCLA Bruins during the first half at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The 2026 NBA Draft class has largely been highlighted by its top three — Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and AJ Dybantsa — but plenty more players have seen blistering starts to their college careers.

Washington forward Hannes Steinbach is one of those, with blistering production that is sure to see him surge forward in draft talks sooner rather than later. 

The true freshman from Würzburg, Germany, stands at 6-foot-11, with a surprisingly steady frontcourt game centered around touch, footwork and a dash of modernity. He joined the Huskies with a decorated international resume — having led Germany to the silver medal at the 2025 FIBA U19’s — and was one of the more anticipated freshmen in some time for Washington.

Through just a handful of games, he’s lived up to his billing as one of the best prospects in the country. 

Steinbach got off to an immediately hot start with Washington, going for 21 points on 81% shooting in his very first game, with seven rebounds and six assists to boot. He played three more November games before suffering a small injury that kept him sidelined for a few weeks, and has returned with two fiery performances.

Hannes Steinbach had a 29/10 double-double vs. UCLA earlier this week, but it's also worth watching how the Bruins targeted him on defense in the second half

Really have not been encouraged by what I've seen from the German prospect on that side of the ball pic.twitter.com/J6UChRRuT3

— FLOOR and CEILING (Wilko) (@wilkomcv) December 7, 2025

In his return-game against UCLA, Steinbach was stellar, going for 29 points on 11-for-12 shooting, adding 10 rebounds, three assists and a steal. He didn’t see much work beyond the arc, instead showing his prowess around the rim. He’s got great hands for his size, able to corral plenty of passes, and has NBA-level touch and footwork in spinning for a variety of close quarters lays. The Huskies fell by just two points, but Steinbach’s performance off injury was a positive.

On Saturday, Washington matched up against a ranked opponent in No. 24 USC, and their star freshman against raised his draft stock.

Against the Trojans, Steinbach went for 24 points, 16 rebounds and three assists, helping his squad to a come-from-behind win. He finished 7-for-12 from the field, this time showing off his perimeter prowess in hitting two of three 3-point attempts. He showed immense physicality in this one, muscling for another 16-rebound game, while also getting to the free throw line and finishing 8-for-10 there.

With his two recent games, Steinbach has blossomed his overall production to 18.5 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game on 63% shooting overall, hitting on 66% of his triples. Defense was the biggest concern for him coming into the season, though his mobility has looked better than expected, and his 1.0 block per game has been a fine number.

Steinbach came into the season as a first-round talent for many, though his immediate production and lack of major flaws has many thinking he could be a lottery play, or even more.