Adam Finkelstein 5y

Which committed and uncommitted prospects will make the quickest impact?

Men's College Basketball, Men Basketball Recruiting

One of the greatest misconceptions about prospect rankings is that they are strictly a barometer of whom we expect to be impactful in college basketball. That's just one piece of the puzzle. 

In truth, ESPN player rankings consider three main criteria:

  1. A prospect's long-term potential to reach the NBA

  2. His projected impact at the college level

  3. The quality of his performances to date

With that in mind, who are next season's stars, the players most likely to have an immediate impact on the college game? Here's your instant impact list for 2019-20, with the top five committed and uncommitted players broken out separately:

Already committed

James Wiseman, Memphis (No. 1 in ESPN 100): Make no mistake: Wiseman's best basketball lies a few years down the road. While we maintain that he's the top long-term prospect in the class, he might not be the very best freshman, though he isn't as far off as some think. Wiseman is going to play for Penny Hardaway, who has coached him already and will help in his development. Wiseman will be able to impact the game around the rim on both ends of the floor, in transition and on the glass, though it remains to be seen how much of a focal point he'll be on offense.

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