Players are drafted off of their total resume. Laying an egg in high profile games is not a great look but its also worth noting that Karaban is not being drafted to be an NBA teams 1st,2nd,3rd, or even 4th option. If he ends up on the Celtics he will have a clear blue print for success in Hausers role. As a guy who has the pr-requeset size to hold up on defense and can shoot the lights out he should be a near lock to return positive value at #27 and especially at #40.
I was impressed that Karaban raised his vertical five inches in the last year. He about NBA average in that now, but was a horrible 23"( for a pro) prior to this years 28". That takes a ton of work and shows me he cares about how he plays. I like him at 40.
I do think people have dropped in the draft due to a poor performance and I disagree with your assertion is always the whole body of work. We have seen this happen often. Here are players this year whose stock dropped in terms of their mock draft position due to poor post .
Andrew Nembhard (Gonzaga): Previously hovering around potential first-round consideration, Nembhard struggled significantly in the Sweet 16, negatively affecting his draft trajectory.
Caleb Love (North Carolina): Following a preseason standing as a top prospect, his shooting percentages and turnover rates dipped significantly, dropping him out of first-round projections.
Brandon Miller (Alabama): Entered the tournament highly ranked, but back-to-back rough shooting nights and off-court distractions caused a drop on big boards heading into the draft.
Josh Christopher (Arizona State): Did not reach projected first-round expectations, and a tough season concluding with stagnant tournament performances dropped him into the late second round
https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/march-madness-2022-nba-draft-prospects-who-helped-or-hurt-their-stock-during-the-ncaa-tournament/https://www.wruf.com/headlines/2026/04/03/nba-draft-risers-fallers-from-march-madness/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2933732-college-basketballs-5-star-recruits-who-have-hurt-their-nba-draft-stock-mostI would also contend guys play themselves up in the draft sometimes with a good tournament play every year.
Donte DiVincenzo
Wally Szczerbiak
Ed Pinckney
RJ Hunter
Sam Dekker
Carson Edwards
So, I think while they evaluate the body of their work. Tournament plays as a big time effect as it is often the last memories they have of a player. I can provide many more examples.
Some of the draft is also based on potential and future growth, how much better do you think Karaban cane become?
Topic: 2026 Celtics Draft Workouts (Read 10360 times)