Purdue junior guard Braden Smith is among the top-50 NBA prospects participating in the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, according to a breakdown done by ESPN. The Big Ten Player of the Year was ranked as the No. 38 player on the list and was the only Boilermaker included.
This week, ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo compiled a list of the top-50 NBA prospects we'll see playing in March Madness this year. Smith, who is widely regarded as one of the best point guards in college basketball, cracked the top-40.
Smith enters the NCAA Tournament ranked second in the country in assists this season, averaging 8.7 per game. He's also averaging 16.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 steals per contest and is shooting 38.4% from three-point range.
"Smith, the Big Ten Player of the Year, has turned heads from a pro perspective in spite of his major limitations with size (170 pounds) and physicality. He starred this season with Zach Edey off to the pros and Purdue playing a more guard-friendly style, shooting close to 40% from 3 on good volume and leading the conference in assists," Woo wrote of Smith.
"One of the toughest and smartest floor leaders as a junior, Smith could likely make more money returning to college but has forced NBA scouts to think harder about his candidacy as a potential depth player."
It's been an outstanding year for the Purdue guard, one full of individual accomplishments. He reached 1,000 career points and exceeded 500 career rebounds during his third season in West Lafayette. Smith also became the program's all-time leading assist man, passing Bruce Parkinson at the top of the list.
Smith has started every game at Purdue since his arrival during the 2022-23 season. He's evolved as one of the top players in the country, especially at the point guard position.
Omitted from this list was Purdue junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, a player who has grown tremendously during the 2024-25 season. He was the Big Ten's second-leading scorer, averaging 20.2 points per game on the year. He is also grabbing 6.2 rebounds per game and shooting at a nearly 60% clip. It seems surprising that he wasn't among the top-50 NBA prospects on the list.
Purdue will open the 2025 NCAA Tournament against High Point on Thursday, March 20 with tipoff at 12:40 p.m. ET and the game airing on truTV.
HOW TO WATCH PURDUE-HIGH POINT: No. 4 Purdue and No. 13 High Point will meet in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. TV and radio information, top players, key stats and more. CLICK HERE
BOILERS AMONG CBB ELITE: With a 10th straight NCAA Tournament appearance and receiving a top-four seed for the eighth consecutive time, Purdue is among the elite college basketball teams. CLICK HERE
PURDUE TRIES TO RECAPTURE DEFENSIVE SUCCESS: For the last month, Purdue's defense has really struggled. The Boilermakers are hoping to recapture some of that intensity, especially with a matchup against a high-scoring High Point team in the NCAA Tournament ahead. CLICK HERE