Where Is Every 2015 McDonald’s All-American Today?

Photo: Brian Spurlock-USAToday

Another week, another flashback into the past. This time, the time machine is taking us all the way back to 2015—more than a full decade removed from when some of the best high-school basketball players in America shared the floor as teenagers with the basketball world at their feet.

Most of these guys were attached to enormous expectations. Five-star recruits. Future lottery picks. Supposed franchise prodigies. But ten years is more than enough time for basketball to separate potential from reality. Some actually became NBA stars. Some built long, productive careers without ever reaching superstardom. Others completely disappeared from the league despite once looking destined for greatness.

So today, we’re revisiting the entire 2015 McDonald’s All-American class, retracing their journeys from high school phenoms to wherever basketball ultimately took them, and answering one simple question: Did they actually live up to the hype?

Without further ado, let’s begin...

East

1. Dwayne Bacon (G)

Photo: Gene Sweeney Jr.-Getty

Dwayne Bacon spent his high-school years collecting stamps from some of the most prestigious programs in the country. After starring at IMG Academy, he transferred to Oak Hill Academy and became one of the nation’s premier scorers. The 6'6", 200-plus-pound wing could bully smaller guards, create separation for pull-ups and step-backs, attack the rim through contact and finish above it. Evaluators loved his NBA-ready frame and three-level scoring ability, and in his lone season at Oak Hill, he averaged 23.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.2 steals. His scoring average was Oak Hill’s highest since Brandon Jennings, and he earned McDonald’s and Parade All-American honors before committing to Florida State. College only strengthened his resumé. Bacon immediately led Florida State in both scoring and rebounding as a freshman at 15.8 points and 5.8 boards, then returned as a sophomore to earn Second-Team All-ACC honors.

New Orleans selected Bacon 40th overall in 2017 before immediately trading his rights to Charlotte. He spent three seasons bouncing between the Hornets’ rotation and Greensboro before Orlando gave him by far his largest opportunity. During the shortened 2020–21 season, Bacon appeared in all 72 games, started 50 and averaged a career-best 10.9 points. And this is where his NBA disappearance looks bizarre on the surface: he was only 25, completely healthy and had just become a double-digit scorer. But the deeper numbers explain why teams were less impressed. Bacon needed 10.1 shots per game to score those 10.9 points, shot only 40.2 percent overall and 28.5 percent from three, while contributing just 1.3 assists. He wasn't efficient enough to command a high-volume offensive role, and he didn't provide enough elsewhere to compensate. Orlando waived his non-guaranteed deal that summer, and although New York brought him into camp, the Knicks released him before the season. He has never played another NBA game. Ironically, Bacon has been anything but unsuccessful since leaving the NBA. He became a major scorer in Europe and helped Dubai win the 2026 ABA League championship.

2. Antonio Blakeney (G)

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Antonio Blakeney looked like the perfect scoring guard coming out of Oak Ridge High School. The future LSU Tiger averaged 29 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists as a senior, was named Florida Mr. Basketball and finished as a consensus top-20 recruit. Blakeney was fearless with the ball in his hands—an explosive downhill attacker who could create pull-up jumpers, explode in transition and catch fire from virtually anywhere. The concerns were whether the smaller shooting guard could become enough of a facilitator and defender to impact games without scoring. Blakeney followed Ben Simmons to LSU and became considerably more than his sidekick. After averaging 12 points as a freshman, he returned and exploded to 17.2 points as a sophomore while shooting 45.8 percent from the field. Unfortunately, LSU finished an ugly 10–21, and Blakeney entered the 2017 NBA Draft as an undersized score-first shooting guard coming from one of the country’s most disappointing teams.

Despite working out for nearly 20 organizations, he went undrafted. Chicago gave him a chance anyway, and Blakeney absolutely destroyed the G League. As a rookie with Windy City, he averaged a ridiculous 32 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists, recorded seven 40-point games and won G League Rookie of the Year, which earned him a standard NBA contract. There were real flashes of potential, but his numbers (7.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and just 0.8 assists per game) also revealed the problem. Why didn’t he stick? Blakeney was essentially a scorer who needed possessions without being efficient or versatile enough to justify receiving them. He could get difficult buckets, but he rarely created for teammates and questions about his defense had followed him since before the draft. By 2019, Chicago’s backcourt had added Coby White while retaining defensive-minded guards like Shaquille Harrison. The Bulls waived him at only 22 years old despite still owing him guaranteed money. Blakeney then discovered a basketball environment perfectly suited to his greatest strength. He went to China and immediately averaged 34.8 points per game, and he's pretty much been a problem overseas for the last half-decade.

3. Isaiah Briscoe (G)

Photo: Devin Cavino-AP

Isaiah Briscoe entered Kentucky with enormous expectations. The Newark native became a star at Roselle Catholic, averaging 20.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4 assists as a senior while leading the program to a second consecutive state championship. Built like a running back at 6'3" and over 200 pounds, Briscoe could bully smaller guards, change direction with a nasty handle, absorb contact around the rim and create for teammates. He was also a relentless on-ball defender and rebounder for his position. The Kyrie comparisons were inevitable—Briscoe is actually Irving’s cousin—but stylistically he was much more of a power guard. His game resembled Deron Williams or Tyreke Evans: get downhill, use his body and make something happen in the paint. Even before college, however, the jumper was the obvious concern. Kentucky exposed that weakness almost immediately. Briscoe remained a valuable player, starting 69 of his 70 games and averaging 10.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists across two seasons. He defended, rebounded, facilitated and did practically all of the dirty work on loaded teams featuring Tyler Ulis, Jamal Murray and later De’Aaron Fox.

But there was one gigantic problem: NBA defenses did not have to guard him outside the paint. Through two seasons at Kentucky, Briscoe was a career 22-percent three-point shooter and just 56 percent from the foul line. During his freshman season alone, he shot roughly 14 percent from three and 46 percent at the stripe which was devastating to his draft stock. He could neither project cleanly as an off-ball guard nor stretch defenses enough to make his driving game consistently dangerous at the next level. Briscoe consequently went undrafted in 2017, but proved he was too talented to disappear. After a solid stint in Estonia, his performance earned him an NBA contract with Orlando in 2018. Briscoe averaged 3.5 points, 2.2 assists and 1.9 rebounds in only 14.3 minutes, but then the worst possible thing happened at the worst possible time: he tore the meniscus in his right knee in February, required surgery and missed the remainder of the season. While Briscoe recovered, Orlando signed Michael Carter-Williams and waived Briscoe. That injury may have changed Briscoe’s entire NBA career. He was 22 years old, had finally cracked an NBA rotation and then watched a veteran replacement seize his job while he was physically unable to fight for it. He later moved to China, most recently playing for the Fujian Sturgeons in the 2025-26 season.

4. Jaylen Brown (F)

Photo: Bill Streicher-ImagnImages

Jaylen Brown entered the national spotlight as an athletic wrecking ball at Wheeler High School in Georgia. He averaged 28 points and 12 rebounds as a senior, carried Wheeler to a 30–3 record and a Class 6A state championship, and finished as a consensus top-five recruit. Brown possessed an NBA body before he ever reached college: roughly 6'7", powerful, explosive in transition and capable of guarding several positions. When he got downhill, smaller defenders essentially had two options—foul him or get out of the way. Still, scouts questioned his jumper, ball handling and feel for the game. He shot only 29.4 percent from three during his lone season at California, but was still productive, averaging 14.6 points and 5.4 rebounds and becoming the conference’s Freshman of the Year. Boston saw enough upside to select him third overall in 2016, betting that the athletic foundation was too extraordinary to pass up if the skill development eventually caught up.

And that gamble became one of the biggest success stories of the Celtics’ modern era. Brown gradually progressed from an athletic role player into a legitimate scoring star, eventually forming one of basketball’s premier wing tandems alongside Jayson Tatum. Everything culminated in 2024. Brown won Eastern Conference Finals MVP, then averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and five assists while defending at an elite level against Dallas to lead Boston to its 18th championship. He was rewarded with NBA Finals MVP, completing a journey from raw physical specimen to the best player on the floor during a championship series. Somehow, he continued getting better. Brown finished his tenth and final season in Boston averaging career highs of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists, earned his fifth All-Star appearance and second All-NBA selection, and finished sixth in MVP voting. Following a blockbuster trade to the 76ers, Brown now enters his next chapter.

5. Thomas Bryant (C)

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Thomas Bryant arrived at Huntington Prep as one of the most energetic big men in the 2015 class. The 6'10" center averaged 17.3 points, 11.6 rebounds and 4.5 blocks as a senior while leading Huntington to a school-record 31 wins. Scouts loved his motor, offensive rebounding, ability to run the floor and willingness to challenge everything around the rim. He was strong enough to finish through contact, kept the ball high around the basket and even flashed enough shooting touch to suggest he could eventually stretch beyond the paint. Bryant committed to Indiana and immediately became one of the Big Ten’s most efficient centers. As a freshman, he averaged 11.9 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 68.3 percent from the field, earning Third-Team All-Big Ten and All-Freshman honors. He returned as a sophomore and improved to 12.8 points and 6.6 rebounds while expanding his range to 38.3 percent from three.

Utah selected Bryant 42nd overall in 2017, but traded his rights to the Lakers on draft night. Los Angeles barely used him and waived him after his rookie season, which could have easily ended the story right there. Instead, Washington claimed him and let him cook. Bryant averaged 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 61.6 percent in 2018–19, started 53 games and even produced a ridiculous 31-point, 13-rebound performance while going 14-for-14 from the field. Washington made retaining him one of its offseason priorities. Bryant continued developing into a legitimate starting center before a torn ACL in January 2021 completely interrupted his momentum. He eventually returned, but never quite regained the same long-term starting role. What he did become, however, was one of the league’s most reliable emergency big men. He returned to the Lakers in 2022–23 and averaged 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds before being traded to Denver, where he became an NBA champion backing up Nikola Jokic. Since then, Bryant has practically made a career out of being the guy teams call when they suddenly need a competent center.

6. Cheick Diallo (F)

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Cheick Diallo entered Kansas looking like one of the highest-upside big men in the entire 2015 class. Born in Mali and arriving in the United States as a teenager, Diallo transformed himself into a five-star prospect at Our Savior New American School. As a senior, he averaged 17.6 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks while earning New York Gatorade Player of the Year honors. At roughly 6'9" with a massive wingspan, Diallo played with a ridiculous motor—sprinting the floor, attacking the glass, erasing shots and finishing violently around the rim. His offensive game was raw, but scouts saw the foundation of a potentially devastating big man. Then he absolutely owned the postseason showcase circuit. Diallo posted 18 points and 10 rebounds to win MVP of the McDonald’s All-American Game, then followed with 26 points and 11 boards to earn co-MVP honors at the Jordan Brand Classic. By the time he committed to Kansas, he was generally considered a top-10 prospect nationally.

Unfortunately, Kansas became a complete developmental detour. NCAA concerns surrounding his high-school coursework and amateurism delayed his clearance and resulted in a five-game suspension. Once eligible, Diallo never carved out a consistent role. Kansas had an experienced frontcourt, and Diallo was still extremely raw when it came to positioning. He finished the season averaging just 3 points and 2.5 rebounds in 7.5 minutes across 27 games. Diallo nevertheless entered the NBA Draft after one season, and the Clippers selected him 33rd before sending his rights to New Orleans. His best NBA season came in 2018–19, where he averaged 6 points and 5.2 rebounds in only 14 minutes while shooting 62 percent. The problem was that Diallo’s game never expanded much. He could rebound and finish but had almost no shooting, passing or self-creation. At 6'8"-6'9", he was also slightly undersized for a traditional center without being gifted enough offensively to function as a power forward. By age 25, Diallo was out of the league, but has since played in Russia, Spain, Puerto Rico and Japan.

7. Henry Ellenson (F)

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Henry Ellenson was Rice Lake royalty. The Wisconsin native grew into a 6'10" five-star forward who could rebound, handle the ball in transition, score with either hand and comfortably step away from the paint. As a junior at Rice Lake, he averaged 27.2 points and 13.1 rebounds and carried the school to the state championship game. He could face up, attack slower bigs off the dribble and knock down jumpers with fluid mechanics. A now-famous one-on-one workout against fellow Marquette star Jimmy Butler only poured gasoline on the hype, with the teen burying jumpers against an All-Defensive Team NBA wing. At Marquette, Ellenson became one of the best freshmen in college basketball. At only 18, he averaged 17 points and 9.7 rebounds, recorded 18 double-doubles and became the unanimous Big East Freshman of the Year and a First-Team All-Big East selection—the first freshman to make the conference’s first team since Carmelo Anthony.

Detroit selected him 18th overall in 2016, but the first warning sign was hiding directly inside his college numbers: Ellenson wasn’t actually an elite shooter yet. Despite the mechanics, he shot only 28.8 percent from three at Marquette. The expectation was that his shooting and touch would eventually translate into NBA range. It never consistently did. And the much larger issue was defense. Scouts were worried about Ellenson’s heavy feet, lateral quickness and lack of explosiveness as a rim protector. That left him in an ugly positional middle ground. He was too slow to chase modern power forwards or switch onto guards, but not strong or intimidating enough defensively to anchor the paint as a full-time center. Detroit later admitted that if Ellenson was going to overcome those limitations, he needed to be an extremely efficient offensive player—and the shooting simply never became consistent enough. Ellenson spent most of three seasons buried in Detroit before being waived, then bounced through the Knicks, Nets and Raptors. Across 83 NBA games, he averaged only 4.1 points and 2.5 rebounds, shooting 37.1 percent from the field and 33.6 percent from three. Since then, he's played in Spain, Japan, and currently Korea.

8. Jawun Evans (G)

Photo: Melvin Gregor-USAToday

Big things come in small packages. The 6'0" point guard became a South Carolina phenom practically overnight when, as a freshman, he dropped 26 points in the Upper State championship game to send Southside High to the Class 3A state final. After eventually moving to Dallas, Evans became a star at Kimball, winning a Texas state championship as a junior before averaging 23.3 points, 7.5 assists and 7.3 rebounds as a senior. At Oklahoma State, Evans looked like he might overcome his lack of size altogether. As a sophomore, he averaged 19.2 points, 6.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals, earning First-Team All-Big 12 honors. His speed was electric, his handle was among the best of the best and he was already extremely comfortable orchestrating pick-and-rolls. Some projections even viewed him as a possible late first-round pick.

Philadelphia selected him 39th overall before sending his rights to the Clippers, and Evans received a legitimate opportunity immediately.

He appeared in 48 games as a rookie, including four starts, but averaged only 4.8 points and 2.1 assists while shooting 35.2% from the field and 27.8% from three. And for a six-foot NBA guard, those percentages were brutal. Evans could still get into the paint with his speed, but once he arrived there he struggled finishing over NBA length. He shot just 37.2% on two-pointers as a rookie, while his unreliable outside jumper allowed defenders to play farther off him. At his size, he couldn't compensate defensively either—meaning the two offensive skills that could've saved him, elite shooting or elite finishing, never developed. After one season with the Clippers, his NBA opportunity disappeared quickly. Evans played only eight more NBA games between Phoenix and Oklahoma City, finishing his career with 56 appearances, 4.2 points per game and shooting splits of 34.5% from the field and 26.3% from three. He's currently playing in Mexico.

9. Luke Kennard (G)

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You want buckets? Kennard was the first guy you'd look to. The 6'5" Franklin guard poured in not twenty, not thirty, but 41 points per game as a junior, and then followed it with 38.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists as a senior, leading Franklin to a 26-2 record. He scored at least 50 points five different times during his final season and finished his career with nearly 3,000 points. Despite the ridiculous numbers, Kennard wasn't viewed as an overwhelming athlete. His scouting report centered around skill, touch and basketball IQ. He had pristine shooting mechanics, NBA range, excellent footwork moving off screens and enough ball-handling and passing ability to create in the pick-and-roll. What scouts questioned was whether his average athleticism and limited wingspan would hurt him defensively and prevent him from consistently creating separation against NBA athletes.

Those concerns didn't stop him from becoming Duke's best scorer by his sophomore season. Kennard averaged 19.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists, shooting 49% from the field and 43.8% from three, earning First-Team All-ACC and Second-Team All-American honors. Detroit selected him 12th overall in 2017 and he immediately made noise as a guy who couldn't be left open. Fast-forward nearly a decade and Kennard has become exactly what scouts thought he could be—maybe better. He's shot at least 40% from three in every season since 2020-21 and has led the entire NBA in three-point percentage three times, including a ridiculous 49.4% in 2022-23 and 47.8% in 2025-26. After finishing last season with the Lakers, Kennard signed with Phoenix in the summer of 2026.

10. Dedric Lawson (F)

Photo: Jessica Hill-AP

Dedric Lawson out of Hamilton High School was a stat-sheet monster from the beginning. As a senior, Lawson averaged 21.9 points, 15.4 rebounds, 3.2 blocks and 2.1 assists, shooting over 70% from the field while leading Hamilton to a Tennessee state championship. He was an unusually skilled forward for his size—long arms, soft touch, strong rebounding instincts, excellent feel and the ability to handle the ball, pass and score from multiple levels. And college did absolutely nothing to suggest Lawson couldn't play. Staying home at Memphis, he averaged 15.8 points and 9.3 rebounds as a freshman, then exploded for 19.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists as a sophomore. After transferring to Kansas and sitting out a season, Lawson somehow got even better, averaging 19.4 points and 10.3 rebounds while leading the entire Big 12 in both categories. He even shot 39.3% from three and became a consensus Third-Team All-American. So how does that guy go undrafted?

Athleticism. Lawson measured roughly 6'8" with a massive 7'2" wingspan, but his combine testing was brutal. He recorded a 26-inch vertical, had one of the slowest shuttle times and one of the slowest three-quarter-court sprints among prospects. Scouts saw a player who was incredibly skilled but operated almost entirely below the rim. That created an even bigger problem defensively. Lawson wasn't quick enough to consistently stay in front of NBA guards and forwards on the perimeter, but at around 230 pounds and without elite explosiveness, he wasn't projected as a legitimate rim-protecting center either. In a league that was increasingly killing the traditional power forward position, Lawson became the dreaded tweener without an obvious defensive matchup. Even the shooting came with questions. Lawson hit 39% from three at Kansas, but he'd never really established himself as a perimeter shooter, so teams weren't convinced he could simply reinvent himself as a stretch four. That meant much of what made him special—post touches, offensive rebounding and playmaking, required possessions NBA teams weren't necessarily willing to give him. After going undrafted in 2019, he joined Golden State for Summer League, but that's the closest he got to the NBA.

11. Ben Simmons (F)

Photo: Kiyoshi Mio-ImagnImages

There was hype, and then there was Ben Simmons hype. At 6'10" with the handle of a guard, otherworldly court vision and the ability to finish with either hand, Simmons drew comparisons to Magic Johnson and even LeBron James before he'd played a second of NBA basketball. He wasn't just the best player in the 2015 class—he was viewed as one of the best prospects of his generation. And Simmons had been doing this on an international stage forever. At just 15 years old, he represented Australia at the 2012 FIBA Under-17 World Championship, despite being a year younger than most of the competition. By his senior season at powerhouse Montverde Academy, Simmons was averaging 28 points, 11.9 rebounds and four assists, winning practically every major national Player of the Year award while leading Montverde to its third consecutive national championship. His lone season at LSU wasn't much different individually. Simmons averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and two steals. Philadelphia selected him first overall in 2016, and after missing his first season with a foot injury, Simmons immediately looked like a franchise player.

Over his first four seasons on the court, Simmons became Rookie of the Year, a three-time All-Star, an All-NBA selection and a two-time All-Defensive First Team selection. In 2019-20 he led the NBA with 2.1 steals per game, and one year later finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Through his first four seasons, he averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists. But the weakness scouts had talked about since LSU never improved. Simmons wouldn't shoot. Eventually, opponents stopped pretending he might. Everything came crashing down during Philadelphia's 2021 playoff loss to Atlanta, when Simmons shot an NBA playoff-record-low 34.2% from the free-throw line and famously passed up an open dunk late in Game 7. He didn't attempt a fourth-quarter shot in five of the seven games. He was eventually traded to Brooklyn for James Harden, but his career became consumed by lower-back problems. He underwent surgery for a herniated disc in 2022, suffered recurring nerve impingements and underwent another back procedure in 2024. By 2025, the former No. 1 pick had become a reserve. After Brooklyn bought him out, Simmons joined the Clippers and averaged just 2.9 points in 18 games, starting none of them. However, Sacramento gave Simmons another lifeline, signing the now-30-year-old to a one-year, $3.5 million contract. He'll attempt to resurrect a career that once looked destined for superstardom.

12. Diamond Stone (C)

Photo: Luke Chen-AP

The 6'11" big might have one of the coolest names in basketball history, but at Dominican High School in Whitefish Bay, it was his game that made him stand out. Stone averaged 24.4 points and 11.7 rebounds as a senior, finished his career with 2,193 points and helped Dominican capture four consecutive state championships. He was the No. 7 recruit in the country and one of the most accomplished centers in the entire 2015 class. Stone took his polished post game to Maryland, where he averaged 12.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in only 23 minutes per game, shooting 56.8% from the floor. He even erupted for a Maryland freshman-record 39 points against Penn State which made scouts salivate. But there was a problem: Stone's game was already beginning to look outdated. He was a powerful low-post scorer with soft hands and an assortment of moves, but he wasn't an explosive vertical athlete, didn't stretch the floor and wasn't mobile enough defensively to comfortably handle pick-and-rolls. His rebounding was also inconsistent for a 255-pound center, and scouts questioned his conditioning, motor and defensive consistency.

The Pelicans selected Stone 40th overall in 2016 and immediately traded him to the Clippers, which wasn't exactly an ideal landing spot. Los Angeles already had DeAndre Jordan entrenched at center, leaving practically no NBA minutes for a raw 19-year-old big. Stone appeared in only seven games, playing 3.4 minutes per night and averaging 1.4 points. He did, however, produce in the G League, averaging 13.3 points and 5.6 rebounds across 77 games, but that production never convinced NBA teams that his defense and athleticism could hold up. After one season, the Clippers included him in the Danilo Gallinari trade to Atlanta, and the Hawks waived him less than a month later despite his contract being guaranteed. Since then, he's been around the world, playing in Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Iran, Kosovo and an ever growing list of countries.

West

1. Carlton Bragg Jr. (F)

Photo: Austin Kelly

The 6'10" forward was supposed to be Cleveland’s next big thing. A five-star prospect and the No. 21 player in ESPN’s 2015 class, Bragg averaged 21.3 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks as a senior at Villa Angela-St. Joseph, leading the school to a state championship. With his athleticism, length and developing jumper, scouts even saw eventual first-round NBA potential. But at Kansas? That potential never materialized. Bragg averaged just 3.8 points as a freshman and 5.2 as a sophomore, never establishing himself as a consistent starter. His sophomore season was also interrupted by multiple suspensions, including a misdemeanor drug-paraphernalia charge that was ultimately handled through diversion. After two disappointing seasons, he transferred out.

And this is where his career really became a case of one setback after another. Bragg transferred to Arizona State but was removed from the program during his first semester for an unspecified team-rule violation, then resurfaced at New Mexico. There, he finally started looking like the player everyone remembered: in his final season he averaged 12.6 points and 10.3 rebounds, shooting 53.7% from the floor. But just 15 games into that season, Bragg was dismissed following an arrest on suspicion of DWI and marijuana possession. That basically killed whatever NBA momentum remained. By the 2020 draft he was already 24, had bounced through three college programs, had never developed the perimeter game expected of him, and hadn't completed a full breakout season. He went undrafted and instead built a professional career overseas, playing in the Czech Republic, Poland, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere.

2. Jalen Brunson (G)

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The son of nine-year NBA veteran Rick Brunson, Jalen had essentially been training for the league since he was a little boy. His father put him through rigorous workouts growing up, and when Rick joined the Bulls’ coaching staff, a teenage Brunson even got opportunities to train alongside Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. By high school, all that work was showing. Brunson helped Stevenson reach the Illinois state tournament three straight years, finishing runner-up as a sophomore, third as a junior and finally winning the Class 4A state championship as a senior, when he averaged 23 points and five assists and scored a championship-game record 30 points. And somehow, things only got better from there. At Villanova, Brunson won two national championships in three seasons, became the consensus National Player of the Year and established himself as one of the greatest guards in program history.

Somehow, he slipped all the way to the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft, but ultimately became an NBA superstar—and in 2026, he completed one of basketball’s coolest full-circle stories by winning an NBA championship with his former Villanova teammates Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart, dropping 45 points in the clincher and earning Finals MVP. From high school state champion, to two-time NCAA champion, to NBA champion alongside the same guys he won with in college. It genuinely does not get much better than Jalen Brunson.

3. Deyonta Davis (F)

Photo: Clyde Berry-AP

At 6'11" with elite length, athleticism and finishing ability, Deyonta Davis looked like the prototype of a modern NBA big coming out of Muskegon High School. He dominated inside, helped turn Muskegon into a Michigan powerhouse and arrived at Michigan State as one of the most highly regarded big men in the country. His college career was brief but solid. In 36 games for the Spartans, Davis averaged 7.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and nearly two blocks per game, doing enough in one season to convince NBA teams that his upside was worth developing. With light comparisons to Anthony Davis, he entered the 2016 draft and landed with Memphis, where he spent two seasons as a reserve center.

His best NBA stretch came in 2017-18, when he averaged 5.8 points and four rebounds for a Grizzlies team that won just 22 games. But Davis never expanded much beyond being an athletic rim-runner and interior finisher. After a short stint with Atlanta, he was out of the NBA by just 23 years old. For a five-star All-American who once looked like a potential long-term NBA weapon, Davis technically made it—but he never came close to maximizing the upside scouts saw in him.

4. PJ Dozier (G)

Photo: Sue Ogrocki-AP

Basketball royalty in South Carolina, 6'6" combo guard P.J. Dozier was a monster at Spring Valley High School and made the hometown fans happy by staying in Columbia for college. Playing alongside Sindarius Thornwell, Dozier helped South Carolina win the 2015 Paradise Jam as a freshman before taking a massive leap as a sophomore, averaging 13.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals. He saved some of his best basketball for March, putting up 15.6 points per game during the NCAA Tournament as the Gamecocks made the first Final Four in program history. But there was always one glaring weakness: shooting. Dozier shot just 27.7% from three and 57.9% from the free-throw line across his two college seasons, and that particular concern helped push him completely out of the 2017 NBA Draft. He still fought his way into the league and eventually found a home in Denver, where his size, versatility and perimeter defense made him a useful rotation guard.

Dozier played 50 games in 2020-21 and averaged a career-best 7.7 points, but his three-point shot never became consistent enough to make him a major offensive threat. Then, just as he had established himself, he tore his ACL in November 2021, derailing the best stretch of his NBA career. Dozier ultimately appeared in 130 NBA games across seven seasons, averaging 5.4 points while shooting only 31.1% from three. For an undrafted player, that's actually a respectable career—but for a McDonald's All-American once viewed as an oversized NBA point guard with limitless potential, the ceiling was obviously much higher. The defense got him into the league; the jumper and a brutal injury kept him from becoming much more.

5. Brandon Ingram (F)

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This one is a doozy. Brandon Ingram's rise to stardom has been anything but unexpected. The skinny 6'8" forward out of Kinston, North Carolina immediately drew comparisons to Kevin Durant due to his combination of ridiculous length, smooth jumper and ability to score from seemingly anywhere. And the hype wasn't unwarranted. Ingram averaged 24.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and three blocks as a senior while leading Kinston to its fourth consecutive state championship. He committed to Duke and immediately became one of the best freshmen in college basketball. Playing on a loaded Blue Devils team alongside Grayson Allen and fellow McDonald's All-American Luke Kennard, Ingram averaged 17.3 points and 6.8 rebounds, shot 41% from three and was named ACC Freshman of the Year.

The Lakers selected him second overall in 2016, and while his rookie season was rough, patience paid off. Following a blockbuster trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Lakers and Ingram to the New Orleans Pelicans, he eventually blossomed into one of the league's smoothest three-level scorers, winning Most Improved Player in 2020 and becoming a low maintenance star. He's now averaged at least 20 points per game in seven consecutive seasons, and after putting up 21.5 points per game for Toronto in 2025-26, he earned the second All-Star selection of his career. He never quite became Kevin Durant—almost nobody could—but that's hardly a insult. Ten years into his career, Brandon Ingram has become exactly what a top-two pick is supposed to become: a perennial 20-point scorer and multiple-time All-Star. The hype was real.

6. Chase Jeter (C)

Photo: Langston Smith-Wildcats

At 6'10", Jeter was one of the most highly regarded big men in America. The Bishop Gorman star was an athletic, mobile rebounder who ran the floor extremely well, finished around the rim and possessed a reliable jump hook with his back to the basket. As a junior, he averaged around 15 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks while leading Gorman to a 30-3 record, then averaged 16.2 points and 10.6 rebounds as a senior as the Gaels captured their fourth consecutive Nevada state championship. But Duke was where his trajectory completely derailed. Jeter entered a program loaded with frontcourt talent and averaged just 1.9 points as a freshman and 2.6 as a sophomore, making only six starts across two seasons. Just when his playing time began increasing during his second year, a herniated disc in his back effectively ended his season in January. He transferred to Arizona looking for a fresh start closer to home.

And for a moment, it worked. Jeter finally resembled the player scouts envisioned, averaging 10.9 points and 6.6 rebounds on 57% shooting in 2018-19. But his game never expanded much beyond the paint. He attempted zero three-pointers during his entire college career, shot just 59.8% from the free-throw line and never developed into an elite shot-blocker or defensive anchor. Then the back problems returned during his senior season, limiting him to 22 games as freshman Zeke Nnaji emerged and eventually took over Arizona's frontcourt. By the time Jeter entered the professional ranks, the NBA increasingly demanded that traditional bigs either protect the rim at an elite level, stretch the floor or provide overwhelming athleticism as a lob threat. Jeter quite check any of those boxes. He went undrafted in 2020 and never reached the NBA.

7. Malik Newman (G)

Photo: Sarah Stier-Getty

Few players could fill it up like Malik Newman. The 6'3" Callaway guard was named Mississippi Mr. Basketball three straight years, and as a senior averaged 29.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists while leading Callaway to a 31-3 record. ESPN ranked him as the No. 1 shooting guard and No. 10 overall player in the 2015 class, and Newman elected to stay home by committing to Mississippi State. But his freshman season wasn't the one-and-done campaign many expected. Newman averaged 11.3 points on 39% shooting, then transferred to Kansas and sat out a season before completely rejuvenating his stock. With the Jayhawks, he averaged 14.2 points and five rebounds while shooting 41.5% from three, then caught fire in March, averaging 21.6 points during Kansas' Final Four run and dropping 32 on Duke in the Elite Eight. Still, NBA scouts had one major question: what position was he? Newman was a natural scorer trapped between the guard spots. At just over 6'3" with a roughly 6'6" wingspan, he was undersized for a shooting guard, but his score-first mentality and limited playmaking made him difficult to project as a full-time point guard.

Newman went undrafted in 2018 and despite repeatedly proving himself in the G League and overseas, received almost no real NBA opportunity. He appeared in just two NBA games with Cleveland—one in 2020 and another in 2022—totaling only 12 minutes. What's more frustrating? The man can still score. Playing for Avtodor Saratov in Russia, Newman became the VTB United League's scoring champion, averaging 18.4 points per game and earning an All-Star appearance. Even though he can get you points, he simply fell into one of the toughest archetypes to survive with in the NBA: an undersized scoring guard who isn't quite a point guard. At the high-school level, scoring 30 could overcome everything. In the NBA, teams needed Newman to provide something besides scoring to justify giving him the ball. Unfortunately he couldn't match that role.

8. Ivan Rabb (F)

Photo: Michael Reaves-Getty

6'10" Bishop O'Dowd star Ivan Rabb was one of the most dominant big men in the country. As a senior, Rabb averaged 24.5 points, 16.3 rebounds and 4.5 blocks, leading the Dragons to their first state championship since 1981. In the title game against Mater Dei, he posted 19 points and 21 rebounds and hit the game-winning free throw with less than a second remaining. Rabb stayed close to home and committed to California, where he teamed up with fellow McDonald's All-American Jaylen Brown. As a freshman, Rabb averaged 12.5 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting an absurd 61.5% from the field. He returned for his sophomore season and increased his production to 14 points and 10.5 rebounds, but his efficiency fell all the way to 48.4%. That decision proved costly. Rabb had been viewed as a possible lottery pick after his freshman season, but another year exposed some limitations that were becoming increasingly important in the modern NBA. He was a terrific rebounder with soft hands and good pick-and-roll instincts, but he was too thin to overpower NBA centers, wasn't an elite rim protector, and never developed a reliable perimeter game.

Rabb ultimately slipped to 35th overall in the 2017 draft and landed in Memphis. He played 85 NBA games over two seasons, averaging 5.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in just under 15 minutes per game while shooting 55.5% from the field. And that was basically it. Rabb remained a productive rebounder and interior finisher, but the league had little room for a 6'10" big who couldn't consistently stretch the floor, switch onto guards or protect the rim. After bouncing through the G League, his NBA career was over before his 23rd birthday. No overseas career, or anything of the sort. Rabb was extremely good at the things traditional big men were supposed to do. Unfortunately, the NBA was rapidly deciding it wanted something else.

9. Malachi Richardson (G)

Photo: Jim Byrd-AP

The 6'6" Trenton Catholic bucket-getter finished his high school career with more than 3,000 points and arrived at Syracuse with a reputation as one of the most skilled scoring wings in the country. But efficiency was never Richardson's calling card. In his lone season with the Orange, he averaged 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting just 36.9% from the field. Even on a Syracuse team that reached the Final Four, Richardson was extremely streaky—although when he got hot, he could completely take over. His signature moment came in the Elite Eight against Virginia, when he scored 21 second-half points to erase a 16-point deficit and send Syracuse to the Final Four. After that, he became a first-round lock. Sacramento acquired his rights after Charlotte selected him 22nd overall in 2016, betting on his 7-foot wingspan, smooth jumper and potential as a big scoring guard. But the same concerns from college followed him to the NBA: inconsistent shooting, questionable perimeter defense and a game that was heavily dependent on scoring without much playmaking to fall back on.

Scouts had already questioned whether he was explosive enough to consistently create separation against NBA defenders. Richardson actually showed promise in the G League, averaging 21 points and shooting 44% from three during his rookie season, but a partial tear of his right hamstring ended that year early and interrupted his development. He never gained much traction afterward. Across three NBA seasons with Sacramento and Toronto, Richardson appeared in only 70 games, averaging 2.8 points in 8.9 minutes while shooting 35.8% from the field and 30.1% from three. For the 22nd pick in the draft, that's a major disappointment. Richardson had size and legitimate scoring talent, but the shooting was never consistent enough, the defense never became a strength and he didn't provide enough elsewhere when his shot wasn't falling. He mostly recently played in Guadalajara.

10. Caleb Swanigan (C)

Photo: Abbie Parr-Getty

Swanigan had one of the most remarkable journeys of anyone in this class. The 6'9" forward-center once weighed around 360 pounds at just 13 years old, but completely transformed his body while developing into one of America's best high-school big men. By his senior year at Homestead, Swanigan was averaging 22.6 points and 13.7 rebounds, leading the school to its first state championship and earning Indiana Mr. Basketball honors. And at Purdue? Swanigan became an absolute monster. After a solid freshman campaign, he erupted for 18.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game as a sophomore, shooting 52.7% from the field and an incredible 44.7% from three. He set a Big Ten record with 28 double-doubles, won Big Ten Player of the Year and became a consensus First-Team All-American. The problem was figuring out exactly how that game translated to the NBA. Swanigan was an elite rebounder with strength and a developing jumper, but at 6'9" he was undersized for a traditional center while lacking the speed and explosiveness teams wanted from power forwards. Scouts worried about his lateral quickness, pick-and-roll defense and lack of rim protection before he was even drafted.

Portland still selected him 26th overall in 2017, but those concerns ultimately proved difficult to overcome. Swanigan appeared in just 75 NBA games across Portland and Sacramento, averaging 2.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in fewer than nine minutes per game. His final NBA appearances came with Portland in 2020. After leaving the league, Swanigan largely disappeared from basketball. Photos showing that he had regained considerable weight circulated online. Tragically, Swanigan died on June 20, 2022, at only 25 years old. Swanigan didn't live up to his first-round expectations, but his story is much bigger than an NBA bust label. A kid who once weighed 360 pounds turned himself into Indiana Mr. Basketball, a state champion, a consensus All-American, Big Ten Player of the Year and an NBA first-round pick. That's a hell of an accomplishment in itself.

11. Allonzo Trier (G)

Photo: Mike Stobe-Getty

Trier had been considered a basketball prodigy before he was even old enough to drive. He was famously barred from playing varsity as an eighth grader because his skill created complaints about an unfair advantage. By his junior year at Montrose Christian, Trier was averaging 25.5 points, four rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.1 steals, before transferring to powerhouse Findlay Prep and pouring in roughly 26 points per game as a senior. One of the purest bucket-getters in the entire 2015 class, the scoring didn't disappear at Arizona. Trier averaged 14.8 points as a freshman, 17.2 as a sophomore and 18.1 points on an absurd 50% from the field, 38% from three and 86.5% from the line as a junior. But there were red flags. Trier missed the first 19 games of his sophomore season after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance, although the NCAA accepted that he had unknowingly ingested it. More importantly from a basketball standpoint, scouts weren't sure what Trier did when he wasn't scoring. He was "Iso Zo", but couldn't pass, wasn't a particularly impactful rebounder and had inconsistent defensive engagement.

All of these concerns led to a former five-star recruit going completely undrafted in 2018. Then something strange happened: he proved everybody wrong. Trier made the Knicks and averaged 10.9 points in just 22.8 minutes per game as an undrafted rookie, shooting 44.8% from the field and 39.4% from three. Only three of his 64 appearances were starts. For someone all thirty teams passed up on, that's an outstanding rookie season. But the opportunity vanished almost immediately. In year two his playing time was nearly chopped in half, from 22.8 minutes to 12.1, and he appeared in only 24 games. His scoring dropped to 6.5 points per game, and that pretty much wraps up his story. Trier wasn't pushed out because he suddenly couldn't score. His problem was that an isolation-heavy, score-first shooting guard who didn't defend or facilitate at a high level was difficult to build a rotation role around. Trier played nine games for the Iowa Wolves in the 2021 G League bubble, averaging 12 points but shooting just 39% overall and 24% from three. Those are the last documented professional games of his career.

12. Stephen Zimmerman (C)

Photo: Chris Sparks-AP

This seven-footer out of Bishop Gorman was one of the most hyped big men in his class. Zimmerman wasn't your typical back-to-the-basket center. The lefty moved extremely well for his size, flashed a soft touch from the midrange, could put the ball on the floor and was even comfortable making plays for teammates. As a senior, he averaged 14.7 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.4 blocks and 1.2 steals, becoming the only player in Nevada's large-school history at the time to win four consecutive state championships. Zimmerman stayed home for college and suited up for UNLV, where he produced immediately. In his lone season, he averaged 10.5 points, a team-high 8.7 rebounds and a team-high two blocks in just 26 minutes per game. For a 19-year-old seven-footer, there was plenty to like. But there were also some major warning signs. Despite his size, Zimmerman was extremely thin and could be pushed around by stronger big men. His lack of lower-body strength hurt him in the post, and although he blocked shots in college, scouts didn't consider him an explosive enough leaper to project as an elite NBA rim protector. DraftExpress summarized the problem perfectly: Zimmerman had several NBA-caliber tools, but practically every strength came attached to a question mark.

Orlando selected him 41st overall in 2016, but the Magic already had Nikola Vucević and had just invested heavily into Bismack Biyombo, leaving very little opportunity for a developmental teenage center. Zimmerman spent much of his rookie year in the G League, where he actually averaged 13.4 points and 8.9 rebounds, but appeared in only 19 games for Orlando and averaged 1.2 points in fewer than six minutes per game. The Magic waived him after one season. The Lakers gave him another opportunity that summer, but he was cut before opening night and never returned to the NBA. So what went wrong? Zimmerman probably entered the league before his body and game were truly ready. He had a little bit of everything—size, touch, mobility and defensive potential, but never developed one elite NBA skill that demanded playing time. For a former top-10 recruit, 19 NBA games is a massive disappointment.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Eleven years later, the 2015 class has given us just about every possible career path. Some players became exactly the stars scouts projected them to be, others completely shattered expectations, and a few saw once-promising careers take turns nobody could have predicted. So which trajectory shocked you the most? Who ended up exactly where you thought they would be back in 2015, and which former five-star recruit became something completely different?

Let us know which careers surprised you—for better or worse—and who ultimately lived up to the hype placed on them all those years ago.

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NBA Free Agency is just about over, and we're less than a month away from seeing NBA hoops again 🚨 Can't keep up with the drama? Be sure to stay tuned into Sportz Nation for your sports updates on all things basketball.

Thanks for reading!

-Joel Piton

(@jp7ton)