Fleming, Raynaud, Penda headline the list of best available players entering Round 2 of NBA draft

Freshmen dominated the first round of the NBA draft. That squeezed out some veteran college big men.

St. Joseph's junior Rasheer Fleming, Stanford senior Maxime Raynaud, and fifth-year seniors in Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner and Auburn's Johni Broome are among those waiting to hear their name called entering the second round.

Bigs made up eight of the 30 first-round picks, with 18 freshmen and six international prospects taking up most of the slots.

Here's a look at top prospects available when the two-day format resumes with Minnesota on the clock Thursday night:

The 6-foot-8, 232-pound junior is coming off a productive season that included averaging 14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds for career-best outputs. He tied for fourth at the combine with a better than 7-5 wingspan, helping him average 1.5 blocks over the last two seasons.

He also proved he could stretch his range, going from shooting 31.3% on 3-pointers in his first two college seasons to 39% last year. Notably, he performed well in catch-and-shoot situations (in the 79th percentile) and finishing at the rim (89th percentile), according to Synergy's analytics data.

The 7-footer from France is a skilled a skilled 7-footer who averaged 20.2 points and 10.6 rebounds, putting himself alongside eventual No. 1 overall draft pick Cooper Flagg of Duke as the only unanimous first-team picks on The Associated Press' All-Atlantic Coast Conference first team.

He has a rangy skillset. He rated in Synergy's 78th percentile in converting on post-up chances, shooting 50.7% in those scenarios, while the 84th percentile for spot-up shooting. That showed in him making 67 3-pointers in 35 games last year.

The 6-8, 225-pound forward offers inside-out versatility and defensive potential. The 20-year-old averaged 10.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 33 games last year in France’s top league, rating as “very good” by Synergy in halfcourt settings.

Penda also led the team in steals (1.3) and blocks (0.9), and showed playmaking ability with his nifty passing.

The 7-1, 257 pound player has long been a productive post presence, averaging 14.5 points and 2.4 blocks while shooting 65.8% through five college seasons. He shot 58.5% in post-up situations to rank in Synergy's 87th percentile, and made 37 3-pointers in the last two years to show ability to step outside.

The AP third-team All-American started last season with 49 points in a game last year (second-most in Division I), and he had the combine’s second-longest wingspan (7-6).

The 6-3, 202-pound senior was an AP second-team All-American last year who averaged 19.2 points and 5.9 assists in a bigger role. He was particularly good as the ball handler in the pick-and-roll, shooting 50.8% in those situations to rank in Synergy's 85th percentile while also performing well in finishing at the rim and in spot-up chances.

The four-year veteran missed two career games and was a finalist last year for the Cousy Award presented to the nation’s top point guard.

Broome offers an example of how elite college production doesn't always equate to NBA potential. The 6-9, 249-pound big man was a first-team AP All-American averaging 18.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks for a Final Four team, part of an impressive rise from starting his five-year career at Morehead State.

Yet Broome plays below the rim and lacks elite athleticism, tying for the combine’s second-lowest max vertical leap (28.0). Synergy ranked his jumper as “below average," raising uncertainty about his ability to stretch defenses (27.8% on 3s last year) and create space.

—ADOU THIERO: The 6-6, 218-pound forward from Arkansas averaged 15.1 points and 5.8 rebounds in a leading role as a junior with the Razorbacks under John Calipari, coming after spending two years under Calipari at Kentucky. The versatile athlete has a 7-foot wingspan.

—TYRESE PROCTOR: The 6-4, 183-pound junior from Duke can play on or off the ball while bringing defense and outside shooting. Last year he averaged 12.4 points and 40.5% shooting on 3s, though he struggled in each of the Blue Devils' season-ending losses in the 2024 Elite Eight and 2025 Final Four (2 for 17 shooting in those games).

—JOHN TONJE: The 6-5, 212 pound guard is coming off a sixth college season in a career that began with four seasons at Colorado state, one injury-shortened season at Missouri and finally a big year with Wisconsin. Tonje was an AP second-team All-American last year and shot well on 3s (37.8%) and free throws (85.8%) in 167 college games.

—JAMIR WATKINS: The 6-5, 215-pound guard proved to be a reliable scorer in two seasons with Florida State, averaging 17.0 points in 65 games. He spent two seasons and a redshirt year at VCU.

—BOGOLJUB MARKOVIC: The 6-11, 190-pound big played last year for Mega Basket in his home country of Serbia. He'll need bulk on a lean frame but he offers intriguing perimeter skills and 3-point range.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

FILE - Johni Broome smiles as he talks to media at the 2025 NBA basketball Draft Combine in Chicago, on May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

FILE - Marquette's Kam Jones (1) looks to pass during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against the St. John's in the semifinals of the Big East tournament, on March 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

FILE - Ryan Kalkbrenner talks to media at the 2025 NBA basketball Draft Combine in Chicago, on May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

FILE - Stanford forward Maxime Raynaud talks to reporters during a press conference, following the team's victory over California in an NCAA college basketball game, on Feb. 22, 2025, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)

FILE - Saint Joseph's Rasheer Fleming plays during an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

Dallas (7-8-1) at N.Y. Giants (3-13)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox

BetMGM NFL Odds: Cowboys by 3 1/2

Against the spread: Cowboys 7-9; Giants 7-8-1

Series record: Dallas leads 78-47-2.

Last week: Cowboys beat Commanders 30-23; Giants beat Raiders 34-10.

Last meeting: Dallas beat Washington 40-37 in OT on Sept. 14.

Cowboys offense: overall (1), rush (9), pass (1), scoring (4)

Cowboys defense: overall (30), rush (t20), pass (32), scoring (32)

Giants offense: overall (15), rush (6), pass (21), scoring (21)

Giants defense: overall (29), rush (30), pass (20), scoring (26)

Turnover differential: Cowboys minus-8; Giants minus-3

QB Dak Prescott has a 14-game winning streak against the Giants since two of his losses in a 13-3 rookie season in 2016 came against them. It’s the second-longest winning streak against a single opponent in NFL history behind Bob Griese, who beat Buffalo 17 consecutive times from 1968-79. Prescott will get credit for a Dallas victory because he is expected to start. The question is how long he will play in a finale with no playoff implications. Either way, this will go down as one of Prescott’s best seasons. He enters the final week first in the NFL with 4,482 yards passing.

WR Wan'Dale Robinson gets to put the finishing touches on his case for a new contract, either with the team that drafted him or elsewhere. Robinson last week became the first player 5-foot-8 or shorter to eclipse 1,000 yards receiving since 5-7 Richard Johnson in 1989 and just the third since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. And he's playing against a Dallas secondary without Trevon Diggs, who was released on Tuesday.

Cowboys' offensive line vs. Giants' pass rush. New York's Brian Burns trails only Cleveland record-chasing Myles Garrett in sacks with a career-high 16 1/2, while rookie Abdul Carter has heated up with 3 1/2 over the past four games. Dallas would like to keep Prescott upright, no matter how long he plays.

Cowboys: RBs Javonte Williams (stinger) and Malik Davis (calf/eye) have been ruled out. The backs with a chance to be active have 54 career carries among them: FB Hunter Luepke (32) and rookies Jaydon Blue (22) and Phil Mafah (0). Mafah has been out all season with a shoulder injury, and is listed as questionable ... LB DeMarvion Overshown and rookie CB Shavon Revel have been dealing with concussions and won't play.

Giants: Two starters in the secondary are out: CB Cor'Dale Flott (knee) and S Jevon Holland (knee/concussion).

The Cowboys have won nine in a row against the Giants and 16 of the past 17. It's the longest active series in the league. Dallas' last winning streak this long was against Carolina from 1998-2012. ... Each team has been eliminated from playoff contention. ... The Cowboys are trying to avoid consecutive losing seasons for the first time since going 5-11 under coach Dave Campo from 2000-02. ... New York can still secure the top draft pick with a loss and Las Vegas victory against Kansas City or could drop as low as No. 7. ... This is expected to be interim coach Mike Kafka's final game with the Giants.

Cowboys WR George Pickens needs 80 yards receiving to reach 1,500 in his Dallas debut after the offseason trade from Pittsburgh. His only 1,000-yard season in three years with the Steelers came in 2023, when he had 1,140. … Ferguson needs one touchdown catch to tie the franchise tight end record of nine, held by Jason Witten and Billy Joe Dupree. … In their Week 2 game, K Brandon Aubrey had a tying 64-yard field goal on the final play of regulation and a winning 46-yarder as time expired in overtime in the 40-37 Dallas victory. ... Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart has accounted for 22 TDs (13 passing and nine rushing) with just five interceptions, in his first 11 professional starts. ... Robinson led the team with 113 yards receiving at Las Vegas. He had 142 in Week 2 at Dallas, which was before top receiver Malik Nabers was knocked out for the season with a torn ACL in his right knee. ... LB Bobby Okereke intercepted Geno Smith and had seven tackles last week. ... CB Deonte Banks returned a kickoff 95 yards for a TD against the Raiders.

Daily fantasy players might be able to cash in if Giants RB Tyrone Tracy has another big game rushing and receiving.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

FILE - Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) is sacked by Kayvon Thibodeaux (5) during a NFL football game against the New York Giants on Sept. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Patterson, File)

FILE - Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) carries the ball after reception during a NFL football game against the New York Giants on Sept. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Patterson, File)