The college basketball season is now a month old, which means it's time for our first Big Board update since the season began.
While scouts are still preaching patience, especially with freshmen, stronger opinions are forming on top prospects. Once we begin conference play in January, they'll get even sharper.
This is a more detailed look at the top 30 players in our Top 100. It tracks player movement and stock fluctuation, and gives you the latest intel from NBA scouts.
So here it is: Big Board 3.0.
1. Ben Simmons
Previous rank: No. 1
LSU
Freshman
Forward
Simmons is the prize of this draft. There really isn't a close second right now. His combination of size, athleticism, court vision and rebounding prowess is unique, and he's ultraproductive, ranking No. 7 in the country in player efficiency rating.
Yes, his jump shot is a source of concern; he's made just 13 shots away from the rim all season and is shooting just 28.6 percent from there, according to hoop-math.com. But given all the other skills he brings to the table and a solid free throw percentage, scouts don't think it will keep him from being a star.
2. Brandon Ingram
Previous rank: No. 4
Duke
Freshman
Forward
Ingram bounced back from a slow start to the season in early December with a 24-point explosion against Indiana, followed by a 23-point game against Buffalo and a 26-point effort against Georgia Southern. During that three-game stretch he shot 8-for-14 from 3 and 27-for-43 (63 percent) inside the arc.
Obviously, that's a pretty small sample size; two of the three opponents were mid-majors and Indiana is a pathetic defensive team. Still, scouts get excited whenever you talk about a long, 6-10 small forward with athleticism who can shoot. Ingram needs to get stronger and continue to work on his defense, but the tools are there for him to be a star if he can keep it up.
3. Dragan Bender
Previous rank: No. 3
Croatia
Age: 18
Forward/center
After he impressed scouts in September with exhibitions in Chicago and Brooklyn, things have quieted down for Bender. In nine Israeli league games, he is averaging just 3.6 PPG and 2.0 RPG in 11 MPG for Maccabi Tel Aviv. In Euroleague play, that number drops to 2.1 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 10 MPG.
Scouts were hoping to see him play a much bigger role. I don't think lack of playing time has hurt his stock at all, but it has kept him from climbing up a board that's wide open after Simmons.
4. Skal Labissiere
Previous rank: No. 2
Kentucky
Freshman
Center/forward
Scouts are preaching patience with Labissiere ... but it's hard to be patient. He dropped a zero-point, zero-rebound game in a win against Arizona State on Saturday and was a complete nonfactor on both ends of the floor. His lack of strength has hurt him to the point where there's been only one game in which he has grabbed more than five rebounds. But there's still reason to have hope.
Head coach John Calipari is trying to toughen up Labissiere by asking him to play in the post. He's much more comfortable on the perimeter, though (he's shooting 47.6 percent from there and 63 percent of all his shots have been jumpers), and projects as a potential stretch-4 in the NBA. We haven't seen his 3-point shot, but he has one. However, if this keeps up through the entire season, his stock could plummet. He turns 20 in March. That's old for a player with such little production.
5. Jaylen Brown
Previous rank: No. 5
Cal
Freshman
Forward
Brown continues to look the part athletically, but the production has been shaky so far. He's playing out of position at power forward, which explains some of the problem, but it's his shot that has scouts wringing their hands.
He's shooting just 15 percent on his 2-point jumpers this season and just 25 percent from 3.
6. Henry Ellenson
Previous rank: No. 7
Marquette
Freshman
Forward/center
Scouts continue to warm on Ellenson to the point that he might be a hot month away from surpassing both Brown and Labissiere on our board.
He is big and mobile, rebounds and can really shoot the basketball. His 3-point shot hasn't really been falling, but he's shooting a red-hot 51 percent on 2-point jumpers. He's the prototypical stretch-4 in the new NBA.
7. Jakob Poeltl
Previous rank: No. 12
Utah
Sophomore
Center
It looks like Poeltl made a great decision to go back to Utah for his sophomore season. He got stronger over the summer and it has paid off big-time on the court. He's averaging 20 PPG and 10 RPG on 70 percent shooting from the field, adding in 2.2 blocks per game -- and he leads the NCAA in PER at 39.1.
While the league doesn't obsess over big men the way it once did, Poeltl has a lot of fans in the NBA ranks at the moment.
8. Jamal Murray
Previous rank: No. 6
Kentucky
Freshman
Guard
A little bit of that shine Murray picked up over the Nike Hoop Summit and FIBA Americas tournament seems to be wearing off. He is the Wildcats' leading scorer, but turnovers and poor shooting have haunted him. And there's still a raging debate among scouts about whether he's a 1 or a 2.
Still, Murray's talent keeps him strongly in the top 10.
9. Kris Dunn
Previous rank: No. 13
Providence
Junior
Guard
Most of the scouts I've spoken with love Dunn, and there are plenty of reasons why. He's an athletic assist machine averaging a whopping 3.4 steals per game. But he has actually regressed in a key area this season: His 3-point shooting is down to just 23 percent.
Scouts want to see major improvement going forward, and with just a couple of months before he turns 22, I'm not sure Dunn has much of a ceiling left.
10. Furkan Korkmaz
Previous rank: No. 11
Turkey
Age: 18
Forward
Korkmaz's minutes off the bench have been slipping. He's averaging just 2.6 PPG in 9 MPG for Anadoulu Efes Istanbul in the Euroleague. His numbers jump up to 6.9 PPG in the Turkish league. Nothing to wow you, with the exception of his 48 percent shooting from deep.
Without a lot of elite 2-guards in the draft, Korkmaz's value should continue to hold steady, even if his playing situation doesn't improve.
11. Ivan Rabb
Previous rank: No. 19
Cal
Freshman
Forward/center
After the top 10 are off the board, the draft drops off pretty rapidly in terms of talent. Scouts were skeptical that Rabb would be so productive so quickly, but his early returns are encouraging. He's shooting nearly 80 percent in the paint and a very impressive 50 percent on his 2-point jumpers. His rebounding rate is just a little lower than Poeltl's and he has been a terrific shot-blocker early.
Teams covet mobile bigs who can defend the rim and stretch the defense, and Rabb shows early signs he can do a little of both. Scouts hope he follows Poeltl's lead and stays for another year to add strength, but if he does declare, he's looking more and more like a legitimate lottery pick.
12. Demetrius Jackson
Previous rank: No. 18
Notre Dame
Junior
Guard
While most of the early point guard discussion has centered on Murray versus Dunn, don't count out Jackson, who is having a terrific junior season. His ability to shoot at a high percentage from anywhere on the floor and some major toughness are his biggest selling points.
13. Cheick Diallo
Previous rank: No. 9
Kansas
Freshman
Forward/center
The NCAA finally gave Diallo the green light. Bill Self? Not so much.
In KU's two games that were close, Diallo played just seven minutes in each. The energy is there, but his offensive awareness is still a work in progress. Teams love his long-term potential, but right now he looks pretty far away from contributing in the NBA.
14. Caris LeVert
Previous rank: No. 23
Michigan
Senior
Guard/forward
With the exception of one horrific 1-for-13 shooting performance against SMU, LeVert has been terrific for Michigan. He is shooting the ball well, has three games with seven or more assists and has been relentless getting to the line. Seniors typically struggle to crack the lottery, but remember, LeVert is a year younger than most of the players in his class.
15. Timothe Luwawu
Previous rank: No. 28
France
Age: 20
Guard/forward
Luwawu is currently the starting small forward for Mega Vizura in the Adriatic League. He's averaging 15 PPG and 4.4 RPG and shooting 37.6 percent from 3. His defense is ahead of his offense, but if his shots keep falling, he has a chance to crack the lottery.
16. Thomas Bryant
Previous rank: No. 16
Indiana
Freshman
Center
Bryant struggled at the Maui Invitational, and the general consensus was he was still too raw on both ends of the floor to seriously consider jumping to the NBA. However, given the dearth of top-end talent this late in the draft -- along with Bryant's scintillating 72 percent field goal percentage (nearly 90 percent of shots are at the rim) -- someone will take him on as a project and give him time to grow.
17. Jonathan Jeanne
Previous rank: N/A
France
Age: 18
Center/forward
I wrote about Jeanne in the last mock draft and the response from NBA scouts was telling -- the cat is now out of the bag. He's the young European whom virtually every team hopes will slide to them. He's super thin, but his size and versatility are both coveted in the league right now. Given the lack of depth in this draft, he is a project whom teams could gamble on early.
18. Wade Baldwin IV
Previous rank: No. 29
Vanderbilt
Sophomore
Guard
Baldwin continues to lure scouts with his scoring ability and court vision. He's shooting 50 percent from 3 and 61 percent at the rim, but his midrange game is still a major work in progress. Baldwin doesn't particularly wow, but he's one of the most stable point guards on the board.
19. Stephen Zimmerman
Previous rank: No. 17
UNLV
Freshman
Center
Zimmerman is selling himself as a mobile big who can face the basket and protect the rim. He has been a solid shot-blocker for UNLV, but his back-to-the-basket game still needs work and teams question his toughness right now.
20. Damian Jones
Previous rank: No. 14
Vanderbilt
Junior
Center/forward
Jones hasn't taken the big leap scouts thought he'd take this season. He's roughly the same player he was last season. His size and athleticism continue to make him an intriguing prospect, though scouts seem to be lowering their expectations on what he could be in the NBA.
21. Diamond Stone
Previous rank: No. 15
Maryland
Freshman
Center
Ten years ago, Stone probably would have ranked 10 spots higher on this list. He's an old-school center with a knack for scoring with his back to the basket and he's off to a very solid start for Maryland. However, with the new emphasis on bigs who stretch and protect, he's not quite as valuable.
22. Grayson Allen
Previous rank: No. 22
Duke
Sophomore
Guard
Allen has been a dominant scorer for Duke and a lights-out shooter from 3 this season. However, his one bad game against Kentucky highlighted the major concerns. He's undersized to play the 2 at the next level and his decision-making as a point guard leaves a lot to be desired. If he were two inches taller, his stock would be much higher.
23. Denzel Valentine
Previous rank: N/A
Michigan State
Senior
Forward/guard
Valentine doesn't check the normal boxes scouts are typically looking for in a wing. He lacks elite size and athleticism for the position. However, he has been a triple-double threat for the Spartans all season, and given the NBA's recent emphasis on versatility, he's drawing significant interest from scouts.
24. Zhou Qi
Previous rank: No. 21
China
Age: 19
Center
Zhou is our fifth international prospect. It's his elite size and versatile skill set that have NBA teams intrigued.
He's averaging 18.8 PPG, 10.2 RPG and 4.2 BPG while shooting 68 percent from the floor for Xinjiang this season. He's even 4-for-6 from 3 this season. He just needs to add a lot of strength to handle the rigors of the paint in the NBA.
25. Isaiah Briscoe
Previous rank: No. 25
Kentucky
Freshman
Guard
Briscoe has been a strong defender for Kentucky and aggressive getting to the basket. With Tyler Ulis out, he has shown signs of being able to handle the point guard spot. But his poor shooting, both from 3 and the foul line (39 percent!), gives scouts pause.
26. Malik Newman
Previous rank: No. 10
Mississippi State
Freshman
Guard
Newman is off to a disappointing start for Mississippi State. Billed as a hybrid point guard with elite scoring ability coming out of high school, he has struggled to hit shots and run Mississippi State's offense so far. His numbers don't really warrant his being this high, but teams still are intrigued with his talent if he figures things out.
27. Domantas Sabonis
Previous rank: No. 26
Gonzaga
Sophomore
Forward
Sabonis continues to dominate the paint as both a rebounder and a low-post scorer. But his lack of elite athleticism and 3-point shot make him a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to the modern NBA power forward.
28. Carlton Bragg
Previous rank: No. 27
Kansas
Freshman
Forward
Bragg is playing just 12 minutes a night for the Jayhawks, but every time he steps onto the court, good things happen. He most likely will spend at least one more year in Lawrence, Kansas, but NBA teams love versatile forwards like Bragg who thrive both inside and outside the paint.
29. Buddy Hield
Previous rank: N/A
Oklahoma
Senior
Guard
Hield has been on the NBA radar for a while, but scouts always have been concerned about his inconsistency. As a senior he's putting it all together, shooting 50 percent from 3, getting to the line six times a game (shooting 90 percent from the stripe) and scoring a career-high 22.7 PPG.
He's undersized for his position, but scouts love his moxie.
30. Isaac Haas
Previous rank: N/A
Purdue
Sophomore
Center
Haas has been incredibly efficient both as a low-post scorer (73 percent shooting at the rim) and facing the basket (57 percent shooting on 2-point jumpers). He's not an elite athlete, but at 7-2, 297 pounds, he doesn't have to be. Plus, he ranks second among all college players in PER.
Next five in
Melo Trimble, PG, So., Maryland; Marquese Chriss, F, Fr., Washington; Chinanu Onuaku, F/C, So., Louisville; Dwayne Bacon, F, Fr., Florida State; Malik Beasley, SG, Fr., Florida State