Standing an official 7'2" yet capable of draining threes at the U17 World Cup, that combination alone is enough to make scouts stop in their tracks. According to ESPN's Jeremy Woo, an early consensus No. 1 pick has already emerged for the 2028 NBA Draft — American big man Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje.
Boumtje Boumtje spent the past three years with Spanish powerhouse Barcelona and will now head to Duke for the next two seasons. His father, Ruben Boumtje Boumtje, played in the NBA, adding extra credibility to his basketball pedigree in scouts' eyes. Earlier this year at the U17 World Cup semifinals, he played 24 minutes and posted 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting (including 5 dunks), went 3-of-5 from three, and added 14 rebounds and 3 steals, leading Team USA to the gold medal — with him now on track to claim another tournament MVP.
A player over 218cm who can shoot from the perimeter and handle the ball is a rare "unicorn" type in recent draft classes — and that's exactly why he's already being tabbed as the top pick.
2027 Draft: Tyran Stokes Currently Tops the Board
Unlike the clear consensus already forming for 2028, the 2027 draft picture is still unsettled. Still, 18-year-old forward Tyran Stokes was ranked No. 1 in mock drafts released this past June by both Jeremy Woo and The Athletic's Sam Vecenie. Stokes is set to join Kansas for the 2026-27 season and is one of the most closely watched prospects in next year's class. Other notable names in the mix include Slovenian guard Stefan Jokismovic of Spain's Baskonia, and power forward Cameron Williams, who is headed to Duke.
Elsewhere on Woo's long-term watch list for 2028, two other names worth tracking are forward Nikola Kusturica — who led Serbia to a U17 silver medal and is set to attend UCLA — and point guard Cayden Daughtry, who just won MVP at the Nike Peach Jam.
