2023 NBA Draft prospects: Johnell Davis, Olivier Nkamhoua among players to watch in Florida Atlantic-Tennessee in Sweet 16

There are countless elements to love about the NCAA Basketball Tournament, which just may be the best postseason in all of American sports. Of those many aspects to love, among the highest is the fact that we get to witness NBA hopefuls put it all on the line for their respective universities before embarking on professional greatness. When it pertains to Thursday's (Mar. 23) East Region Sweet 16 matchup between 4-seeded Tennessee (25-10) and 9-seeded Florida Atlantic (33-3), there are certainly a few names with very real NBA aspirations. Let's have a look:

NBA Draft prospects to watch

G Johnell Davis – Sophomore

A native of Gary, Indiana, Johnell Davis is the Owls' most dynamic backcourt scoring option in some time (averaging 13.9 ppg this season). At 6'3, he has the skills and size to thrive at either guard spot and plays the game with incredible explosion. Additionally, Davis is coming off a 29-point performance in the Second Round of the Big Dance, eliminating Fairleigh Dickinson in the process. He can handle the ball, shoot and slash all at an NBA level; I'm getting young-Dwayne Wade vibes, here.

PF Vladislav Goldin – Sophomore

Listed at an imposing 7'1, 240 pounds, Vladislav Goldin's towering frame alone should have NBA teams interested. The Russian big man began his NCAA career with Texas Tech, but in his two seasons since coming over to FAU, he has played in 70 games (starting 69 of them). Basically, he has stayed healthy with the Owls (which is key for post players in the NBA) while averaging 10.4ppg with 6.4rpg this season. Certainly, there is enough there to mold Goldin into a valuable piece at the pro level; Let's see how he does against the Volunteers on Thursday.

NBA Draft prospects to watch

F Olivier Nkamhoua – Senior

Displaying a well-rounded skill set, Finnish-product Olivier Nkamhoua has the potential to be a very productive player among the NBA ranks. Now in his fourth season at Tennessee, he has started every game he has appeared in over the past two years. Standing at 6'8, Nkamhoua possesses solid size and athleticism to be successful on both ends of the floor; One can already imagine him going head-to-head with some of the NBA's best wings. Heading into a pivotal Sweet 16 matchup against FAU, Nkamhoua can do well to continue boosting his stock, here and beyond.

G Santiago Vescovi – Senior

Coming to the Volunteers via the NBA Global Academy, Uruguayan-born Santiago Vescovi has been one of the SEC's best shooters over the past three years (making 38.2 percent of his 632 three-point attempts in that time span). At 6'3, 188 pounds, Vescovi is built in that Steph Curry-mold, which were are seeing more and more in the modern NBA. Aside from physical abilities, Vescovi also displays magnificent on-court leadership, as his Tennessee teammates trust him with the ball in the game's waning moments.

  
Read Full Article