Payton Sandfort

Payton Sandfort, a 6-foot-7 guard, was born and raised in Iowa, and he went from Waukee High School to Iowa University to begin his college career before the 2021-22 season. He was limited to only seven starts in his first two college years. Still, he began to show promise as a sophomore when he averaged 10.3 points per game across 33 appearances, seven starts and 20.8 minutes per game -- nearly doubling the 10.5 minutes per contest he logged as a freshman. Sandfort became a regular starter during his junior year and never looked back. Sandfort averaged 16.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game as a junior and bolstered those numbers even more as a senior. He posted a career-high 16.7 points per game across 33 starts in his final college season while also delivering 6.0 boards, 2.9 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.7 blocks across 31.9 minutes per game. There could be some cause for concern regarding Sandfort's dip in numbers in his senior year, but he played through several injuries and was unable to be completely healthy during a big stretch of the 2024-25 campaign. When he's at his best, Sandfort is a player who can thrive on the offensive end due to his exquisite shooting touch and ability to knock down shots from basically anywhere on the floor. He's an elite shot-up shooter who has enough confidence to let it fly from deep, and he has an NBA-ready shot release while also being an accomplished passer. He has limitations when switching positions defensively, but he has a strong base of fundamentals and IQ. Sandfort is a player who emerged as a reliable scoring weapon in the final two years of his college career. He's expected to make an impact at the next level with his elite shooting, although he profiles as a player who could be better suited to be a bench weapon rather than a regular starter. He's drawn comparisons to players such as Sam Hauser and Luke Kennard based on his shooting ability and potential future role.