Will Elyjah Freeman be the next Division II player to make the NBA?
A few of the NBA's greatest players got their start in Division II basketball. Can Auburn transfer Elyjah Freeman be the next to make his mark?
Since the NBA’s inception, 154 players who attended Division II colleges have made it to the league.
Some of the association’s legends, such as George Gervin and Earl Monroe, paved the way for today’s former Division II athletes, such as Haywood Highsmith and Derrick White, to make their marks.
The 2026 draft class could feature two players who fit the criteria and could hear their name called on draft night. The first is Bennett Stirtz, whom I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in person, and the second is Elyjah Freeman, who transferred to the SEC this spring.
Freeman dominated his freshman season at Lincoln Memorial, averaging 18.9 points and 8.5 rebounds on a ridiculous 68.5 true shooting percentage. The wing’s play solidified his status as the South Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and a first-team all-conference member.
Freeman held interest from Tennessee, Indiana, Alabama and Kentucky, but ultimately chose to play for Bruce Pearl at Auburn.
Pearl decided to retire earlier this week, but Freeman still has a season to play and a pathway to the NBA.
Here’s why I think he can do it.
Oh, I get it.
When I first began researching Freeman, I was admittedly a bit pessimistic. I saw a skinny kid who shot a low volume of threes and played against inferior competition, and figured a few scouts were being a bit overzealous in their evaluations.
It took two plays to see the vision.
I jumped out of my seat as Freeman broke his defender’s ankles and exploded into a dunk.
He had my attention.
As I watched, more plays like these occurred, and his primary selling point became clear: elite athleticism.
The newest Auburn Tiger is a unique driver who primarily attacks closeouts but has flashed the ability to create for himself in the half-court. He can explode out of his dribbles quickly and has a herky-jerky movement style. He has a rare burst for a 6-foot-8 player and pairs it with a creative and dynamic handle.
On the rare occasion he couldn’t blow past a defender or draw a foul (57.2 free-throw rate), he displayed great touch on contested layups and floaters.
Freeman’s intersection of length, athleticism and touch allowed him to post an efficient 63.5 true shooting percentage and score 0.972 points per possession on drives.
Off the ball, he’s an excellent cutter who knows how to identify soft spots in a defense and times his movement in the flow of an offense. Lincoln Memorial also used him as a screener, where he did a great job identifying when to roll to the basket.
The Wing is also a weapon in transition. He uses long strides to get down the court in a limited number of dribbles and flashes his handle on the open floor. Freeman has great body control, often decelerating and hanging in the air to finish over defenders. He generated 1.177 points per possession, with 29.4% of his possessions coming in transition (90th percentile).
One of the best proxies for athleticism is offensive rebounding. Freeman finished with 73 offensive rebounds in 31 games. I am skeptical about how much this will translate in the SEC, given he was bigger than a lot of competition, and high-major Division I will feature teams who are more physical and better at boxing out, but if nothing else, the outstounding rebounding numbers speak to his excellent motor and physicality despite a wiry frame.
Freeman’s athleticism translates to the defensive end as well. He racked up 2.5 stocks per game and is a very fluid mover who can cover a ton of ground. His motor isn’t as consistent as when he attacks the offensive glass, but I expect it to improve at Auburn in a lesser usage role at a school known for stout defense.
Freeman’s wingspan is not publicly available, but it looks positive, and he uses it to alter shots and get into passing lanes.
The Sophomore moves his feet and flips his hips extremely well when guarding the ball. His screen navigation (when he’s dialed in) is pretty good, and his light frame works to his benefit as he gets skinny when chasing ball-handlers. Freeman defended 73 drives last season and held his opponents to 37 percent shooting.
Freeman looked like how you’d want a potential NBA player to look against weaker competition—he completely dominated. However, even after watching his film, I still have many questions about his transition to the SEC and later the NBA.
Three Questions I need answers to
Will his athleticism translate against better athletes?
Freeman dominated last season largely due to his immense athletic advantage over nearly every defender he faced. He was quicker, could jump higher and was often stronger and more physical than his opponents.
It’s easier to look like an elite athlete and shoot 65 percent at the rim in the halfcourt when you are about the same size as the centers you’re facing. Freeman is still growing into his body. He reportedly grew to 6-foot-6 as a junior in high school, but could struggle somewhat as he begins to fill out his frame.
Here’s a play against one of the bigger centers he faced. He wasn't able to blow past his defender and get to the rim.
Can he improve his jumpshot?
Questions one and two go hand in hand. If he cannot maintain that overwhelming athletic advantage in the SEC or the NBA, can he counter with a pull-up jumpshot? The wing shot 17 pull-up jumpers on the season (7-17)
It seems as if the scouting report was to go under on his drives, and Freeman was too athletic and skilled for that to be a viable option, especially on the Division II level.
Freeman shot 45.6% from three, but it was on two attempts per game, and he took a low volume of pull-up jumpers. However, I am somewhat optimistic about the jumper because his touch indicators are good (80% FT) and his form is smooth.
Will he add value as a playmaker?
Another major question in Freeman’s game is his playmaking. He’s not a black-hole and tries some advanced reads, but he finished with a negative assists-to-turnover ratio. The primary source of his turnovers was on drives when defenders were physical with him in the gap and made digs at the ball.
Freeman has a good handle but can use some improvement. He needs to work on getting the ball to his teammates when he draws attention on drives. A fair number of his turnovers could have been avoided if he had been willing to consistently make the extra pass.
The answers to the three questions could determine his ceiling as a prospect. He has the athleticism, handle, touch and body control to be a devastating slasher, but he’ll need to put on weight, improve his jumpshooting volume and prove he can hurt defenses as a passer.
Freeman feels like a prospect with a range of outcomes, especially since he did his work at a lower level, but all the things he brings to the game today make for a pretty safe floor if they can translate at Auburn.