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NBA hopeful Konan Niederhauser edges higher in final mock drafts

nate-mug-10.12.14by: Nate Bauer06/25/25NateBauerBWI
nba-hopeful-konan-niederhauser-edges-up-final-mock-drafts
Penn State center Yanic Konan Niederhauser hopes to hear his name called in the NBA Draft on Wednesday or Thursday. (File photo credit: Matthew O'Haren/Imagn Images)

Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades acknowledged the downside. Losing Yanic Konan Niederhauser to the NBA Draft this offseason, the Nittany Lions’ path forward into the 2025-26 campaign would be decidedly more difficult.

But as a byproduct of Niederhauser’s climb toward an NBA goal that is at the Swiss-born big man’s fingertips, Rhoades insisted he couldn’t frame the opportunity as anything but a positive.

“I’ve been fortunate to have a number of guys that have made that jump and are playing in the NBA. That’s that’s their dream. That’s their goal,” said Rhoades. “I say all the time, if that’s your dream, then that becomes our dream for you. And we’re going to help you get there.

“Sometimes the path is different for everybody, and the timing is different for everybody. And Yanic took advantage of the opportunities he had here in the last few weeks to get closer to his dream sooner than we all maybe thought. But, I’m not disappointed.”

Wednesday evening, Konan Niederhauser’s dreams will get one step closer to reality with the arrival of the NBA Draft. Set for broadcast at 8 p.m. on ABC and ESPN, with the first round taking place on Wednesday in Brooklyn and the second back at Barclays on Thursday at the same time, the 7-footer is likely to hear his name called.

Where is Yanic Konan Niederhauser headed?

Following a rapid ascent in which he declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft while maintaining the option to return to college, then impressed at individual workouts, then exploded into consciousness at the G League Combine and NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, prognostications are varied for Konan Niederhauser.

Most optimistic among the major mock drafts, CBS Sports analyst Kyle Boone has him going No. 24 overall in the first round to the Utah Jazz, projecting a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder in the spot. Boone calls Konan Niederhauser a “promising big with starting upside” and a positional rank of No. 7 and the No. 33-ranked overral prospect in the draft. Should Konan Niederhauser hear his name called that early, he would become the highest pick in Penn State basketball history.

Aside from the CBS Sports mock draft, more of a consensus emerges for Konan Niederhauser’s likely landing spot. Though the teams differ between NBC Sports, On3, and Yahoo!, the outlets respectively place him at No. 40 to the New Orleans Pelicans on the low end, No. 34 to the Charlotte Hornets on the high side early in the second round, and No. 35 overall to the Philadelphia 76ers in the middle.

From Yahoo!:

“Konan Niederhauser is an elite athlete who lives above the rim as a finisher and shot blocker, and he displays some intriguing upside as a 7-foot shot creator. But he needs to improve his fundamentals to make it all click.”

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