Tennessee basketball star Zakai Zeigler projected as top 30 draft prospect

Despite NBA mock drafts across the board not including Tennessee basketball legend Zakai Zeigler, ESPN listed him as a top prospect.

In a list of the top 30 prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft, Zeigler was listed at No. 29.

This was decided by ‘stats-only projections’ that ‘incorporate performance in NCAA Division I, the G League and select European leagues, plus age.’ It also factors in ESPN’s top 100 prospects rankings.

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Zeigler’s pure stats in the model rank him at No. 22. Weighted by his No. 98 spot in the top 100 at the time of the article, he lands just inside the top 30. He moved up to No. 88 in the top 100 prospects list on Saturday, though.

ESPN’s Kevin Pelton gave his thoughts on the spot his model gave the Vols point guard.

“A late entrant to the top 100, Zeigler has the best projected assist rate of any prospect after averaging 7.4 per game as a senior and also stands out in terms of his high steal rate,” Pelton wrote. “The downside is Zeigler is listed at 5-foot-9 and was a below-average 3-point shooter from the NCAA line (33%). Per Stathead.com, Brevin Knight is the only sub-6-footer to play more than 5,000 NBA minutes over the past decade without shooting at least 35% from 3.”

Standing at just a listed 5-foot-9, his pesty defense earned him consecutive SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors. He was also a finalist for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year as a senior alongside Jahmai Mashack. This was the first time a pair of teammates were ever in the group of four finalists.

As a senior, he earned multiple All-American honors and was a First-Team All-SEC player. This came on averages of 13.6 points, 7.4 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game.

He shot 40.4% from the field and 32.2% on 3-pointers during the campaign. He started in all 37 contests he appeared in while missing one game.

The result of the Zeigler-led squad was a back-to-back trip to the Elite Eight. Zeigler was a major part of two of Tennessee’s three Elite Eight appearances due to making the round the year prior, as well.

As a junior on that Elite Eight squad, Zeigler started in 30 games and appeared in 36. He averaged 11.8 points per game to go with 6.1 assists and 2.8 rebounds.

He was a First-Team All-SEC member that year along with his first of two SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors.

As a sophomore, Zeigler started in 15 of his 30 appearances. His season was cut short, though, due to an ACL injury late in the year.

He still managed to crack the SEC All-Defense team while averaging 10.7 points per game with 5.4 assists and 2.7 rebounds.

As a freshman, Zeigler played in 35 games and started one. He averaged 8.8 points, 2.7 assists and 1.9 rebounds while sharing time with fellow freshman point guard Kennedy Chandler.

As a recruit, Zeigler was just a three-star prospect whose recruitment didn’t gain much traction until late in his high school career. An impressive performance at Peach Jam put him on Barnes and Tennessee’s radar.

He played at Our Savior Lutheran in Bronx, New York and was the No. 42 point guard in the 2022 cycle.