Updated 2027 Rankings: Risers

The highly anticipated new edition of the class of 2027 rankings have finally been released, with 75 players including over 20 new players to the list! As I've warned before, ranking classes before their junior season is very tricky, so consider this more of a continued starting point and not a final draft, as there are plenty of players who will emerge and improve and things will change a lot over the next few years.   With that being said, here's a look at some of the risers in the update.   [player_tooltip player_id='2353665' first='Will' last='Braun-Duin'] | 6'2” SG | Handley   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/tempImageQ6G5Hw.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/tempImageQ6G5Hw.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2548686" /></a></figure>   Previous Rank: #9   Current Rank: #8   Braun-Duin would have moved up close to the top 5 if it weren't for a few big time transfers that moved in, as he had a huge freshman year and followed it up by being one of the top shooters on the Nike E15 Circuit with [program_tooltip program_id='2226248' first='Boo' last='Williams']. At 6'2” he's a strongly built guard who is creative off the bounce and knows how to create space, he shoots it with range effortlessly, he doesn't need much space to get his shot off and he makes good reads with the ball in his hands too.   [player_tooltip player_id='2370724' first='Keaton' last='Gregory'] | 6'9” C | Trinity Episcopal   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/tempImagecsCKRM.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/tempImagecsCKRM.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2502942" /></a></figure>   Previous Rank: #17   Current Rank: #15   Gregory was one of the best freshmen in the Richmond area this past year, and he showed steady improvement throughout the summer and is set to jump on the radar of college coaches with his overall skillset at his size. At 6'9” he's long and has a frame that should fill out with time, he has great touch around the rim on both ends of the floor, he communicates defensively and is great rotating to challenge shots and he's shown a lot of improvement in his ability to stretch the floor too.   [player_tooltip player_id='2470569' first='Jemal' last='Smith'] | 6'1” PG | Highland School   Previous Rank: #25   Current Rank: #17   Smith took a big leap in the rankings after helping lead New World to a 3SSB 15U Championship, and while he's behind some talented upper classmen at Highland he is going to find his way on the floor with his dynamic playmaking ability. He's a quick and shifty guard who is strong enough to take contact when he gets downhill, he can make shots from multiple levels, he exudes toughness on both ends and he brings a competitive chip you just can't teach.   [player_tooltip player_id='2548314' first='Nathan' last='Lessley'] | 6'6” PF | Cox   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/tempImageMQOwA0.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/tempImageMQOwA0.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2548683" /></a></figure>   Previous Rank: #53   Current Rank: #25   Lessley takes the biggest jump of players that didn't reclassify, after improving throughout the summer and showing a lot of versatility while still having a lot of room to grow moving forward. He has long arms and is likely still growing which will make him even more athletic than he is now, he has a very good perimeter skillset with the ability to put it on the deck and make shots from deep, and he moves his feet well to stay in front on switches while also challenging shots at the rim too.   [player_tooltip player_id='2422471' first='Derrius' last='Jones'] | 6'6” SF | Blue Ridge   Previous Rank: #64   Current Rank: #26   Jones was part of the 2026 class at #64 before transferring to Blue Ridge and reclassifying, and that made him jump in the rankings as another year to develop should do wonders for him moving forward. At 6'6” Jones is a strong built wing who's hyper athletic in the open floor, he attacks the glass hard on both ends, he can attack off the bounce and finish through traffic, and he's full of untapped potential that Blue Ridge is known to unlock in raw prospects.   [player_tooltip player_id='1574509' first='Jayden' last='Brown'] | 6'3” SG | STAB   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/551-Jayden-Brown.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/551-Jayden-Brown.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2167188" /></a></figure>   Previous Rank: #34   Current Rank: #29   Brown is another player that reclassified from the 2026 class and jumps to the top 30 in the 2027 class after a big summer where he showed a lot of improvement, and with another year he could see himself play his way to some division one attention. At 6'3” with long arms he can play on or off the ball, he's an athletic finisher around the rim, he's improved a lot as a shooter and he's a very good on ball defender too.

The highly anticipated new edition of the class of 2027 rankings have finally been released, with 75 players including over 20 new players to the list! As I've warned before, ranking classes before their junior season is very tricky, so consider this more of a continued starting point and not a final draft, as there are plenty of players who will emerge and improve and things will change a lot over the next few years.