PHOENIX –Arizona State men’s basketball broke its six-game losing streak thanks to the heroics of freshman center Jayden Quaintance. After rehabilitating from an ankle sprain, Quaintance played his best game in over a month to give ASU its first win in February. At only 17 years old, Quaintance is becoming one of the most fascinating prospects heading into the 2026 draft cycle when he’s eligible to enter the NBA draft. Many fans and analysts are wondering if Quaintance could be a top-five pick.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Strong performance by 2026 prospect Jayden Quaintance today in the win over Kansas State
18 points
7 boards
2 assists
2 steals
8-11 FG
2-4 3PQuaintance will debut next year as a preseason top 5 prospect, notching a year early before his draft eligibility and shining at ASU pic.twitter.com/A3IiG5rwaZ
— nbadraftpoint (@nbadraftpoint) February 23, 2025
Quaintance is a strong, athletic seven-footer who possesses the abilities to be a lob threat and flashes of shooting beyond the arc. He knocked down two 3-pointers on Sunday, the first game with multiple 3s in his career. The freshman has a pro-ready body with his wide frame, dominating in the paint. Quaintance averages 3.0 offensive rebounds a game, and still, his potential as a defender at the next level makes him a generational talent.
Arizona State Sun Devils forward Jayden Quaintance (21) dunks the ball over Arizona Wildcats forward Henri Veesaar (13) during a Big 12 menÕs basketball game at Desert Financial Arena on Feb. 1, 2025, in Tempe.
At 17 years old, Quaintance ranks sixth in the nation in blocks per game with 2.7 and is the only freshman in the top six. Despite dealing with nagging injuries that have limited his minutes as of late, it hasn’t affected Quaintance’s numbers. He has thrived as the saving grace for ASU’s rim protection and continues to grow with his discipline of not fouling while contesting.
Arizona State men’s basketball player Jayden Quaintance at Big 12 Media Day on Oct. 23, 2024.
ASU has had a rough season, stranded at 13-14. However, the rise to stardom for Quaintance has brought hope to a program in desperate need for some. With Quaintance required to stay in college for another year, he could develop into a cornerstone piece of rebuilding ASU next season, that is, if the freshman decides to stay, which with NIL could be a struggle. The Sun Devils do have a lot of seniors in the rotation, so something the program can offer him that other schools can’t is being the focal point of the team offensively and defensively.
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Reporter Tanner Tortorella covers general assignment for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @TannerTSports
