If Brooks Barnhizer hears his name called during the NBA Draft on June 25 or 26, he’d be the first Northwestern Wildcat to be selected since Evan Eschmeyer in 1999.
It would be a massive achievement for the 6-foot-6 wing, whose senior season in Evanston was cut short by a foot injury in January. Barnhizer’s name was scarcely mentioned in mock drafts when the season ended, but the combination of his performances in pre-draft workouts and a mass withdrawal of athletes returning to college has resulted in the former Wildcat captain rising up big boards.
Barnhizer now has a viable chance to be drafted, and it’s largely due to his tenacity on the defensive end. In addition to averaging 17.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists this season, Barnhizer was an on-ball menace with 2.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. It’s that defense that will likely carry him as he attempts to earn a role in the NBA, according to NBA Draft Analyst Ben Pfeifer.
“He’s an awesome defensive player,” Pfeifer told Northwestern Wildcats On SI. “Really long, and his instincts are great. His closing speed is great. I love his ability to react on the weak side and jump pass lanes, or change directions and close space in short areas if he’s making a rotation to the rim, or chasing around his screen… I like his defense quite a bit, and that’s going to be the path for him, because his offense isn’t necessarily anything special from an NBA perspective.”
Pfeifer has covered the NBA and the NBA Draft since 2019 and now writes for Basketball Insiders and Sportscasting NBA. He sees a player in Barnhizer who can fit into a scaled-down 3-and-D role at the NBA level, although the Northwestern wing still needs to develop the ‘3’ part of that archetype.
Barnhizer was just a 31% shooter from long range in his college career, including 26.6% in 2024-25 as he battled his foot injury. That must improve, Pfeifer said, if he wants to have any staying power in the league. If Barnhizer is able to develop his three-point shooting, Pfeifer sees his ceiling as a rotation wing who can spot start, if necessary.
“It’s hard to project someone like him with such shaky offense to be a playoff role-player, just because teams will key in so heavily and punish teams for having more exploitable offensive players,” Pfeifer said. “But if he can become a solid shooter, which is possible if he can hit catch-and-shoots, I do think he has a pretty decent defensive ceiling. Probably not All-Defense, but with his turnover creation and the on-ball defensive stuff he can do, I could definitely see him fitting into a defense and being really effective.”
Regardless of the shooting woes, Barnhizer’s defensive aggression and toughness will likely be enough to at least earn him an opportunity in the NBA. If that opportunity comes in the second round, a good fit may be the Indiana Pacers (pick No. 54), who could desire more wing defenders and have enough scoring on offense to offset Barnhizer’s limitations. Pfeifer also listed the Cleveland Cavaliers (No. 49 and No. 58), Utah Jazz (No. 53) and Los Angeles Lakers (No. 55) as potential destinations, as well as the Denver Nuggets if Barnhizer goes undrafted.
Going undrafted isn’t the end of the world, though. Players like Austin Reaves, Lu Dort and Fred VanVleet have carved out solid careers in the league since not being selected in their respective NBA Drafts, and Northwestern alum Pat Spencer earned significant minutes for the Golden State Warriors in this year’s NBA Playoffs after beginning the season in the G League.
Barnhizer could certainly end up on a two-way or Exhibit 10 contract that starts him in the G League, but given his hard-nosed playstyle, intensity and defensive acumen, it’ll be hard for organizations to keep him off of their NBA rosters for very long.
“There’s plenty of players who go undrafted or aren’t necessarily highly regarded, and then they beat the odds and end up being really good,” Pfeifer said. “Barnhizer has the tools. I think he’s probably worth a draft pick in the second round.”
