While the NBA season hasn’t even reached the midway point, it’s never too early to start to learn about the next great players who will land in the association in the upcoming draft.

There are star freshmen who have already made a splash in the short time they have been on a college campus as well as a number of upperclassmen who are ready to take their NBA-ready game to the next level. There are also a handful of young studs playing overseas that already have scouts and general managers alike wondering if the next great NBA star is playing in Europe.

Here is a look at the best of the best of those players-the ones who are sure to hear their names called very early on draft night.

Ben Simmons, freshman, forward, LSU

Simmons has been dominant for the LSU Tigers thanks to his combination of size and athleticism. One of his best recent showings came in a 90-82 win over Vanderbilt when he recorded 36 points on 10 for 15 shooting from the floor and 16 for 19 from the free-throw line. He added 14 rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block in 34 minutes.

On the season, he is averaging 20.6 points on 57.7 percent shooting with 13.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.3 blocks in 33.9 minutes a night.

Jakob Poeltl, sophomore, center, Utah

Poeltl had made huge strides on the offensive side of the ball during his second season with the Utes as the No. 1 scoring option. He best game of late came in a 77-75 overtime win over Duke when he had 19 points on 8 for 11 shooting from the floor to go along with 14 rebounds and three blocks before he fouled out.

On the season, he is averaging 17 points on 66.5 percent shooting with 9.4 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.8 assists in 28.2 minutes a contest.

Brandon Ingram, freshman, swing man, Duke

Ingram is a gifted wing player who has nice touch from the outside. One of his best recent showings came in an 82-58 win over Virginia Tech when he totaled 16 points on 4 for 7 shooting from the floor, including 3 for 6 from 3-point land. He added nine rebounds, six blocks and two assists in 37 minutes.

On the season, he is averaging 16.4 points on 47.9 percent shooting with 6.1 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 1.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 31.1 minutes.

Buddy Hield, senior, shooting guard, Oklahoma

Hield is a scoring machine who can fill it up from all over the floor. One of his nest showings lately came in a 109-106 triple-overtime loss to the Kansas Jayhawks when he managed 46 points on 13 for 23 shooting from the floor, including 8 for 15 from 3-point range and 12 for 14 from the free-throw line. He added eight rebounds and seven assists in 54 minutes.

On the season, he is averaging 26.6 points on 52 percent shooting to go long with 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals in 33.4 minutes.

Melo Trimble, sophomore, point guard, Maryland

Trimble is an impressive lead-guard who can distribute the basketball and make the big shots. One of his best recent outings came in a 72-59 win over Northwestern when he finished with 24 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor to go along with eight rebounds, eight assists and two steals in 38 minutes.

On the season, he is averaging 14.8 points on 48.7 percent shooting with 5.7 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 30.8 minutes.

Diamond Stone, freshman, center, Maryland

Stone is a huge inside presence who is putting up impressive numbers in limites minutes. He best game of late came in a 70-64 win over Penn State when he registered 39 points on 10 for 15 shooting from the floor and 19 for 25 from the free-throw line. He added 12 rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 32 minutes.

On the season, he is averaging 13.1 points on 60.3 percent shooting to go along with 5.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 20.3 minutes a night.

A.J. Hammons, senior, center, Purdue

Hammons is a solid big man who can get it done on both ends of the floor. One of his most impressive showings recently came in a 68-55 win over Vanderbilt when he managed 21 points on 9 for 16 shooting from the floor and 3 for 4 from the free-throw line. He added 10 rebounds and seven blocked shots in 28 minutes.

On the season, he is averaging 14.1 points on 63.6 percent shooting to go along with 7.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 22.6 minutes.

Kris Dunn, junior, point guard, Providence

Now that Dunn has found his 3-point stroke he is nearly impossible to guard. One of his best games of late came in an 83-65 win over St. Johns when he recorded 26 points on 9 for 17 shooting from the floor, including 4 for 7 from 3-point land. He added nine rebounds, six assists and three steals in 37 minutes.

On the season, he is averaging 17.7 points on 47.9 percent shooting with 7.3 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 3.2 steals in 31.4 minutes.

Jaylen Brown, freshman, small forward, California

Brown is a versatile wing player with an NBA-ready body. His most impressive performance recently came in a 68-65 loss to Oregon on the road when he finished with 20 points on 8 for 10 shooting from the field to go along with nine rebounds, two steals and a block in 35 minutes.

On the season, he is averaging 14.9 points on 48.1 percent shooting with 6.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 27.2 minutes.

Ivan Rabb, freshman, power forward, California

Rabb is a good athlete who has already shown his ability as a rebounder. One of his best outings recently came in a 71-58 win over Utah when he finished with 19 points on 7 for 12 shooting from the floor and 5 for 6 from the free-throw line. He added 10 rebounds and an assist in 32 minutes.

On the season, he is averaging 12.5 points on 64.1 percent shooting with 8.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 26.8 minutes.

Dragan Bender, power forward, Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel)

Bender is a sweet-shooting 7-footer who is coming off the bench for Maccabi Tel-Aviv. While he doesn’t see much time, he has shown the ability to knock the 3-point shot consistently. One of his best recent showings came in a 93-75 win over Hapoel Holon when he totaled 16 points on 3 for 6 shooting from beyond the arc to go along with six rebounds, three steals and a block in 29 minutes.

On the season, he is averaging 5.6 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor, including 51.9 percent from 3-point range. He also chips in with 2.2 rebounds in 13.2 minutes.

Timothe Luwawu, swingman, Mega Leks (Serbia)

Luwawu is an athletic French swing man who is tearing up the Adriatic League. His best game of late came in a 87-61 win of Zadar when he went off for 29 points on 10 for 17 shooting from the floor and 7 for 9 from the free-throw line. He also led Meg Leks with nine rebounds and five assists in 30 minutes.

On the season, he is averaging 15.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.1 steals in 30.6 minutes a game.

Jamal Murray, freshman, guard, Kentucky

Murray is a do-it-all combo guard who can scoring from all over the floor. One of his best early showings came in a 74-67 loss to Ohio State when he managed 33 points on 13 for 23 shooting from the field, including 7 for 9 from 3-point range. He added three rebounds, one assist and a steal in 34 minutes.

On the season, he is averaging 17.3 points on 42.2 percent shooting with 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 33.5 minutes.

Skal Labissiere, freshman, center, Kentucky

While his numbers wont blow you away, Labassiere has the physical tools to be an impact player on the defensive end. One of his best showings of the season came in an 87-57 win over NJIT when he finished with a season-high 26 points on 10 for 12 shooting from the floor to go along with five rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 21 minutes.

On the season, he is averaging 8.1 points on 51.1 percent shooting with 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 18.7 minutes a contest.

Isaiah Briscoe, freshman, guard, Kentucky

Briscoe is a solid young athlete who is part of one of the most exciting back courts in college basketball. One of his best performances of late was in a 77-61 win over Alabama when he registered 12 points on 6 for 10 shooting from the floor to go along with five rebounds and four assists in 36 minutes.

On the season, he is averaging 10.6 points on 47.2 percent shooting with 5.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.5 steals in 31.2 minutes.

Wade Baldwin IV, sophomore, point guard, Vanderbilt

Baldwin in a tough lead-guard who can get to the paint or knock down the outside jumper. One of his most impressive games was in a 86-61 win over Western Michigan when he totaled 15 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor and 5 for 6 shooting from the free-throw line. He added 10 assists, four rebounds, three steals and a block in 33 minutes.

On the season, he is averaging 14.6 points on 47.9 percent shooting with 4.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 28.6 minutes.

Damian Jones, junior, center, Vanderbilt

Jones is a solid big man who is a talented finisher at the rim. One of his best outings came in a 90-85 overtime loss to Arkansas when he recorded 24 points on 9 for 13 shooting from the floor and 6 for 10 from the free-throw line. He added 15 rebounds, two assists and a block in 34 minutes before he fouled out.

On the season, he is averaging 13.3 points on 57.3 percent shooting with 6.8 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.7 assists in 25.2 minutes.

Cheick Diallo, freshman, center, Kansas

While there is plenty of hype surrounding Diallo, he hasn’t been very productive since he became eligible. One of his best showings came in a 94-61 win over Loyola (MD) when he finished with a season-high 13 points on 6 for 8 shooting from the floor to go along with six rebounds and three blocks in 16 minutes.

On the season, he is averaging 4.9 points on 54.3 percent shooting with 2.6 rebounds and .8 blocks in 8.9 minutes.

Stephen Zimmerman, freshman, center, UNLV

After starting out on the season with three double-doubles in four games, Zimmerman has struggled with consistency as the Running Rebels have lost five of their last six. One of his most impressive outings came in a 80-69 win over Oregon when he managed 12 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks and two assists in 33 minutes.

On the season, he is averaging 9.5 points on 47.4 percent shooting to go along with 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 24 minutes a game.

Demetrius Jackson, junior, point guard, Notre Dame

Jackson is one of the best lead guards in the college game today. One of his best games recently was in a 86-82 loss to Pittsburgh when he put up 26 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor, including 5 for 10 from 3-point range. He added six assists, a steal and a blocked shot in 40 minutes.

On the season, he is averaging 17.1 points on 50.5 percent shooting from the floor to go along with 5.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 35.7 minutes.

Henry Ellenson, freshman, power forward, Marquette

Ellenson is a monster on the glass who has already made an impact in his short time in the Big East. One of his best recent performances came in a 81-75 win over Saint John’s when he finished with 15 points on 6 for 11 shooting from the floor and 3 for 4 from the free-throw line. He added 10 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal in 29 minutes.

On the season, he is averaging 15.9 points on 42.8 percent shooting with 9.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 blocks in 31.7 minutes.

Denzel Valentine, senior, shooting guard, Michigan State

Valentine was showing his impressive all-around skills before he missed four games with an injury. One of best games came in a 99-68 win over Boston College when he finished with 29 points on 11 of 16 shooting from the floor, including 6 for 9 from 3-point land. He added 11 rebounds and 10 assists in 29 minutes for his second triple-double of the year

On the season, he is averaging 18.5 points on 45.6 percent shooting to go along with 8.3 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 30.6 minutes.

Caris LeVert, senior, guard, Michigan

LeVert was in the middle of another solid season before he missed the last few games with an injury. His most impressive recent showing came in a 78-68 win over Illinois when he recorded 22 points on 9 for 16 shooting from the floor, including 3 for 6 from beyond the arc. He added 10 assists and five rebounds in 37 minutes.

On the season, he is averaging 17.6 points on 50.9 percent shooting with 5.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 32.4 minutes.

Domantas Sabonis, sophomore, forward, Gonzaga

Sabonis has been a dominating inside presence for the Bulldogs. His best game of late came in a 102-94 overtime win over San Francisco when he totaled 35 points on 12 for 16 shooting from the floor and 11 for 14 from the free-throw line. He added 14 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 43 minutes before he fouled out.

On the season, he is averaging 18.9 points on 65.7 percent shooting with 11 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 30.7 minutes.

Zhou Qi, center, Xinjiang (China)

Even though he is playing alongside former NBA players Andray Blatche and Andrew Goudelock, Zhou is still producing big numbers for one of the top teams in China. One of his best showings recently came in a 132-123 win over Foshan when he put up 26 points on 11 for 11 shooting from the field with 10 rebounds, six blocks and an assist in 31 minutes.

On the season, he is averaging 18.4 points on 68.3 percent shooting from the floor to go along with 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 blocks, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 34.4 minutes a night.