Penn State’s standout 7-footer is officially off to the big leagues.
Yanic Konan Niederhauser was selected No. 30 overall to the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night.
.@YanicKonan IS AN LA CLIPPER‼️#WeAre | #NBADraft | @LAClippers pic.twitter.com/ZrOy1OKor1
— Penn State Men’s Basketball (@PennStateMBB) June 26, 2025
The Switzerland native becomes the fifth Nittany Lion to be drafted since 1989 when the NBA switched to the current two-round format. He’s the first to ever be picked in Round 1.
Konan Niederhauser started his collegiate career at Northern Illinois. He averaged 5.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game across two seasons before entering the transfer portal.
With his pedestrian numbers in the MAC, Konan Niederhauser wasn’t highly sought after in the portal. Still, Mike Rhoades saw the potential, mainly due to his work ethic.
“I just felt really good about when we’re recruiting Yanic that he wants to really get after it, work at it,” Rhoades said in March.
That inkling was proven correct. Even as early in the team’s first game against Binghamton on Nov. 4, Konan Niederhauser went off for 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
A lack of effective size in the paint has hindered the Nittany Lions in recent seasons, but with Konan Niederhauser, a change was immediately noticed.
“Last year, I think the one thing that was missing most was our down-low offense and pressure around the rim,” forward Zach Hicks said after the Binghamton game. “To add (Konan Niederhauser) just makes the team sync in more.”
However, the transition to the Big Ten came with some troubles early on as well. Konan Niederhauser had some fouling issues, like when he fouled out in 12 minutes played against Virginia Tech on Nov. 15.
The 7-footer kept working on his game, and eventually made those fouling problems not as much of a concern as the season went on.
With that issue out of the way, Konan Niederhauser truly became a dominant paint presence, finishing the season strong to earn an All-Big Ten honorable mention. He finished the season averaging 12.9 points with 61.1% shooting, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.
In early April, Konan Niederhauser declared for the NBA draft but kept his eligibility to leave the option open on returning to Happy Valley for his senior season. At the time, he was projected as either a late-Round 2 pick or undrafted, and he didn’t initially get an invite to the NBA Draft Combine.
He was invited to the G League Elite Camp, which gave the opportunity for a few prospects to receive an invite to the combine. Konan Niederhauser took full advantage, having multiple standout performances as a paint presence, punching his ticket to the combine.
At the combine, Konan Niederhauser once again shined, tallying 19 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks across two scrimmages. Due to his pre-draft performances, Konan Niederhauser’s stock soared as he was mocked as a late-Round 1 or early-Round 2 pick heading into the draft.
Despite all the pre-draft success, there’s still one aspect of Konan Niederhauser that needs work: his shooting. He only took 11 3-point attempts with Penn State last season, and he didn’t take many during the scrimmages either.
Konan Niederhauser acknowledged the lack of shooting last March. Now in Los Angeles, fans might see more shooting out of the 7-footer.
“For next season, I want to be able to knock down shots again,” Konan Niederhauser said in March.
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