# Brooks Barnhizer
**Brooks Barnhizer** (born 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the [Oklahoma City Thunder](https://www.edgepedia.org/oklahoma-city-thunder) of the [National Basketball Association](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-basketball-association) (NBA), drafted in the second round (44th overall) of the 2025 NBA Draft after a four-year college career at Northwestern.[1](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612760/2025/10/Thunder-Media-Guide-2025-26_WEB.pdf) • [2](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/barnhbr01.html) He is listed at 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) and 230 pounds (104 kg) by NBA.com, which classifies him as a guard, while the Thunder media guide lists him as a 6-6, 227-pound forward.[3](https://www.nba.com/player/1642964/brooks-barnhizer/profile) • [1](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612760/2025/10/Thunder-Media-Guide-2025-26_WEB.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2002, Lafayette, Indiana[1](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612760/2025/10/Thunder-Media-Guide-2025-26_WEB.pdf) |
| Draft | 2025 NBA Draft, second round, 14th pick, 44th overall, by Oklahoma City[2](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/barnhbr01.html) |
| NBA debut | October 21, 2025[2](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/barnhbr01.html) |
| 2025-26 NBA season | 40 games (no starts), 1.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.6 assists per game; .380 FG%, .292 3P%, .700 FT%[2](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/barnhbr01.html) |
| 2025-26 G League (Oklahoma City Blue) | 18.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists per game[4](https://stats.gleague.nba.com/player/1642964) |
| College honors | Big Ten All-Defensive Team and Third Team All-Big Ten (coaches), 2023-24[5](https://nusports.com/news/2024/03/12/northwesterns-buie-and-barnhizer-earn-all-big-ten-recognition) |
| Physical profile | 6-11 wingspan and nearly 8-7 standing reach at 230 pounds[6](https://cdn-uat.nba.com/draft/2025/prospects/brooks-barnhizer) |
## Early life and high school
Barnhizer was born in [Lafayette, Indiana](https://www.edgepedia.org/lafayette-indiana).[1](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612760/2025/10/Thunder-Media-Guide-2025-26_WEB.pdf) Basketball-[Reference](https://www.edgepedia.org/reference) lists his high schools as Alma Bryant in Irvington, Alabama, and [Jefferson](https://www.edgepedia.org/jefferson) in Lafayette, Indiana.[2](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/barnhbr01.html) According to his NBA.com draft profile, he had a prolific high school career in which he averaged a state-high 32.7 points per game as a senior, and he was a three-star recruit who committed to Northwestern.[6](https://cdn-uat.nba.com/draft/2025/prospects/brooks-barnhizer)
## College career at Northwestern
Barnhizer came off the bench for all but eight games during his freshman and sophomore seasons, then became a full-time starter as a junior in 2023-24, averaging 14.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.8 steals in 36.7 minutes per game.[6](https://cdn-uat.nba.com/draft/2025/prospects/brooks-barnhizer) He earned conference honors that season, with the Big Ten coaches voting him to the All-Defensive Team and Third Team All-Big Ten, while the conference media gave him Honorable Mention All-Big Ten recognition.[5](https://nusports.com/news/2024/03/12/northwesterns-buie-and-barnhizer-earn-all-big-ten-recognition) He was also named to the preseason All-Big Ten team before his senior year.[7](https://nusports.com/news/2024/10/01/barnhizer-named-preseason-all-big-ten)
**Injury-shortened senior season.** In his 2024-25 senior season, Barnhizer played and started 17 games, averaging 17.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks in about 37 minutes per game, with nine double-doubles.[8](https://nusports.com/news/2025/03/11/martinelli-and-barnhizer-earn-all-big-ten-honors) On February 1, 2025, Northwestern head coach Chris Collins announced that Barnhizer would miss the remainder of the season with a foot injury he had been dealing with for most of the year; Collins said the injury was not career-ending.[9](https://nusports.com/news/2025/02/01/collins-announces-barnhizer-out-for-the-season) • [10](https://www.buckeyesports.com/wp-content/uploads/formidable/2/2025-02-15_BSBOnline.pdf) He still earned postseason Big Ten honors alongside teammate [Nick Martinelli](https://www.edgepedia.org/nick-martinelli-basketball) and was named Northwestern's Sportsmanship Award honoree.[8](https://nusports.com/news/2025/03/11/martinelli-and-barnhizer-earn-all-big-ten-honors) Over his four Northwestern seasons he averaged a combined 11.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.[10](https://www.buckeyesports.com/wp-content/uploads/formidable/2/2025-02-15_BSBOnline.pdf)
## NBA career
The Oklahoma City Thunder selected Barnhizer with the 44th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and he made his NBA debut on October 21, 2025.[2](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/barnhbr01.html) In his rookie 2025-26 season he appeared in 40 NBA games without a start, totaling 348 minutes and averaging 1.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.6 assists while shooting .380 from the field, .292 on three-pointers, and .700 from the free-throw line.[2](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/barnhbr01.html)
**G League production.** Much of his playing time came with [Oklahoma City](https://www.edgepedia.org/oklahoma-city)'s G League affiliate, the [Oklahoma City Blue](https://www.edgepedia.org/oklahoma-city-blue), where he averaged 18.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game in the 2025-26 season, shooting .543 from the field and .742 from the line over 10 games.[4](https://stats.gleague.nba.com/player/1642964)
## Playing style
NBA.com's draft profile, written by RotoWire, describes defense as Barnhizer's standout trait, noting that he made the All-Defensive team as much through team defense as through accumulating steals and blocks. His shooting was identified as the biggest question mark, with an inconsistent outside jumper and free-throw shooting, offset by quality ballhandling and playmaking. The profile projected him as a potential useful rotation player and drew comparisons to [Alex Caruso](https://www.edgepedia.org/alex-caruso) and [John Konchar](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-konchar).[6](https://cdn-uat.nba.com/draft/2025/prospects/brooks-barnhizer)
## References
1. [2025-26 Oklahoma City Thunder Media Guide, player page 23](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612760/2025/10/Thunder-Media-Guide-2025-26_WEB.pdf)
2. [Brooks Barnhizer Stats, Basketball-Reference.com](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/barnhbr01.html)
3. [Brooks Barnhizer profile, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/player/1642964/brooks-barnhizer/profile)
4. [NBA G League Stats: Brooks Barnhizer](https://stats.gleague.nba.com/player/1642964)
5. [Northwestern's Buie and Barnhizer Earn All-Big Ten Recognition, nusports.com (March 12, 2024)](https://nusports.com/news/2024/03/12/northwesterns-buie-and-barnhizer-earn-all-big-ten-recognition)
6. [2025 NBA Draft Profile: Brooks Barnhizer, NBA.com (RotoWire)](https://cdn-uat.nba.com/draft/2025/prospects/brooks-barnhizer)
7. [Barnhizer Named Preseason All-Big Ten, nusports.com (October 1, 2024)](https://nusports.com/news/2024/10/01/barnhizer-named-preseason-all-big-ten)
8. [Martinelli and Barnhizer Earn All-Big Ten Honors, nusports.com (March 11, 2025)](https://nusports.com/news/2025/03/11/martinelli-and-barnhizer-earn-all-big-ten-honors)
9. [Collins Announces Barnhizer Out for the Season, nusports.com (February 1, 2025)](https://nusports.com/news/2025/02/01/collins-announces-barnhizer-out-for-the-season)
10. [Big Ten Notes, Buckeye Sports Bulletin (February 15, 2025)](https://www.buckeyesports.com/wp-content/uploads/formidable/2/2025-02-15_BSBOnline.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Basketball players and coaches (biographies) › Current NBA players › Small forwards*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license