2025 NBA Mock Draft 2.0
While we're getting closer and closer to the NCAA Tournament, it's time for a quick mock draft. Here's a free-for-all in-depth piece:
Introduction
Let’s have a fun exercise before the NCAA Tournament officially begins! With the over 150 scouting reports written so far in the last three years, I have given less attention to ranking and translating my draft evaluations to what NBA front offices might do on draft night.
The Draft Order
The First Round
1. Utah Jazz — Cooper Flagg (#2, Duke): Freshman, 6'9"
Coming into the season, Flagg was one of the best defensive prospects to come out of the grassroots in the last few years. He planned his development well, working hard to improve his on-ball creation. That’s what can separate him from an All-Star to simply a superstar. At Duke, he faced his first challenge of delivering when an entire team was built around him. While putting up a historic season, winning the ACC while having multiple top-tier wins to their resumé, Flagg continues to show his game as a does-it-all tall wing with guard skills.
The mistakes he made in the few games Duke lost are a process of him developing himself. Regardless, the Jazz found their missing piece for the future, making them a team to reckon with in the West next season. It’s their first overall pick in franchise history, which comes at the perfect time.
2. Washington Wizards — Dylan Harper (#2, Rutgers): Freshman, 6'6"
Very few prospects in this class have a better feel for the game than Harper. Despite a successful season from Carrington, the Wizards still need their floor general of the future. His incredible game knowledge immediately stands out in Dylan’s game. That is combined with his size, strength, and the natural process of how he sees the game. His quick decision-making as a passer shows the ability to get downhill both on craft and by using his strength. He’s an elite finisher at the rim, with a combination of creativity and soft touch.
With multiple 30-point-plus scoring outbursts this season. Multiple teams failed taking away rim pressure while knowing exactly what Harper wanted the entire time. That’s stuff reserved for the elite NBA scorers. Harper can be a multi-time All-NBA guard and a de facto superstar.
3. New Orleans Pelicans — Ace Bailey (#4, Rutgers): Freshman, 6'10"
The purest shot-maker I’ve evaluated over the last few years. Bailey’s ability to impact the game with his endless possibilities as a shooter and rebounder fuels his potential stardom. But there’s a risk in his profile. Despite playing too freely at Rutgers, he has improved his processing of the game. There’s a long road ahead before he can be a team’s main scorer while impacting the game defensively.
Bailey got much better at attacking the rim, creating paint touches while actively seeking to execute passing reads. The Pelicans have a successful track record of developing plus-sized wings in recent years, as Bailey can slowly grow into a star while playing as a complementary piece alongside Murphy III and Williamson in the early phase of his career.
4. Philadelphia 76ers — Tre Johnson (#20, Texas): Freshman, 6'6"
Scaling down his offensive role is a challenge for his NBA team. Regardless, Johnson is still growing in his shot selection and approach as Texas’ main scoring option. He’s often forcing the game rather than playing within the flow of the game. Regardless, Johnson shows serious number-one option caliber play as late, with his top-tier perimeter shooting being the base for him to invest in his scoring prowess in the next few years.
Due to the Longhorns’ questionable roster construction, he isn’t in the best place to showcase his playmaking, which was more in his high school footage. Therefore, I expect NBA front offices to tap into that untapped potential to make Johnson their point guard of the future. In terms of flashes, he has shown to be potentially one of the best guards in this class, with his positional size, defensive improvements, and toughness being the main intangibles feeding a likely team-leading role in his prime, which makes him a no-brainer top-3 talent.
The Sixers can create one of the best guard combos in recent memory, as Johnson’s game perfectly fits alongside Maxey. The doubtful part is how the Sixers deal with the rest of their roster to properly build around both.
5. Charlotte Hornets — V.J. Edgecombe (#7, Baylor): Freshman, 6'5"
Edgecombe’s elite athleticism is the main sell. After a rough start to the season, he adapted to the collegiate game, showing an incredible second half of the season. Despite the aforementioned athletic traits, Edgecombe’s measurements at the NBA Draft Combine will determine a chunk of his draft value. However, seeing his performance at Baylor makes it more feasible for Edgecombe can grow into a star-studded guard in the NBA.
It’s hard to unsee his stellar performances with the Bahamas in their fight to qualify for the Olympic Games. He seamlessly played alongside seasoned NBA veterans while putting his scoring prowess on display by utilizing his elite athletic tools. That will earn him a reputation as a 20-point-plus scorer in the league.
On top of that, his feel for the game immediately stood out, making the right decisions as a team defender in rotations. NBA front offices buy a two-way player if everything goes according to plan with his development. That warrants a high draft pick in this loaded class. Despite playing alongside Ball and Miller, Edgecombe can solidify himself as one of the franchise’s stars in the next few years.
6. Brooklyn Nets — Noa Essengue (#12, ratiopharm Ulm): 2006, 6’10”
Essengue has all the tools to be a high-end scoring forward with wing skills in the NBA. Compared to his peers, he might need time to develop into a starter. However, that doesn’t take away much of his draft value, as his complete package of tools and physical traits give NBA decision-makers an almost blank blueprint they can fill in as they wish.
He’s already a consistent shooter in motion and mechanics. Has shown the ability to keep the ball high on catch-and-shoot attempts. That can make him an effective shooter off the catch in a faster-paced NBA game. That’s the base. He’s tough, aggressive, and looks to execute reads quickly. His game is built for a faster NBA game. His archetype as a plus-sized wing that’s what will lead to a higher draft value. Essengue uses his footwork well to impact the defense. Combined with his good passing, he can be an all-around wing in his prime, impacting the game with his production.
To solidify his top-ten status, his body language and team defense need to improve on top of the need to strengthen in the next few years. That’s the investment for the Nets with this pick.
7. Toronto Raptors — Collin Murray-Boyles (#30, South Carolina): Sophomore, 6'8"
Murray-Boyles is in an interesting position. He’s been put in a box as an undersized forward but can be seen as one of the more unique prospects of the last few years with a game built to play four or five-out basketball.
Some NBA players can succeed without shooting, and he’s one of them. He has a tremendous physical profile. He stands out both with his mobility (hips, lateral quickness) and toughness (strong frame, broad shoulders, and aggressive style of play). That’s what NBA decision-makers look for to make it feasible that a prospect will offer the same amount of physicality against NBA-caliber big men while switching to smaller and quicker guards and wings.
Offers great defensive versatility by guarding both roll men and ball handlers in the pick-and-roll while being able to switch to all positions when defending off the ball. The only area of development here is to not over-help on the defensive end, leading to late rotations. Despite being a non-shooter, Murray-Boyles shows incredible efficiency near the rim.
The role I see for Murray-Boyles is as a team-connecting four who can produce his points as an active cutter and face-up scorer. His passing is one of the best traits in potential, but he has to figure out a healthy balance of chasing his baskets and creating for others. However, the Raptors’ roster construction gives him the best opportunity to succeed.
8. Portland Trail Blazers — Asa Newell (#14, Georgia): Freshman, 6'11"
Traditionally, scouts value a high feel for the game, intangibles to build in a proper role, and physical tools. Newell’s motor is at the top of this class. His great rebounding ability has more value due to his active cutting. He’s a double-digit scorer without the ball in his hands, impacting the game with his energy on both ends.
The free-throw shooting is underwhelming, and that’s his area of development for the next few years. He’s decent as a passer but not good enough to make him a reliable hub in the interior. That’s the investment Portland makes by picking him in the lottery. Despite a crowded frontcourt, Newell doesn’t have the game to be a full-time five. However, with his quick-twitch athleticism and improving ability to put the ball on the ground and make plays, he’s best to grow into the role of an athletic four.
9. San Antonio Spurs — Khaman Maluach (#9, Duke): Freshman, 7'2"
You don’t often see a utility player being a top-ten pick. However, in Maluach’s case, his tantalizing physical tools contain fluid hip mobility and excellent verticality. He’s a great rebounder who expanded his range to three-point territory. Maluach has a consistent shooting form that needs work, but regardless of his size, he’s good at moving without the ball, improving his perimeter game. The NBA is changing, and four and even five-out schemes are becoming more vital.
That increases the importance of floor-stretching big men who can anchor an interior when needed. That’s Maluach’s game. Despite him being a utility player, he’s a vital building block to change a good team to potentially a great championship-contending team. Together with Wembanyama, they have the potential to be one of the best defensive frontcourt in NBA history.
10. Chicago Bulls — Derik Queen (#25, Maryland): Freshman, 6'10"
His production feels feasible for the NBA after slimming down his weight after last year’s McDonald’s All-American game. His level of impacting the game in the frontcourt on both ends warrants a starting-level role in an era where four, or even five-out-styled offense will become the norm. Despite recent inconsistency in his performance, Queen’s high feel for the game with much more consistent execution puts less value in some of the inefficient numbers he has been putting on.
His mobility will continue to benefit from him changing his body until he reaches a point where he can bank in on his physical tools. The lack of rim protection is an early concern that he will continue to address. However, his potential scoring on all three levels from the five-spot changes the entire dynamic of his profile. Despite fewer NBA teams playing in a two-big setup, I expect his drafting team to properly build around him while putting out a more frontcourt-heavy roster to complement his qualities in the next few years. With the Bulls actively trying to replace Vucevic, Queen can be a franchise-changing five for them, with enough complementary pieces left to fully optimize his future as serving as an inside-out hub.
11. Miami Heat — Liam McNeeley (#30, UConn): Freshman, 6'7"
When looking for prospects with a high floor and specific untapped potential, McNeeley is among the top. He’s one of the top shooters in this class with the potential to evolve into a two-level scorer after utilizing the most out of his solid athleticism. He has a great physical profile with broad shoulders, a well-filled frame, and great upper-leg strength. That helps him to fluidly move his hips and potentially serve as a point-of-attack defender on an NBA floor. When considering that he’s built to play as a three and a four, that’s a trait that will intrigue NBA decision-makers.
His incredibly high floor makes him an immediate starter in Miami’s system, which is still looking for how to fill in the gap the Butler trade left in their roster.
12. Houston Rockets — Maxime Raynaud (#42, Stanford): Senior, 7'1"
The Rockets are one of the league’s best franchises in terms of depth. They don’t need much, outside of improving their depth at the center position. Raynaud comes at the right time. At over seven feet, he can add much-needed floor-stretching to Houston while also being able to play as a four. He’s not fully utilized as a passer at Stanford, but regardless, his court vision, great intangibles, and habits on top of his production as a dark horse to win ACC Player of the Year makes Raynaud a combination of upperclassman production and fit into what the NBA needs to make four, or even five-out schemes work. Raynaud changes the entire dynamic of the Rockets’ frontcourt.
13. Dallas Mavericks — Jeremiah Fears (#0, Oklahoma): Freshman, 6'4"
After witnessing the most head-scratching trade of all time, while also losing Kyrie Irving to injury, the Mavericks can afford to bet on their number-one guard of the future.
Fears is one of the most offensively gifted prospects of the last few years. Despite putting up highly efficient scoring numbers, the development of his body will determine how quickly he can reach the status of a 20-plus-point scorer in the NBA. Despite high steal numbers, Fears’ defensive rotations remain an issue he’s continuing to work on developing. His offensive creativity, handles, and fearless game make him one of the best offensive options in the draft class. The Mavericks get a potential star.
14. Atlanta Hawks — Rasheer Fleming (#13, Saint Joseph's): Junior, 6'9"
Fleming is everything positionless basketball looks for to fill the four spot. He’s an incredible passer, and Fleming has the mobility of a wing that's a few inches shorter. After the Hawks traded Hunter away, his desired role and skillset are ready to be replaced with the A-10 standout. His three-point shot improved this season, opening up the opportunity to play as a closeout attacking forward who can increase his three-point volume while defending against the two, three, and four positions.
Despite being an upperclassman, Fleming is young and has enough years to come where he can continue to add to his game and fully unleash his potential. He's potentially an elite role player who will continue to develop and find his niche to have a ten-plus-year career in the association.
15. Orlando Magic — Kasparas Jakučionis (#32, Illinois): Freshman, 6'6"
He’s been the toughest evaluation for me in this draft cycle. I’m not on board with the hype around him. Regardless, he has a path to be a good starter in the NBA. The Magic were one of the first to adapt to emphasizing skills and size to each position. Scaling down his ball touches is a risk, as he needs the ball in his hands to succeed.
The other side of the coin is the high level of turnovers, which are a result of him being forced to dictate the game for Illinois, making it easier for opponents to force him to make mistakes. His combination of craft, offensive creativity, and handles form the base to change his offense to a two-handed finisher, which he needs to add to his game to succeed in fully compensating for his lack of physical tools and athleticism. A higher risk but a much higher reward the Magic can gamble on with the Lithuanian ball wizard.
16. San Antonio Spurs — Nolan Traoré (#0, Saint-Quentin): 2006, 6’4”
Traoré is a very creative ball handler who masters angle creation using his craft and footwork. He’s not an explosive athlete but looks to deceive defenders by utilizing his footwork to perfection. The reason why he falls outside of my lottery is due to the lack of size combined with the need to get stronger in the next few years.
He struggles to consistently defend against non-guards, which will be the case on a nightly basis on an NBA floor. To make it work, he needs the ball in his hands. Compared to the aforementioned leading guards, Traoré doesn’t have the same promise as a three-point shooter, which will eventually hurt the biggest value he has as a scorer.
Regardless, the Spurs need his creativity in the backcourt. He’s one of my favorite prospect-franchise fits in this entire draft class.
17. Oklahoma City Thunder — Dailyn Swain (#3, Xavier): Sophomore, 6'7"
Swain’s role as a versatile defensive stud fits his role as a complementary piece on a winning team. He's an active cutter with a great feel for timing. Swain is composed and cuts at the right moments when defenses are forced to make decisions. This applies to his passing. As a ball-mover, Swain makes quick decisions while using his size well. His focus on beneficial passes rather than bail-outs will benefit his development as a playmaker and passer. On top of that, he generates paint touches in bunches. Both use his timing and good physicality. This opens up the opportunity to play as a closeout-attacker and use that to showcase his self-creation ability. That’s the path to potentially grow into a starter for the Thunder in a few years.
18. Minnesota Timberwolves — Thomas Sorber (#35, Georgetown): Freshman, 6'10"
Ankle injuries are scary, especially when center prospects have them. Regardless, Sorber is the real deal and can grow into a starter in the NBA. His hot start to the season forced me to dive deeper into his game and how it can translate to an NBA role. The biggest sell is his outstanding passing ability and excellent hip fluidity. He has great footwork and seals easily off opponents in the post, with a great touch to show.
With his strong build, he’s another piece in the league's revolutionizing positionless basketball buildup while spamming four, or even five-out schemes. The sample size of his shooting increases. That’s a bonus. Sorber’s interior defense, passing, and physical presence make it possible for him to stay in the league for a long time without shooting jumpers. Regardless of being robbed of the Big East Freshman of the Year award, Sorber has a clear path to immediately play and help the Wolves win, barring further injuries.
19. Indiana Pacers — Andrej Stojakovic (#2, California): Sophomore, 6'7"
Roster versatility made the Pacers successful. Especially when considering they already have their two stars in place in Haliburton and Siakam. These are the guys Indiana tries to build around with offensively creative scorers and secondary playmaking. Stojaković didn’t put himself in the best position to succeed at Stanford, but his move to California made him seamlessly take over the large chunk of usage that was left on the table. I expect Stojaković to continue to develop as a pick-and-roll ball handler, which gives him a complete scoring package while having the physical tools, foot speed, and consistent rotations to ensure a role as a key role player off the bench.
20. Utah Jazz — Egor Demin (#3, BYU): Freshman, 6'9"
It’s not exaggerating to say Demin is a top 20 passer out of the pick-and-roll in the entire basketball world. However, he has many gaps to fill if he wants to keep a team’s offensive rating at par while needing the ball in his hands to succeed. The Jazz follows Demin playing in their backyard in Provo, UT. However, despite the underwhelming efficiency, Demin has a clear path to playing minutes in the NBA.
As a true 6-foot-9 playmaker, Demin’s role is to complement the stars around him. Roster construction that gives importance to size and future potential makes Demin the ultimate candidate. Demin’s adjustment to the NBA should be quick, as the NBA-branded style of running multiple variations of the pick-and-roll is working to perfection in Demin’s early-season schedule.
21. Brooklyn Nets — Carter Bryant (#9, Arizona): Freshman, 6'8"
His early-season production at Arizona made it questionable for Bryant to be a one-and-done prospect. But that changed during conference play. As a switchable and versatile defender at 6-foot-8, Bryant’s role as a slashing and shooting wing with a soft touch at the rim gives him a clear role. That gains value, considering how well he can defend against multiple positions.
His long wingspan and frame with room left to add muscle and overall level of talent will have many teams willing to take a bet on him. His excellent defensive awareness and explosiveness on the offensive end make Bryant fit in a much-wanted blend of wing-defending threes who can consistently make shots while impacting the game with his rebounding. That makes him a worthy bet for the rebuilding Nets.
22. Miami Heat — Nique Clifford (#10, Colorado St.): Senior, 6'6"
The Heat’s culture is built around toughness, unselfishness, and making the most out of every role thrown at them. To succeed under Coach Spoelstra, fundamentals and substance are two vital elements. Clifford is a tremendous athlete who fits this style of play. He comes to the NBA with five seasons of experience where he’s slowly developing a consistent three-pointer while struggling to functionally use his top-tier athleticism related to his fewer-ball-touches expected role. Regardless, the Heat will take the most out of his physical tools combined with him still growing in his role.
23. Brooklyn Nets — Kon Knueppel (#7, Duke): Freshman, 6'7"
The lack of physical tools is the reason for lowering Knueppel compared to many other draft outlets. However, he’s a mistake-free player who can evolve into a key role player with his solid shooting and strength as his base. Knueppel lacks creativity and is a predictable scorer inside the arc. Therefore, it puts more pressure on his shooting to translate. However, he has many counters, with his connective passing and ball-moving being two vital parts. He’s strong enough to switch against two positions as a defender, but his deficiencies on that end are hidden by playing with many good defenders around him at Duke. The Nets get a reliable role player in the process, but who has a serious degree of positively impacting their offensive rating without relying much on ball touches.
24. Atlanta Hawks — Dink Pate (#1, Capitanes de Ciudad de México): 2006, 6’8”
Despite an overload of guard talent in the NBA, Pate offers the unique blend of natural playmaking skills, plus size at 6-foot-8 while having an all-rounded offensive game.
What sets Pate apart from his peers is the combination of well-improving live-dribble decision-making while offering a blend of great athleticism that can elevate his scoring to all three levels. Pate’s main improvement is his footwork, opening up a path to maximize how he utilizes his burst.
If everything clicks, Pate can play a paint-touch-generating floor general who can carry a large chunk of his team’s scoring load. That’s the key to earning many ball touches and high usages on an NBA floor. For Atlanta, his size is the main asset to continue building around Young and Risacher.
25. Orlando Magic — Sergio De Larrea (#55, Valencia): 2005; 6’6”
The Magic have their ball-handling duties already in place. However, to optimize their offensive rating, they must focus on bringing in a stellar creator out of the pick-and-roll. With his tight handles, top creativity, and excellent feel in ball screens, De Larrea is one of the best guards in this class no one has talked about so far.
His game is focused on creating good looks for others, where he’s best to thrive with a good screening and play-finishing center. De Larrea thrives on serving as a spot-up shooter while showing the ability to get paint touches as a pick-and-roll ball handler. He’s best to fit into the role of a complementary playmaking guard, which Orlando desperately needs.
26. Washington Wizards — Hugo González Peña (#10, Real Madrid): 2006, 6’6”
Building through size and versatility has been Dawkins’ strategy so far. González Peña fits the mold of the plus-defending wing shooter. He’s a versatile offensive option whose base is as a ball-moving closeout attacker and volume shooter. However, the fundamentals-focused game helped him adapt to every situation throughout his career. That makes it feasible that he’ll have a high floor.
The biggest question mark surrounding his long-term potential is the ability to be a self-creating scorer in the NBA. Prospects such as González Peña often ‘fool’ the American public because they fail to contextualize the system he’s in. Spain is one of the top-performing European countries due to the consistency of their system. The ability to put up numbers and be creative against American-caliber athletes is what González Peña needs to answer this upcoming season.
27. Brooklyn Nets — Adou Thiero (#3, Kentucky): Junior, 6'6"
Thiero’s body is continuously changing throughout his entire collegiate career. His frame is still catching up, but regardless, Thiero’s on-ball creation, stout defense, and a scalable game from playing bully-ball inside to creating angles and space for others with his screening make him one of the better all-around wings in the last few years. However, the context for the NBA might differ as his changing body might need more time to prepare physically. Regardless, the Nets can take their time in the rebuild while they acquire a physically appealing wing that can scale up from being a ball handler to serving as a complementary wing to its starters. Thiero’s versatility is the main buy.
28. Boston Celtics — Miles Byrd (#21, San Diego St.): Sophomore, 6'7"
Wing-sized ball handlers made the Celtics successful. Those gain much more value when they can effectively defend in multiple schemes and against different positions. Despite being a sophomore, Byrd shows many flashes of a scalable NBA game where Byrd can serve as the second guard while playing in a reduced role with fewer ball touches as a shooting and closeout-attacking wing. He’s a glue guy for Boston who they can slowly prepare to serve as a complementary guard in their already well-sized backcourt.
29. Los Angeles Clippers — Joan Beringer (#25, Cedevita Olimpija): 2006, 6'9"
The NBA needs uber-athletic rim-running play-finishers. On top of that, James Harden’s playmaking works best when he has a vertical lob threat in the middle diving off screens for him. The Clippers are betting on long-term potential with Beringer, who’s one of the best screening fives in this class. With teams valuing four or even five-out-styled brands of basketball, Beringer’s biggest swing skill is his development as a passer and playmaker. I expect him to be one of the league’s better interior options as he’ll continue to grow into his body while supporting a team’s defensive rating with his stellar defense in the pick-and-roll.
30. Phoenix Suns — Danny Wolf (#1, Michigan): Junior, 7'0"
Wolf’s size, versatility, and ball skills make him a well-regarded commodity among fives in the NBA. With an aging roster, the Suns need to add different archetypes to its depth to maximize the value of its bench in supporting their stars while extending their period of potentially competing for a title.
Inverted pick-and-rolls are a big part of today’s game, at least trending in the right direction. Wolf’s prowess as a scorer and ball handler is disguised by the high number of turnovers. But in a reduced role, Wolf will thrive as a hub for a Phoenix squad that struggles to effectively space the floor despite the high amount of offensive talent on the roster.
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