This article will serve as a look into the 2025 NBA Draft. I have long had an interest in the draft and this year I changed my evaluation method. I scored players based on five categories: three-point shooting, passing, defense, size, and scoring efficiency. Then I adjusted those totals based off their level of competition and their age. These statistics based evaluations can produce some wonky, off-consensus results so I combined my rankings with those of ESPN to normalize them somewhat, Kevin Pelton does a similar thing. I will attach the full rankings to this article and in a few years would like to see which ends up being the most accurate: my raw rankings, ESPN's rankings, the combined rankings, or the draft results.
The second reason for this article is for me to share my opinions on the draft and the selections each team made. Below I am going to go through every team, in order of their first pick, and talk about them.
*First round picks in bold.
*UR=Unranked in my combined rankings.
DALLAS MAVERICKS
1. Cooper Flagg (Combined Rank 1)
Great work Dallas. You had the first overall pick with a chance to draft a great talent and you didn't screw it up. No notes.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS
2. Dylan Harper (2)
14. Carter Bryant (12)
The Spurs made the right choice in taking Harper, the best player available, instead of someone who offered a better theoretical fit. De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Harper certainly offer enough size in the backcourt to play together, although they are somewhat light on shooting.
Bryant is a nice player who offers real 3-and-D upside. He fell slightly from where he was projected to be drafted, and the Spurs were smart to snap him up.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
3. V.J. Edgecombe (9)
35. Johni Broome (39)
This is higher than where I had Edgecombe ranked so it will be interesting to see how this works out for Philly. I don't think he is a bad player I just think Bailey or Knueppel offered more potential upside. As a brief aside, my initial gut reaction when evaluating players was much higher on Edgecombe than the stats model I ended up using (and much lower on Bailey). I am also curious to see how that turns out.
CHARLOTTE HORNETS
4. Kon Knueppel (4)
29. Liam McNeeley (17)
33. Sion James (49)
34. Ryan Kalkbrenner (18)
On offense, I love the pairing between Knueppel and LaMelo Ball, they complement each other very well. On defense, not so much. Hornets' games should be fun, high scoring affairs even if the Hornets don't win very many of them.
McNeeley is an interesting addition. He is quite a bit like Knueppel but slightly worse in every way. Worse shooter, worse passer, worse shot creator, and worse defender. That doesn't make him a terrible player, Knueppel is really good, however it is interesting that they are now on the same team.
I think Kalkbrenner is a nice second round selection. He has some clear limitations but he has some great strengths and he is someone my stats model loved.
UTAH JAZZ
5. Ace Bailey (3)
18. Walter Clayton Jr. (19)
53. John Tonje (45)
Utah has a pretty blank and open-ended roster. They are still looking for ‘the guy’ and I believe that Bailey could be ‘him’. There was some noise pre-draft that Bailey was not interested in going to Utah but I think this is a great situation for him. He will have a long runway to grow and develop as a player, with no expectations to win immediately.
I like Clayton’s fit with the Jazz and I this is about where I had him ranked but I wonder if they could’ve gotten more from this pick. Two other guards that I felt were lottery talents were still available at this point, Jakucionis and Richardson.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
6. Tre Johnson (8)
21. Will Riley (30)
43. Jamir Watkins (47)
Johnson is an elite jump shooter, although he struggled to get to the rim reliably and his scoring efficiency suffered accordingly. I feel this is a pretty good pick for the Wizards, they desperately need a shot creator and Johnson offers to be that at least.
Picking Will Riley at 21 was perhaps a reach, but he is a high variance prospect and I don’t blame them for taking that risk.
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
7. Jeremiah Fears (14)
13. Derik Queen (26)
40. Micah Peavy (UR)
Oof, where to begin? I rated both Fears and Queen lower than where the Pels drafted them. I think both players are weird fits and offer overlapping skillsets compared to prominent players already on their roster, Jordan Poole for Fears and Zion Williamson for Queen. Additionally, they gave up an unprotected first round pick (the most favorable of theirs and Milwaukee's) to Atlanta in next year's draft to move up to draft Queen. Maybe this will work out for them, maybe Fears and Queen will be really good and next year's pick won't amount to much, but this could also be a total disaster.
BROOKLYN NETS
8. Egor Demin (7)
19. Nolan Traore (29)
22. Drake Powell (16)
26. Ben Saraf (33)
27. Danny Wolf (25)
The Nets certainly have a type, don't they? They drafted three big, European, sweet-passing point guards with questionable jump shots. Of the three I like the Demin pick the best. Pre-draft he was often comped to Josh Giddey and like Giddey he is a truly great passer. However, he had a good steal/foul rate at BYU and that offers some upside that he may be a better defender at the NBA level than Giddey has been. Additionally, I have cautious optimism that his jump shot may not be as bad as it appears and that he could develop into a competent three-point shooter.
I am less optimistic about the Traore pick. This is higher than I rated him and they, like the Jazz, passed over both Jakucionis and Richardson to make this pick. Also, I think either of those two offer more complimentary skills (shooting, secondary playmaking) and won't need the ball to be effective the way Traore might.
Powell is a 3-and-D type wing who, at this stage, brings a lot more defense than three-point shooting. Saraf is a guard in the same vein as Demin but I think a lot less talented. Wolf is a fascinating player; he is a point forward/center with potential to be a good shooter but who may be a massive liability on defense.
TORONTO RAPTORS
9. Collin Murray-Boyles (21)
39. Alijah Martin (UR)
I believe that teams should be drafting best player available, not need/best fit. However, this is a brutal fit for Toronto. Like Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett, Murray-Boyles is another strong and long forward with a limited outside shot. Calling his outside shot 'limited' is probably underselling it, it's borderline nonexistent. I wonder how many minutes Murray-Boyles is going to be able to get and if he can't get minutes will that hamper his development? Will he be able to share the court with Barnes and Barrett? Will the Raptors try to play him at small ball center? Additionally, I am much lower on Murray-Boyles than consensus and think the Raptors badly reached drafting him here.
PHOENIX SUNS
10. Khaman Maluach (5)
31. Rasheer Fleming (22)
41. Kony Brea (42)
I like the Maluach pick for Phoenix although it is somewhat complicated by their decision to trade for another lanky, rim-running center, Mark Williams, just a few minutes before making this selection. I suppose they serve as insurance policies against each other. Williams has had injury problems and Maluach is talented but very raw and any top draft pick is a risk.
Fleming is a nice second round pick as well. He is a player many people, including myself, were surprised to see fall out of the first round.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
11. Cedric Coward (15)
48. Javon Small (37)
59. Jahmai Mashack (UR)
Coward is a wing with real NBA length and elite shooting, a rare thing. The rest of his game is kind of a question mark, however. He does not have a full season playing against elite college competition, having spent most of his college career playing for Eastern Washington.
CHICAGO BULLS
12. Noa Essengue (6)
55. Lachlan Olbrich (UR)
I believe the Essengue pick is a good selection for Chicago for a couple of reasons. First, I am higher than consensus on Essengue and think he could be one of the best players in this draft class. Second, he is a high-risk, high-reward prospect and that is the exact type the Bulls should be targeting. As currently constructed the Bulls are not good enough to contend for anything other than the play-in but they are not bad enough to tank properly. High-risk, high-reward players offer a potential path out of mediocrity.
OLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
15. Thomas Sorber (10)
44. Brook Barnhizer (UR)
I think Sorber is a real steal for OKC. Like Topic last year, the Thunder were able to draft someone who fell due to injuries. Sorber is a great defending, good passing big man, in fact he is quite similar to Isaiah Hartenstein, who just helped the Thunder win a title. In a few years they may have to move on from Hartenstein and Sorber could serve as a quality replacement.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
16. Yang Hansen (28)
Wow, this is one of the real surprises of the draft. Is the Blazers' front office on reddit? The only place where I saw sincere arguments for Yang to be drafted top twenty was on r/NBA_Draft. In fairness Yang scored pretty high in my unadjusted stats model but was docked heavily for playing against such a low level of competition in the Chinese league.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
17. Joan Beringer (20)
45. Rocco Zikarsky (46)
If you squint you can see a little of Rudy Gobert in Beringer, another French shot blocker. He’s pretty raw but the T-wolves probably won’t ask him for a big contribution anytime soon.
MIAMI HEAT
20. Kasparas Jakucionis (11)
The Heat have had success drafting in the middle of the first round and I am confident that Jakucionis will continue that run. It was surprising for him to fall this far and I’m sure Pat Riley was more than happy to take advantage of other teams’ mistakes.
ATLANTA HAWKS
23. Asa Newell (35)
As a Hawks fan, I am extremely happy to pick up an unprotected first round pick to move down ten spots. That being said, I wonder if they could have done better with this selection. Newell is an archetype of player I am not especially fond of. He is a big man who cannot protect the rim, shoot, pass, or score efficiently. His main attributes are that he’s young and athletic. Hopefully the Hawks can mold him into a good player, but I am not optimistic.
SACRAMENTO KINGS
24. Nique Clifford (24)
42. Maxime Raynaud (23)
In a vacuum I like both Sacramento’s first round, Clifford, and second round, Raynaud, selections but in reality, I have some reservations. Both players are older; in fact, Clifford is the oldest player selected in the first round. Older players offer advantages for contending teams since they can contribute right away but the Kings are not contending. Like the Bulls they are stuck competing for play-in spots and like the Bulls they should be targeting high-risk, high-reward players.
ORLANDO MAGIC
25. Jase Richardson (14)
32. Noah Penda (27)
Richardson most likely fell in this draft due to his size. He is undersized for a shooting guard but doesn't have the playmaking skills to be a point guard. However, at some point you just have to evaluate if a player is good at basketball, and Richardson is very good at basketball. He's a well-rounded player, an extremely efficient scorer, and my stats model loved him. Additionally, if any team can handle a smaller off-ball guard it is the Magic. They have two playmaking forwards in Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero and larger point guard in Jalen Suggs. This is a great pick for Orlando.
BOSTON CELTICS
28. Hugo Gonzalez (34)
46. Amari Williams (UR)
57. Max Shulga (UR)
With Jayson Tatum's injury this is something of a reset year for Boston. It will be interesting to see if Gonzalez, or any of Boston's young players, get real minutes. The Celtics had to let go of several established veterans this offseason due to salaries and they will have to find replacements in house.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
30. Yanic Konan Niederhauser (37)
50 Kobe Sanders (UR)
If the Clippers were looking for a back-up center with their first round pick I think they would have been better off with Kalkbrenner or Raynaud but I don't hate this selection. Yanic Konan Niederhauser has some versatility and is a good defender.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
36. Adou Thiero (32)
DETROIT PISTONS
37. Chaz Lanier (41)
INDIANA PACERS
38. Kam Jones (38)
54. Taelon Peter (UR)
MILWAUKEE BUCKS
47. Bogoljub Markovic (31)
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
49. Tyrese Proctor (48)
58. Saliou Niang (UR)
NEW YORK KKNICKS
51. Mohamed Diawara (UR)
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
52. Alex Toohey (44)
56. Will Richard (UR)
I like Milwaukee's selection of Markovic. Having sent out so many of their draft picks in trades they need to maximize whatever opportunities they can. Other than that pick however, I do not have any strong opinions about any of the second round picks that I have not previously discussed.
DENVER NUGGETS
HOUSTON ROCKETS
These two did not have any picks in either round. I will note that the Nuggets picked up Tamar Bates as an undrafted free agent. Bates was one of my favorite second round prospects and I hope he can succeed in Denver.
Player Name
Combined Rank
My Raw Statistics Rank
ESPN Rank
Draft Position
Flagg, Cooper
1
1
1
1
Harper, Dylan
2
2
2
2
Bailey, Ace
3
4
3
5
Knueppel, Kon
4
3
6
4
Maluach, Khaman
5
5
7
10
Essengue, Noa**
6
7
9
12
Demin, Egor
7
6
11
8
Johnson, Tre
8
13
5
6
Edgecombe, VJ
9
18
4
3
Sorber, Thomas
10
8
16
15
Jakucionis, Kasparas
11
14
10
20
Bryant, Carter
12
15
12
14
Fears, Jeremiah
13
19
8
7
Richardson, Jase
14
10
18
25
Coward, Cedric*
15
9
21
11
Powell, Drake
16
12
29
22
McNeeley, Liam
17
25
17
29
Kalkbrenner, Ryan
18
11
33
34
Clayton Jr., Walter
19
16
28
18
Beringer, Joan**
20
30
15
17
Murray-Boyles, Collin
21
33
13
9
Fleming, Rasheer
22
20
27
31
Raynaud, Maxime
23
26
26
42
Clifford, Nique
24
32
20
24
Wolf, Danny
25
28
25
27
Queen, Derik
26
39
14
13
Penda, Noah**
27
24
31
32
Yang, Hansen**
28
23
35
16
Traore, Nolan**
29
35
23
19
Riley, Will
30
36
24
21
Markovic, Bogoljub**
31
22
39
47
Thiero, Adou
32
29
32
36
Saraf, Ben**
33
31
30
26
Gonzalez, Hugo**
34
43
22
28
Newell, Asa
35
47
19
23
Small, Javon
36
21
48
48
Niederhauser, Yanic
37
37
34
30
Jones, Kam
38
27
46
38
Broome, Johni
39
38
40
35
Bates, Tamar
40
17
63
Undrafted
Lanier, Chaz
41
42
38
37
Brea, Koby
42
34
47
41
Dixon, Eric
43
41
44
Undrafted
Toohey, Alex**
44
48
37
52
Tonje, John
45
44
42
53
Zikarsky, Rocco**
46
46
41
45
Watkins, Jamir
47
51
36
43
Procter, Tyrese
48
45
43
49
James, Sion
49
52
45
33
Goldin, Vladislav
50
49
49
Undrafted
Nembhard, Ryan
51
40
59
Undrafted
Pate, Dink**
52
53
53
Undrafted
Sears, Mark
53
50
61
Undrafted
Luis Jr., RJ
54
55
56
Undrafted
Almansa, Izan**
55
54
64
Undrafted
Originally Published 7/2/2025