The NBA Draft is expected to host its first round on June 25th, and is expected to be full of surprises, covering it with the latest forecasts.
The 2025 NBA Draft is expected to be filled with much higher-end talent than the 2024 class.
Top prospects like Cooper Flag, Tre Johnson and VJ Edgecombe are expected to be the best players on the new team from day one, reclassified more than most rookies, with Flag a year younger playing alongside NBA stars from Team USA Select Squad.
The Dallas Mavericks own the first pick, and to no one’s surprise, they are expected to pick Flag with training scheduled for June 17th.
Beyond that, the other 29 talented youths will make their NBA dream come true in the first round, Wednesday, June 25th, air on ABC and ESPN.
The Cooper Flag was a two-way unit and was expected to be their first overall pick long before his freshman season with the Duke Blue Devils. After winning the NCAA Player of the Year and the Naismith Awards, Flagg is one of the most obvious top picks in recent memory.
He is a solid shooter and his outside shot (38.5%) may be the worst part of his game. Flag is expected to have an impact on Dallas Maverick soon, and Mavs, who previously saw himself as a short-term candidate, should be the team Flag is leading the way for the next few years.
Flagg could be the first pick of the consensus, and Dylan Harper is the second best player in the draft. As a complete combo guard, he found individual success with Rutgers by playing with the ball.
The San Antonio Spurs will have guard rotations with Harper, Stefon Castle and Daron Fox, but the three are all solid defenders and versatile offensive players, and the Spurs around Victor Wenbagnara are expected to thrive with a higher level of passerby than any other team in the NBA.
Flagg, Harper and Ace Bailey appear to be the top three picks in all the mock drafts. Bailey is a tough shot taker and a very important manufacturer.
He’s not particularly athletic or physical, but he’s a solid defensive player and a great scorer. Like Paul George, he can simply get a bucket and is expected to become the headline for the next generation of Philadelphia 76ers basketball, along with Tylese Maxey and Jared McCain.
Khaman Maluach is a standout starter for Duke Blue Devils and he is our first choice to deviate from the norm. With the Charlotte Hornets already having Lamelo Ball and Brandon Miller, the team needs interior force to close out the play at both ends of the floor.
Maluach is very raw, but has been compared to Joel Embiid, and is one of the biggest drafts of the Risers this year. The Hornets are not in a position to play safely. Also swing for the fence on the fourth pick.
Tre Johnson is very similar to Keyonte George and is a true bucket getter. Both can be played on-ball, but the Utah Jazz can build the younger cores of Johnson, George, Isaiah Collier, Taylor Hendrix and the draft next season.
The Jazz finished with the worst record in the league, earning their fifth overall pick and are expected to get worse again next season, allowing them to bolster their younger rotation with Johnson, who averaged 19.9 points for the Texas Longhorns.
Johnson and Bailey can score from the entire floor, but the Washington Wizards NAB VJ Edgecombe looks like Prime Russell Westbrook when they win the head of steam. Unfortunately, for now, he’s filming like Prime Westbrook.
It’s plausible that Edgecombe has the highest ceiling of anyone in the draft. With Bab Carrington, Keyshawn George and Alexandre Sarl already in town, the wizard slowly builds something special.
The Pelicans in New Orleans are in flux. Will they keep Zion Williamson? No one seems to know, but they don’t have time to wait, but draft the horrors of Jeremiah, the most promising player on the board.
Fear is fast, wiry, you can take his shot from anywhere, and He makes the people around him better. Regardless of the direction the Pelicans go, fear is a reliable choice that should for some time be transformed into one of the better guards in the Southwest department.
Kon Knueppel is the third and final Duke player selected in the first round. He can be the best shooter in the draft very easily and is by no means a bad defender.
If the net trades up to nettal another lottery pick, Knupel is a high-level floor spacer to pair with others to draft. If you win a sweepstakes for Giannis Antetokounmpo, it proves beneficial to have an elite shooter next to a Greek freak.
Is Immanuel Quickley a long-term solution at the Toronto Raptors’ point guard? His five-year contract suggests he is, but pay can easily be moved to find “big fish” this offseason.
Kasparasjakučionis is the best passerby in the draft class and a solid scorer. He’s a rough, crude player who fits well with the Raptors’ younger core or could pair with winning players like Kevin Durant and Giannis.
After securing a second seed at the Western Conference, the Houston Rockets announced to the NBA that they will stay here, but their first round exit suggests there are internal improvements for them to prioritize.
If the rockets hold this pick, they have the luxury of adding a project player. NOA Eseng has the size, mobility and athletic ability to thrive, but he is still not polished. Luckily, Rocket has time to be patient, but Essenge was able to fire his gun with a gun due to Jabari Smith Jr.’s rotation location.
Is it too early to declare Scoot Henderson a bust? The Blazers on the Portland Trail may not be ready to admit that. If they are not ready to draft a Henderson alternative this year, they can catch Colin Murray Boydles, who could replace Jerami Grant.
Murray Boyless is a solid athlete with potential off-floor, but his calling card is his physical defense. He was able to reminisce about the physical “Prison Blazers” that was obviously physical, except for off-court issues.
The NBA Combine was not friendly to Derrick Queen, but the Combine does not have any exercises to measure the clutch the Queen has on the spade.
The Chicago Bulls have backcourt cores of Josh Giddy, Lonzoball and Coby White, with Queen as a solid rebounder and a threat from Rob, pushing Nikola Vousevic out and ultimately allowing the Bulls to fully commit to the youth.
Thomas Thorber missed much of his freshman season with a foot injury, but he is still one of the better centers in the country. He averaged 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds for Georgetown.
Along with Sorber, Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher, Trae Young and Dyson Daniels, the Atlanta Hawks are poised to compete on both ends of the floor, particularly in weak Eastern Conference.
Maxime Raynaud is a giant human standing 7 feet one. The San Antonio Spurs need a backup center, and while Raynaud might be 14th overall, he’s a close friend of Victor Wenbagnama from the court.
Can you use the 14th pick to soothe the best players great ideas? Although not usually the case, Raynaud is a solid player who meets the needs position, and Wenbanyama is a priority in San Antonio.
Like Raynaud and Essenge, the Oklahoma City Thunder can afford to miss the pick, but Danny Wolf, who is 15th overall, is in reach.
Wolf is a large mobile player who can block several shots and pass the ball like a point guard. His external shots and defensive versatility require some work, but the Thunder is in a position to roll the dice in the next Nikola Jokic.
Every year, Orlando’s magic is encouraged to add shooting, and each year they double their defense (Tristan Da Silva, Jalen Suggs, Mo Bamba, Cole Anthony).
Rather than encouraging them to choose Liam McNely to do what they don’t, predict that magic will be drafted based on their team’s identity. Nique Clifford is a system player who doesn’t mind doing dirty work. This is the type of player that really seems like Orlando.
After the magic passes by Liam McNeely, the Timberwolves add him. He shot just 31.7% from deep in his lonely college season, but he is expected to become a deadly shooter if he finds his footing.
Offering kickout options to Anthony Edwards, the spacing around Rudy Gobert seems easy, and the wolves create smart picks.
ASA Newell is one of the best athletes in the 2025 draft class, and the Wizard as a young team drafts the best players. Newell is an excellent secondary defender, an open-floor beast.
He’s not the best half-court offensive player, but hopefully the Wizard will remain patient and Newell has plenty of time to find his footing.
After playing for Michigan State Spartan, listed as 6-foot-3, the combined rafts revealed that Jace Richardson is actually an even-numbered 6-foot 6-foot, making him incredibly small for off-ball players.
But he can make the floor space and should be a solid scorer next to Cam Thomas. When Kon Knueppel films the rocks, Brooklynnet ends up having a lovely, offensive core of young people.
Tyler Hero took over the Miami Heat’s point guard mission, and although it wasn’t a complete disaster (he made an All-Star Game!), the Heat missed the playoffs.
With shooters and scorers like Hero, Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson and Andrew Wiggins on the roster, the Heat needs a floor general despite the under-school college season when he saw The Draft stock tank.
In the case of Jazz Trade Walker Kessler, Bellinger will take his place. He is a solid shot blocker, a rebounder and a much better athlete.
He’s a very raw player and will probably spend time in the G League, but the Jazz is in a hurry and there’s no delusion that he’ll win many games next season. So Bellinger simply rounds out the core as he hopes the lottery will be more friendly next season.
The Hawks are not a winner despite their undeniable talent. Aside from the Furchlank to the 2021 Conference Finals, fans didn’t have much to celebrate.
Walter Clayton Jr. can lead the Florida Gators to a national title and play the ball next to Young or Daniels, but he certainly comes out of the bench in his rookie season. His external shot is a reliable 38.6%, and even if it gets soaked it will be serviceable.
The Indiana Pacers are expected to hold Miles Turner in free agency, but their frontcourts can still use more depth, even if he returns. Rasheer Fleming is a solid scorer, rebounder and shooter who can block shots despite being 6 feet 9.
He’s not the best ball handler, but he thrives in the universe that perfectly suits the fast playstyle of Pacer. Alongside Tyrese Halliburton or TJ McConnell, Fleming should go well.
Thunder will keep flyers for players who are often overlooked for this second draft. Will Riley didn’t start for Illinois’ Fighting Illini, but he won the Big 10 Sixth Man of the Year honors.
His external shots require work, but he is a gritty, physical player and should quickly carve out his role on the Thunder’s bench.
On the 16th pick, the Magic drafted Clifford. Clifford shot 37.7% from Deep, but is known for his defense. On the 25th pick, they choose Cedric Coward, another player who spent several years in college.
The co-sick person is the opposite of Clifford as a solid shooter and an underrated defender. Magic requires shooting, he delivers, but he can also hold himself on the other side of the ball.
If the net doesn’t trade up, it’s harder to do better than Carter Bryant on the 26th pick. He is an excellent and fast athlete with solid shots.
If he ran more in college, he only played 19.3 minutes per game, but averaged 6.5 points per game, but he’s so raw he should give the net a pause.
After choosing Bryant with little experience, the net turned and added Ryan Calbrenner, who spent five years with four Claytons as a starter.
He is an elite shot blocker, interior scorer, and mainly because he is a true seven footer. He doesn’t have the highest speed or athletic ability and doesn’t have space on the floor, but if he lives on his potential he could secure the paint for years to come.
Depending on who the Boston Celtics trade to cut their pay, the starting lineup could have an opening, but deep teams could allow more experienced players to intervene, even Jason Tatum.
The Noapender is an oversized forward that can handle the ball and can reach the shots, passes and rims. However, he has landed on a major developmental situation in Boston, but he lacks the fierce athletic ability needed to become his previous pick.
The Phoenix Suns need a point guard. Thaius Jones is not a long-term option, and Hugo Gonzalez didn’t get much playing time for Real Madrid, but he’s a great ball handler he can create for himself.
He’s not a real point guard, but he and Devin Booker are in the backcourt, but there should be no shortage of scoring or facilitation. For the Luck Luck Luck franchise, it’s a rare stroke of luck for Gonzalez to fall to 29th, even if it’s the Sands himself.
The Los Angeles Clippers will be coming down at least in pix swaps this year, but still owes the whole future this year. On the final pick in the first round, they add Israeli standout Ben Saraf.
Saraf averaged 12.8 points and 4.6 assists at ULM, with 4.6 assists, but his scoring efficiency is a major area of concern. He is a solid defender who can play in either guard spot and will likely be the centerpiece of the Clippers as their core continues to age.