2025 NBA Draft Thread: Detroit Pick Edition

[MN7725]

With Connelly mentioning how he doesn't see much difference in prospects I wonder if he takes that opportunity to move back and gain more assets, either more cheap rookies for this year or the future.

Brooklyn has 5 picks - 8, 19, 26, 27, 36
Utah Jazz (4): 5, 21, 43, 53
Orlando Magic (4): 16, 25, 46, 57
San Antonio Spurs (3): 2, 14, 38
Charlotte Hornets (3): 4, 33, 34
Washington Wizards (3): 6, 18, 40
Oklahoma City Thunder (3): 15, 24, 44

Alot of those teams just have so many players already, they aren't going to have the roster spots so maybe they're packaging them to move up.

I ran my numbers, and these are the fair offers for MIN’s #17:

BRK: #19, #27 (should be worth #14). #19, #36 (should be worth #16). #26, #27 (should get #18).
UTA: #21, #43, #53
ORL: #25, #46, #57, future 2nd
SAS: 2030 1st pick swap (most favorable of MIN, SAS, DAL), #38 .. (what do you think? I have no math for that)
WAS: #18, #40 (should be worth #16)
OKC: #24, #44 (should only be worth #21, but OKC has many future 2nds and late 1sts)

(Keep in mind, this math is only for an average draft, and teams overpay for a specific player they want in that specific draft.)

Touching back now, Brooklyn has #22 now as well. If we don't love anyone at 17 then can see us moving picks.

would it be preferable to move back (for #22 and #27 as an example) or to move out of the draft for a future pick?

[Rookie-Mistake]

The pick has to be clayton jnr.
Im sick of these picks that are undersized, can't shoot and can't defend.

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[theGreatRC]

I am all in on Clayton jr if he is there.

Need elite shooters that can create for themselves on this squad.

I wouldnt be mad at Demin, Sorber or Fears either

[moss_is_1]

I ran my numbers, and these are the fair offers for MIN’s #17:

BRK: #19, #27 (should be worth #14). #19, #36 (should be worth #16). #26, #27 (should get #18).
UTA: #21, #43, #53
ORL: #25, #46, #57, future 2nd
SAS: 2030 1st pick swap (most favorable of MIN, SAS, DAL), #38 .. (what do you think? I have no math for that)
WAS: #18, #40 (should be worth #16)
OKC: #24, #44 (should only be worth #21, but OKC has many future 2nds and late 1sts)

(Keep in mind, this math is only for an average draft, and teams overpay for a specific player they want in that specific draft.)

Touching back now, Brooklyn has #22 now as well. If we don't love anyone at 17 then can see us moving picks.

would it be preferable to move back (for #22 and #27 as an example) or to move out of the draft for a future pick?

I was thinking both potentially. Move back a few slots, get a future pick.

[MN7725]

Touching back now, Brooklyn has #22 now as well. If we don't love anyone at 17 then can see us moving picks.

would it be preferable to move back (for #22 and #27 as an example) or to move out of the draft for a future pick?

I was thinking both potentially. Move back a few slots, get a future pick.

possible, I think Wolves owe most of their future 2nd round picks

[Nick K]

different skills and play style obviously, but I think Wolf would be similar to Kyle Anderson in that he is only worth having if you have him as pretty much the primary ball handler when he's in the game

He has legit guard/passing skills at that height which is unique, but putting him in any other role offensively I don't see how it would work.

How does Wolf compare to Demin in ball handling/passing? I'm guessing not even close, but I could be wrong.

Wolf is a good passer for a big. I don’t see a world where you run your offense through him. He’s essentially had a 1:1 assist to turnover ratio every year in college. I think he’s like Naz where he can play 4 and 5 offensively but not defend either well. I think his role is either a floor spacing big that needs to play next to a rim protector or a bench big that you can run some stuff through with the second unit. Not a huge fan.

Demin is truly a world class passer. The problem is he can’t score. He can’t get by anyone without a screen, sometimes it takes several screens. Because he doesn’t require a double and he can’t really create offensive advantages off the bounce or with shooting, his passing loses a ton of value. Also not a huge fan.

But if Coward, Sorber, and Beringer are all gone, we get to a tier where I don’t really love anyone.

I think that's about right. I'm hoping for Sorber then Rasheer Fleming, then if all else fails Kalkbrenner at #31. I say no to Wolf. Even Raynaud looks decent later on.

[GopherIt!]

I am all in on Clayton jr if he is there.

Need elite shooters that can create for themselves on this squad.

I wouldnt be mad at Demin, Sorber or Fears either

I'm torn on WCJ vs Nique Clifford. Clayton is being comped to the likes of CJ McCollum while Clifford is being comped to Derrick White. The comps seem a tad generous given there's only a handful of guys with A.S. upside in the draft. But yeah, shooters/guys who can create for themselves is a high priority.

[Slim Tubby]

Per the NBA TV Mock Draft that I watched today:

13. Queen
15. Coward
17. Demin
20. Clayton Jr
21. Sorber
22. Wolf

* Compared Clayton Jr to Brunson, a "stone cold winner" and guard most ready to contribute.

* They said Richardson has been dropping like a stone after measuring at 6'0 with serious concerns about his ability to defend, get through screens and get his own shot off.

* They really liked Sorber's BBIQ and fundamentals but consider him too small for a true C and nowhere near athletic enough to play PF.

* They liked Demin's size but said he's at least 2-3 years away from being a factor. Terrible defender, turnover machine but an excellent distributor.

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Any notes on Beringer? I might roll the dice at 17. Atlanta trading for KP might mean he falls to us there.

They had Beringer going around 25 but were running out of time and didn't offer much for evaluations on the last 7-8 guys. They didn't have Kalkbrenner going in the 1st Round.

They all glowed about Flagg, but after him, I thought their panel did a nice job of offering honest pros and cons for everyone else.

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[Nick K]

I haven't kept up with any college prospects in years so I'm up to date on who's who. However, I've some mocks suggesting the wolves take Sorber. Looked him up and didn't realize he was only 6'9" as a C. He could be good but I'm not too keen on bringing in undersized players anymore.

How's his skillset, mobility, IQ seem to others who may have actually watched him?

The guy is seriously long playing even bigger than the 6'10" 265 he's listed at. He could play center for us. He's got tons of game and he's still growing. I love the guy.

Thomas Sorber measured 6′ 9.25” barefoot, 262.8 lbs, 7′ 6.00” wingspan, 9′ 1.00” standing reach at the 2025 NBA Draft Combine. … Native of Trenton, New Jersey … Played high school ball at Archbishop Ryan (Philadelphia, PA) and was a Top 100 recruit nationally …Described by Georgetown staff as “mature beyond his years” and “a foundational piece” …

[Nick K]

The pick has to be clayton jnr.
Im sick of these picks that are undersized, can't shoot and can't defend.

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Why do we need a guard? We're loaded with them. Conley is coming back and we drafted Dilly last year to be our PG of the future. Then we have Ant, Clark, TSJr, DDV, etc. It makes no sense to draft Clayton.

[Neeva]

Connely shouldn’t overthink it, whoever falls between Queen, Fears or Sorber if not one of Bryant, Clayton Jr. Or possibly Denim.

At 31 if Clifford, Saraf, Berringer, Richardson, Clayton Jr, Denim or McNeely don’t fall out of the first round trade it, no one else is worth anything tbh.

[Neeva]

The pick has to be clayton jnr.
Im sick of these picks that are undersized, can't shoot and can't defend.

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Why do we need a guard? We're loaded with them. Conley is coming back and we drafted Dilly last year to be our PG of the future. Then we have Ant, Clark, TSJr, DDV, etc. It makes no sense to draft Clayton.

Conley is washed, DDV should be traded while his team friendly contract still has somewhat decent value. Wolves should take BPA regardless of position.

[Slim Tubby]

The pick has to be clayton jnr.
Im sick of these picks that are undersized, can't shoot and can't defend.

Sent from my SM-G991B using RealGM mobile app

Why do we need a guard? We're loaded with them. Conley is coming back and we drafted Dilly last year to be our PG of the future. Then we have Ant, Clark, TSJr, DDV, etc. It makes no sense to draft Clayton.

This is probably the first topic that I've ever disagreed with you on (and in time I could still be proven wrong). Conley is in serious decline and Dilly has not shown he's ready for 20-25 minutes a night on a Title contender.

That's a far cry from feeling like we have the PG position covered for me personally. Clayton Jr checks all the boxes as a player and provides us insurance/competition for Conley and Dilly.



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[Krapinsky]

The pick has to be clayton jnr.
Im sick of these picks that are undersized, can't shoot and can't defend.

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Why do we need a guard? We're loaded with them. Conley is coming back and we drafted Dilly last year to be our PG of the future. Then we have Ant, Clark, TSJr, DDV, etc. It makes no sense to draft Clayton.

This is probably the first topic that I've ever disagreed with you on (and in time I could still be proven wrong). Conley is in serious decline and Dilly has not shown he's ready for 20-25 minutes a night on a Title contender.

That's a far cry from feeling like we have the PG position covered for me personally. Clayton Jr checks all the boxes as a player and provides us insurance/competition for Conley and Dilly.



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If TSJ couldn’t get minutes last year, then I don’t see Clayton Jr. getting minutes either provided NAW resigns. He’d just take another spot on bench next to Dilly.

And people are being way too quick to write off Dilly. Have to think they drafted him thinking it was a long term play.

[Slim Tubby]

Why do we need a guard? We're loaded with them. Conley is coming back and we drafted Dilly last year to be our PG of the future. Then we have Ant, Clark, TSJr, DDV, etc. It makes no sense to draft Clayton.

This is probably the first topic that I've ever disagreed with you on (and in time I could still be proven wrong). Conley is in serious decline and Dilly has not shown he's ready for 20-25 minutes a night on a Title contender.

That's a far cry from feeling like we have the PG position covered for me personally. Clayton Jr checks all the boxes as a player and provides us insurance/competition for Conley and Dilly.



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If TSJ couldn’t get minutes last year, then I don’t see Clayton Jr. getting minutes either provided NAW resigns. He’d just take another spot on bench next to Dilly.

And people are being way too quick to write off Dilly. Have to think they drafted him thinking it was a long term play.

Extremely fair points. Finch definitely struggles to trust his younger guys so the likelihood that anyone we draft gets important minutes is low.

I'm not giving up on Dilly, primarily because he also didn't get enough minutes to truly show what he has. I'm still not convinced he's our long-term solution at PG, though, and I loved him in college.

TSJ deserved minutes almost immediately because of his stellar college resume. I'd feel the same way about Walter Clayton Jr if we drafted him.

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[Loaf_of_bread]

The fact Finch WONT play an old TSJ, you take a chance with a prospect. Really like essengue, and he played poorly recently, doubt he drops though. Wouldn't be much for 3+ years, but HIGH CEILING. roll the dice, we may not have a pick as high as 17 for some time.

[Slim Tubby]

The fact Finch WONT play an old TSJ, you take a chance with a prospect. Really like essengue, and he played poorly recently, doubt he drops though. Wouldn't be much for 3+ years, but HIGH CEILING. roll the dice, we may not have a pick as high as 17 for some time.

NBA TV had Essengue going at #9 and really liked him as a prospect FWIW.

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[Loaf_of_bread]

The fact Finch WONT play an old TSJ, you take a chance with a prospect. Really like essengue, and he played poorly recently, doubt he drops though. Wouldn't be much for 3+ years, but HIGH CEILING. roll the dice, we may not have a pick as high as 17 for some time.

NBA TV had Essengue going at #9 and really liked him as a prospect FWIW.

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He's got potential to be the 2nd or 3rd best player in the class. Going to take a bit though. Think I read 2nd youngest behind flagg.

[Neeva]

The fact Finch WONT play an old TSJ, you take a chance with a prospect. Really like essengue, and he played poorly recently, doubt he drops though. Wouldn't be much for 3+ years, but HIGH CEILING. roll the dice, we may not have a pick as high as 17 for some time.

NBA TV had Essengue going at #9 and really liked him as a prospect FWIW.

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He's got potential to be the 2nd or 3rd best player in the class. Going to take a bit though. Think I read 2nd youngest behind flagg.

Eh I thought i saw glimpses of Jaden in Essengue’s highlights but saw an actual game and he seemed so passive/soft, definitely not Jaden.

[Nick K]

The pick has to be clayton jnr.
Im sick of these picks that are undersized, can't shoot and can't defend.

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Why do we need a guard? We're loaded with them. Conley is coming back and we drafted Dilly last year to be our PG of the future. Then we have Ant, Clark, TSJr, DDV, etc. It makes no sense to draft Clayton.

This is probably the first topic that I've ever disagreed with you on (and in time I could still be proven wrong). Conley is in serious decline and Dilly has not shown he's ready for 20-25 minutes a night on a Title contender.

That's a far cry from feeling like we have the PG position covered for me personally. Clayton Jr checks all the boxes as a player and provides us insurance/competition for Conley and Dilly. Hey! I could be wrong too.

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I hear you. Let me explain. Conley played most of last year with a badly damaged wrist. It really affected his play. No doubt it's near the end of the road for him. No way the Wolves him this year. He'll retire a Wolve. Dilly is making good progress on his shooting mechanics. He still regresses under game pressure but it's coming. He will be much better this year. the team loves him and so does Ant.
Now for Clayton, he's a very solid player but certainly not a PG at the NBA level. He's a solid guard. High floor but not a huge ceiling. He's 6'2" 190 lb, with a 6'4" wingspan. Not great. He's a nice solid player but look at all the guards we already have. Where is he going to play. They are not moving Conley or Dilly to bring this guy in.

This is such an important off-season. I've hated our mix all year. I'm so disappointed in Rudy I can't wait to move him for value. Randle was a bad fit since day one as a very poor defender and even a worse decision maker. He has some good points too but I just don't see him as the right fit for us. Rudy and Randle were exposed against OKC. Time to shake things up. I would have give both Rudy and Randle for KD if he would commit here but not to be.

Hope that makes some sense.