2025 Draft Class Strength?

[JMAC3]

This years draft overall is good better than last year but lottery is very meh and 2nd rd depth is very shallow due to so many withdrawals. Mid to late 1st rd of 2025 has some gems. Next year's draft is loaded.

1. Nate Ament
2. Darryn Peterson
3. Aj Dybantsa
4. Chris Cenac jr
5. Cam Boozer
6. Caleb Wilson
7. Jayden Quaintance
8. Koa Peat
9. Flory Bidunga
10. Alijah Arenas
11. Donnie Freeman
12. Tahaad Pettiford
13. Karter Knox
14. Ian Jackson
15. Jt Toppin
16. Labaron Philon
17. Boogie Fland
18. Yaxel Landeborg
19. Tounde Yessofou
20. Dame Sarr
21. Kanon Catchings
22. Mikel Brown Jr
23. Silas Demary jr
24. Dash Daniels
25. Darius Acuff
26. Karim Lopez
27. Brayden Burries
28. Xaivian Lee
29. Tomislav ivisic
30. Mackenzie Mgbako

Jahlil Bethea
Meleek Thomas
Alex Karaban
Dj Wagner
Otega Oweh
Alex Condon
Joson Sanon
Adrian Wooley
Kam Williams
Bennett Stirz
Richie Saunders
Pj Haggerty
Patrick Nongba
Milos Uzan
Jojo Tugler
Braden Smith
Donovan Dentt

Top 3-4 are fun prospects but I wouldn't say that class is loaded.

Especially, when all these guys would have likely been later picks this year than where you have them slotted.
12. Tahaad Pettiford
13. Karter Knox
14. Ian Jackson
15. Jt Toppin
16. Labaron Philon
17. Boogie Fland
18. Yaxel Landeborg

[clyde21]

lol, just because returning players come back doesn't mean they'll automatically be better prospects. most actually just end up being meh and return again until they exhaust their eligibility, and that's especially true now in the NIL era.

like, what makes JQ a great prospect next year but not this year? or Freeman? Or Bidunga? they are just gonna be a year older and the reasons they didn't declare this year will probably still exist next year.

it's weird that we have to do this exercise every year tbh. who are the returning top prospects from last year that lit it up in their sophomore seasons? everyone was assuming DJ Wagner was gonna go off w/ Arkansas in his sophomore season. he didn't. what about Mgbako? TJ Power? Sean Stewart? KJ Evans? KJ Lewis? Aaron Bradshaw? Crickets.

half the returning players you listed will not be that much better next year at least in the scope of being an NBA prospect.

[clyde21]

to follow up on the above, to get a strong class you need a few things to converge

- first, you need a strong incoming HS class that also lives up to the hype in college, the freshmen will always be the bedrock of a strong draft class
- you need a bunch of returning players to actually take the next steps, many (most) just don't
- you need premium talent at premium positions (this is often overlooked)
- depth throughout with role players that have clear paths to minutes in the NBA

if you don't have this, you don't have a strong draft class, you likely just have an average draft class that will churn out some solid players here and there but that's about it.

this happened in 2018 and again in 2021, hasn't happened since. and we'll see in the era of NIL if it will happen ever again, I have a feeling that it won't for a while tbh.

[BigGargamel]

Draft classes always look deep when they're still in high school. Everyone seems fun until they get into college, and the few big boys separate themselves from the rest.

It's similar in the NFL. You mock like 8 QB's in the first round before the season starts, but by the end of the year all but one or two of those guys fall off.