2025 Draft Thread - Part 2

[gesa2]

Who was that guy who looked at the statistics and predicted Kawai Leonard?

I was impressed that he carried San Diego State in the NCAAs. Leonard posted insane rebound numbers. The surprise was that in the NBA, Leonard developed a three-point shot he never showed in college.

It's been so long ago that I don't remember. I could've been the highest. I definitely looked at his statistics.

I remember you liking him CCJ but there was a poster that was an even bigger believer if I remember right. I’m mad I can’t recall who it was, he swore off the Wiz a year or two ago. I think he had a blonde anime character as his avatar

[closg00]

NBA mock draft 2025: Meta AI predictions for the entire first round
First-rounds picks were generated by a Meta AI simulation of the 2025 NBA draft.

1.Dallas Mavericks: F Cooper Flagg, Duke
2.San Antonio Spurs: G Dylan Harper, Rutgers
3.Philadelphia 76ers: F Ace Bailey, Rutgers
4.Charlotte Hornets: G VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
5.Utah Jazz: G/F Kon Knueppel, Duke
6.Washington Wizards: G Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma
7.New Orleans Pelicans: G Tre Johnson, Texas
8.Brooklyn Nets: G Nolan Troare, Saint-Quentin
9.Toronto Raptors: G Egor Demin, BYU
10.Houston Rockets: F Noa Essengue, Ratiopharm Ulm
11.Portland Trail Blazers: F/C Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph's
12.Chicago Bulls: F/C Derik Queen, Maryland
13.Atlanta Hawks: G/F Nique Clifford, Colorado State
14.San Antonio Spurs: F/C Thomas Sorber, Georgetown
15.Oklahoma City Thunder: F Will Riley, Illinois
16.Orlando Magic: G Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois
17.Minnesota Timberwolves: F Asa Newell, Georgia
18.Detroit Pistons: C Khaman Maluach, Duke AI fail
19.Brooklyn Nets: F Joan Beringer, Cedevita Olimpija
20.Miami Heat: F Drake Powell, North Carolina
21.Utah Jazz: F Liam McNeeley, UConn
22.Atlanta Hawks: F Johnni Broome, Auburn
23.Indiana Pacers: G Jase Richardson, Michigan State
24.Oklahoma City Thunder: G Tamar Bates, Missouri
25.Orlando Magic: G/F Ben Saraf, Ratiopharm Ulm
26.Golden State Warriors: G/F Cedric Coward, Washington State
27.Brooklyn Nets: C Maxime Raynaud, Stanford
28.Boston Celtics: G Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
29.Phoenix Suns: F Carter Bryant, Arizona
30.Los Angeles Clippers: G/F Hugo Gonzalez, Real Madrid

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2025/05/31/nba-mock-draft-2025-meta-ai-predictions/83947538007/

[payitforward]

I *hate* Meta, & I really don't see Tamar Bates going at 24.

[NatP4]

I *hate* Meta, & I really don't see Tamar Bates going at 24.

And Collin Murray-Boyles going in round 2?

[nate33]

Who was that guy who looked at the statistics and predicted Kawai Leonard?

I was impressed that he carried San Diego State in the NCAAs. Leonard posted insane rebound numbers. The surprise was that in the NBA, Leonard developed a three-point shot he never showed in college.

It's been so long ago that I don't remember. I could've been the highest. I definitely looked at his statistics.

I was pushing to draft Kanter, but I had Kawhi as my pick if Kanter was off the board:

Here's where I'm at right now:

On Draft Day, when Utah is on the clock, I'd offer our #6 plus their choice of Seraphin or the #18 for the #3. If they accept, draft Kanter and be done with it. If Utah declines the trade, they'll either draft Kanter, Knight or Valanciunas.

I'd sit tight while Cleveland was on the clock. If Cleveland drafts Kanter, I'd call them with the same proposal. I wouldn't make the call until after their pick though. No sense tipping our hand to them.

The same goes for Toronto. If they draft Kanter, we call with that trade proposal. If not, then we draft him ourselves.

Assuming somebody drafts Kanter and nobody takes our offer, we should be sitting with the 6th pick with Irving, Williams, Valanciunas, Kanter and Knight off the board. At that point, I might call whoever drafted Kanter and offer our #6 plus two among Seraphin, Booker and #18. (It would depend upon further evaluation of Kanter.) If I got turned down again, I'd use the full 5 minutes of the allotted time to search for a tradedown scenario. My goal would be to stay high enough in the draft that I could end up with Biyombo or Leonard. That probably means I wouldn't trade down further than #9.

If nothing panned out, I'd draft Leonard at #6.

And I did NOT like Vesely:

Vesely is an elite athlete who plays real hard. While that's nice, it's not really all that unique in this league. To be frank, the only think that's unique about him is that he's an elite white athlete who plays real hard. That combination is rare, and I suspect that's one of the reasons he is ranked so high.

Vesely can certainly pan out to be a good pro if he refines his game and hones his shot, but then, so can Chris Singleton, Tyler Honeycutt, or Kawhi Leonard (or Trevor Booker for that matter). As of now, I fail to see why he's a higher ranked prospect - other than the fact that he can be stashed overseas for a year so he can continue to develop during the lockout.

If we drafted him in the 8-15 range, I'd be fine with it. I just don't see how he merits being picked 4th.

In general, my rule is to never draft a white swing man who is notable for being "athletic". I would have missed on Kirilenko, but I would have been right on the umpteen other guys who ended up being busts.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Who was that guy who looked at the statistics and predicted Kawai Leonard?

I was impressed that he carried San Diego State in the NCAAs. Leonard posted insane rebound numbers. The surprise was that in the NBA, Leonard developed a three-point shot he never showed in college.

It's been so long ago that I don't remember. I could've been the highest. I definitely looked at his statistics.

I remember you liking him CCJ but there was a poster that was an even bigger believer if I remember right. I’m mad I can’t recall who it was, he swore off the Wiz a year or two ago. I think he had a blonde anime character as his avatar

One player whose college statistics convinced me he would be a terrific NBA player was Paul Millsap.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/paul-millsap-1.html

For three straight years, Paul Millsap led the NCAA in rebounds per game. As a junior. (13.3)

His junior and final year, he led the NCAA in two-point field goals.

Millsap led the WAC in both steals and blocks. (1.9+2.3=4.2 stocks)

Finally, Millsap led the NCAA in WIN SHARE and DEFENSIVE WIN SHARE.

BEFORE his draft, I said, "PAUL MILLSAP IS A LOTTERY (worthy) PLAYER." (paraphrased)

I'll never forget feeling apoplectic over the scuttlebutt on this board. 'Alexander Johnson is better,' " "Millsap faced lesser competition at Louisiana Tech."

In the stupidest draft ever, Millsap fell to #47.

.https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_2006.html

It turns out LaMarcus Aldrdge (#2 pick), Kyle Lowry (#24), and PAUL MILLSAP (#47) are the three best players from the 2006 Draft.

(See Win Shares and All Stars at the top.)

I SAID THE SAME THING ABOUT CARLOS BOOZER back in the good old days (2002].

That was the one where we wanted Caron Butler, but Miami got him one pick earlier, so we ended up selecting Jared Jeffries.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_2002.html

I recall saying, "CARLOS BOOZER IS BETTER THAN JAY WILLIAMS AND MIKE DUNLEAVY."

They went #2 and #3. Boozer went #35.

Apparently, Boozer didn't perform enough bench presses, and he weighed a lot at the combine. They didn't note his extremely good numbers at Duke.

In the end...

Boozer, Butler, Yao Ming, and Amar'e Stoudamire were the four best players from that draft.

(Nene might be next. This was a tremendous draft)

Boozer finished #1 in VORP.

I'm older and not as focused on stats now. Others track them better. Teams pay experts to do things I did years ago. I always looked for stocks. Only nobody called them that. (Danny Granger in college was a 2 and 2 IIRC).

I'll close this rant with what payitforward seconded, ACTUAL PERFORMANCE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. Not length or age on draft night or most of all Combine Agility.

That one makes me want to scream.

What did Pippen or Rodman actually do after their growth spurts BEFORE the NBA? That is indicative.

One more last thing. Like Ken Beatrice used to say about topics unfamiliar, "I don't have the resources to cover that information."

I can't say one way or another about Nolan Traore. I can say I saw a clip where he exhibited a rim rattling dunk that reminded me of Donovan Mitchell.

Super rant. I better get some more sleep.

[payitforward]

Great post, Ken!

Team numbers determine wins & losses. Team numbers & nothing else.

Individual player numbers added up = team numbers.

"Best player" means "best individual numbers" (adjusted for position, obviously, & with level of competition in mind as well).

If you draft on this basis, will you always, every single time, get the best player? No. But, you'll do a lot better than any other method, that's for sure!

[dckingsfan]

I think trading up from 18 is the way to go. Jase Richardson looks to be falling into that range….for whatever reason. Think he’s a better prospect than Fears, who is apparently a top 5 lock???

Why is he a better prospect? He's one handed, short for SG, isn't a PG, isn't an elite athlete, 1 year older..... This is apples to oranges....

Richardson is actually younger than Fears by a couple of days. They posted the same standing reach. Richardson measured with a longer wingspan/higher vertical.

What exactly is the appeal with Fears? He scores a lot of points on average efficiency, can’t really shoot, is a liability on defense. Not a true PG by any means, posted a brutal A/TO ratio& A/Usage%.

Fears is young. Fears' FT% could translate well into 3PT%. Fears is still growing. Fears didn't have the teammates (for a high assist ratio).

You are betting on the long-term upside as you are with most of the players after 4 in this year's draft.

Now, is he a better prospect than Nolan Traore? Smh... shmaybe. Dylan Harper is the only guy I give a free pass.

I rate Traore, Richardson (if he can transition to PG) and Fears in the same group. Do I pick any of the 3 at 6? Hmmm... probably because next year's draft doesn't seem to be loaded with PGs.

I run away from Demin (but that is just me).

I also think one of Noa Essengue, Carter Bryant or Nique Clifford will be really good. I wouldn't mind trading down or up to try to get two of them.

This is a really hard draft in this way - I give the FO a pass on this one - although they have been pretty darn good at drafting.

[DCZards]

Any pick outside of Flagg and Harper are crapshoots, imo. Bryant, who likely will get picked in the 8-12 range, could turn out to be better than the 3, 4 & 5 picks.

If the Zards end up drafting 6, Johnson and Fears—love their offensive potential—along with Maluach and Bryant, remain at the top of my wishlist. Of course, all of them have their shortcomings and question marks, as has been pointed out here, but that’s true of every young, unproven player.

As OKC and Indy are proving, yes, you need a stud player (or two), but depth is just as important to win big in today’s NBA. I’m convinced that depth, along with defense, athleticism, and length, is the priority for Dawkins & Co.

[payitforward]

...I did NOT like Vesely: ...If we drafted him ...8-15..., I'd be fine with it.....

Unhhh....

(Don't get me wrong: I disliked him in more or less the same way! )

[payitforward]

Given our stress on positional size, it's hard to imagine us drafting Fears.

Will has also made R1-related trades in both his drafts.

Maybe we'll trade down & get Essengue? Perhaps that trade will also move our #18 pick up a bit...?

[dckingsfan]

Given our stress on positional size, it's hard to imagine us drafting Fears.

Will has also made R1-related trades in both his drafts.

Maybe we'll trade down & get Essengue? Perhaps that trade will also move our #18 pick up a bit...?

If it is positional size that will be the criteria - then you have some interesting picks even at 18. But given that so many have opted out of the draft - I would definitely move off of 40 to move up. Although I guess other teams will do the same.

[payitforward]

Seems possible that we pick Kon Knueppel, btw -- any comments?

[nate33]

Seems possible that we pick Kon Knueppel, btw -- any comments?

I’d feel better about it if I knew he had a good lane agility score.

I’m worried that he is an inch shorter than Kispert and possibly with slower feet. (Kispert actually tested well in lane agility.) Kispert is not a playoff caliber defender, so I question whether Knueppel would be. He would probably be hunted.

[TheBlackCzar]

Seems possible that we pick Kon Knueppel, btw -- any comments?

Hell to the NO

[closg00]

Seems possible that we pick Kon Knueppel, btw -- any comments?

I’d feel better about it if I knew he had a good lane agility score.

I’m worried that he is an inch shorter than Kispert and possibly with slower feet. (Kispert actually tested well in lane agility.) Kispert is not a playoff caliber defender, so I question whether Knueppel would be. He would probably be hunted.

I would bet my house that we're not drafting Knueppel, Corey would become even more dead weight than he is currently.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Count me in on Fears.

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[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Seems possible that we pick Kon Knueppel, btw -- any comments?

While preparing a meal, would you add even more salt to a dish that you previously had already added seasoned salt, celery salt, pink salt, and anchovies?

Adding Knueppel when there are 48 minutes at SF to divide between Coulibaly, George, Champagnie, and Kispert SEEMS ABSOLUTELY LUDICROUS to me.

I think COMMON SENSE MAKES THE MOST SENSE. Team chemistry matters. Why draft young players like the Core Four just to bench and devalue a couple within one year?


I remember the Wizards had young Rasheed Wallace, Chris Webber, Juan Howard. Rasheed was gone after one year. Champagnie is a stud reserve. Bilal might never develop if Knueppel becomes a coach favorite. What about Kispert?

Is Kon a PG? No. A SG? No. A PF? No. A C? He's certainly not Derik Queen.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

The Washington Wizards' PERFECT Offseason! Realistic Trade & Draft Ideas For The 2025 NBA Offseason

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THE RINGER MOCK

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