2025 NBA Draft Thread

Nolan Traoré | 6-3 guard | 19 years old | Saint-Quentin

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No 2025 draft prospect helped themselves more this spring than Traoré, a big guard out of France who will play for Saint-Quentin in the French professional league next season after spurning offers from Gonzaga, Alabama, and the NBL’s Next Stars program. Along with Harper and V.J. Edgecombe, Traoré was consistently among the three best guards on the court at April’s Nike Hoop Summit. His confidence and poise in ball screens showcased itself well throughout the week. It was difficult to stay in front of him, and once he got an advantage using a screen, he pressed it with confidence as a passer and scorer. Defensively, he knew exactly where he needed to be and consistently helped his team perform at a high level.

After returning to France to play for Saint-Quentin, he was superb in the team’s league quarterfinals series against European power ASVEL, scoring 39 points in two games while dishing out 14 assists versus only seven turnovers. In late May, he dominated the Adidas Next Generation Tournament, earning an All-Tournament berth highlighted by a monster 45-point showing against a Barcelona team that features two players in this mock draft in Dame Sarr and Kasparas Jakucionis. Traoré looks every bit the part of a top-five guard and will likely cement that status this forthcoming season in France.

The Athletic

Post #12 » by **Jamaaliver** » Tue Aug 6, 2024 1:12 pm

Rocco Zikarsky | 7-3 big | 18 years old | Brisbane Bullets

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Zikarsky is a giant, athletic 7-foot-3 big man who is skilled offensively, covers ground in large swaths with his strides and erases shots at the rim. Playing for the Brisbane Bullets in Australia was a bit of a challenge, as it would be for any 17-year-old adjusting to playing professionally for the first time. He did average 14 points and nine rebounds playing at the U17 World Cup as an underage player, and when he got a chance to play against players his own age again at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Germany, he won MVP while leading Australia to a gold medal. He needs to keep getting stronger and prove he can hang on defense in drop coverage and in space, but he possesses some real tools that could lead to a lot of success in the NBA.

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Post #13 » by **Jamaaliver** » Tue Aug 6, 2024 1:24 pm

This poor kid...he's gonna be a developmental mess for the next few years.

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Post #14 » by **Jamaaliver** » Fri Aug 9, 2024 5:15 pm

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Post #15 » by **Jamaaliver** » Fri Aug 9, 2024 5:16 pm

Scoring combo guard:

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Post #16 » by **Jamaaliver** » Fri Aug 9, 2024 5:17 pm

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Post #17 » by **Jamaaliver** » Fri Aug 9, 2024 5:21 pm

Spoiler:

Post #18 » by **Jamaaliver** » Fri Aug 9, 2024 5:58 pm

Top Guard prospect in the draft:

Dylan Harper | 6-5 guard | 19 years old | Rutgers

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Harper is as versatile a scoring guard as you’ll find in high school basketball. His fundamentals are off-the-charts great, and he has a remarkable amount of poise for a teenager. He’s dynamic on or off the ball, which isn’t always the case for young players and is incredibly important when trying to project NBA growth and development. On the ball, he plays with effective pace and poise. He’s tremendous putting defenders in jail in ball screens and keeping them on his back hip with his size. He has a three-level scoring game that includes a polished mid-range repertoire, strong finishing in the paint and consistent shooting from 3. Off the ball, I think he’ll consistently knock down shots in addition to attacking closeouts and finding open kickouts when available after collapsing the defense.

To top it off, I like Harper’s all-around game, too. He’s not quite the impact defender Flagg is, but is a great rebounder and uses his size and physicality effectively to stay attached to opposing offensive players while making his presence felt.

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Post #19 » by **Jamaaliver** » Fri Aug 9, 2024 6:07 pm

Another switchable, undersized C/PF.
The description reminds me a bit of a young AL Horford.

Asa Newell | 6-9 forward/big | 19 years old | Georgia

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Newell was one of the favorite players I saw during the spring circuit, as he played very well during Nike Hoop Summit practices. He does all of the little things at a really high level. Defensively, he’s an outstanding shot blocker and rim protector, especially for his size. He flies around on that side of the court and makes his presence felt. He moves well on the perimeter and did not have many issues guarding in space as a bigger player.

On offense, he showed real potential as a shooter in spot-up and pick-and-pop situations, as well as the ability to rim-run. He’ll throw down big dunks and plays at speed in those circumstances, making it hard to get a body on him and stay in front. His game is a terrific fit for the modern NBA, especially as an off-ball player, and I’m betting on him as a one-and-done heading into the year.

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Post #20 » by **Jamaaliver** » Mon Aug 12, 2024 12:46 pm

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