2025 NBA Draft Prospect Part 3

[Indeed]

One report notes that he doesn't have any counter moves on his drives so if he's stopped it's not a good shot attempt. I think he can work on that.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/vj-edgecombe-1/splits/2025

He had a heater month of January from 3. He's probably like Oladipo as a 34% shooter from deep. Just average enough to keep defender's honest, yet not hurt the team.

He would be a taller Oladipo or a bouncier, more powerful Jakobe Walter.

He is shorter than Oladipo, Edgecomb (6'4 with 6'6 wingspan) is more a poor man's Oldaipo (6'5 with 6'9 wingspan) playing at PG.
Fears (6'4 with 6'6 wingspan) may not have the vertical and finishing, but more a PG.

Fox (6'4 with 6'6.5 wingspan) maybe a good comparison in terms of size.

Oladipo was shorter than 6'4 Wade.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/oladivi01.html
https://www.nba.com/stats/player/203506/career

Not the wingspan, and that is a massive difference (SG wingspan vs PG wingspan), that also impacts standing reach (since you don't use your head to block shot, but standing reach).

[Indeed]

Essengue is my guy if we fall out of the top 7.

I see Noa Essengue has better ceiling than Liam McNeeley and Kon Knueppel, but still have some concern of him.
I have him and Carter Bryant at the same tier for now, and I prefer both of them over shooters (I don't see we draft another Dick, unless they proven to be capable defender).

[Psubs]

He is shorter than Oladipo, Edgecomb (6'4 with 6'6 wingspan) is more a poor man's Oldaipo (6'5 with 6'9 wingspan) playing at PG.
Fears (6'4 with 6'6 wingspan) may not have the vertical and finishing, but more a PG.

Fox (6'4 with 6'6.5 wingspan) maybe a good comparison in terms of size.

Oladipo was shorter than 6'4 Wade.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/oladivi01.html
https://www.nba.com/stats/player/203506/career

Not the wingspan, and that is a massive difference (SG wingspan vs PG wingspan), that also impacts standing reach (since you don't use your head to block shot, but standing reach).

I typed taller.

[Indeed]

IMO after Flagg and Harper, the next tier is filled with guys who have flaws, whether it be size or shooting or feel or production. So I'm not too concerned about dropping a bit in the order, and trusting Masai to find the best piece. I often think of 2016, which was heralded as an 8 player draft, and the Raps' pick (via NYK) landed 9th. A lot of people lamented the fact we were gonna miss out on Marqueese Chriss. Instead, it was that draft that laid the groundwork for the title; Poeltl at 9th, a key piece in the Kawhi deal; Siakam at 27th; and FVV undrafted.

Which draft after the first pick isn't flawed or not proven?

This draft is definitely better than last 2.
Who would I compare Asa Newell? Tidjane Salaün in 2024 and Jarace Walker in 2023?
Yaxel Lendeborg and Josan Sanon in the 2nd round? Those would be drafted higher in previous years.
Xaivian Lee end of the draft this year? He is pretty much better than anyone in the mid 2nd of the last few years.

[REJECTEDBYCLARK]

just put a bit of time into stirtz and he's growing on me a ton

his volume of rim/non rim 2/3pt is almost even across the board demonstrating a really balanced threat on offense who can keep defenders guessing. self-creation %s are amazing. while i tend to doubt 6'4 guards who aren't either super quick or strong i think stirtz has the frame/build to really improve his body. there's actually a tiktok vid of his gf showing how much junk food he eats and i think just a bit of work on his body could pay big dividends when it comes to scaling up to NBA ball.

he is also basically a one man show at drake and players who singlehandedly carry d1 teams to success tend to fare well. last example of such a player off top of head was TJD. the rest of his team was ass and i'd argue it applies even more to drake.

[Dalek]

Thomas Sorber is my pick if we don't get into the top 5.

-Sorber at 19 YO, a full year younger than D Queen and a half year on CMB
-250 lbs - significantly heavier than both - very useful as a screen setter
-15.6 AST% fits Toronto as a high-low passer and in pick and pop
-7.5 Blk% primarily a drop-big, but he is so good at vertical contests (Daniel Gafford level)
-2.7 STl% elite at deflections/ball strips. Hands really stand out as he is fast like Jokic or Sengun, he is deceptive.
-42 FTR / 72% from the line - very good aggression and shooting indicators
-4.1 BPM elite numbers for +50 ranked freshman playing in the Big East

Read on Twitter

Overall, Sorber is underrated because of the foot injury/surgery and off the radar a bit, but the two-way effectiveness and skill level showed. The touch and IQ and defensive awareness all remind me a lot of Al Horford who over time figured out the outside shot.

Sorber isn't 7ft, but I think there is some special upside to the kid. Raptors are unafraid to take a player they like even if they are injured (like OG).

To me, the separator is the defensive playmaking from Sorber because it is rare for high major freshman to have his defensive numbers coupled with the scoring and playmaking. CMB is similar but 20 lbs lighter, so I don't know if he really can play C like Sorber.

For the undrafted route, I'd love to get Micah Peavy (special defender and shooter) and since Sorber went out is scoring well over 22 PPG and 50% from three in nine games.

Read on Twitter

[Lukeem]

Danny Wolf could really be the perfect fit - basically just Jokic with better driving, and defense ... I can dream

Or he could just bust if you overdraft him.

All the deeper numbers suggest he's not Jokic. Wolf legitimately is like a mediocre 7' PG whereas Jokic has the magic ability to essentially shapeshift between being an outstanding interior presence and a lead initiator at will. Wolf is quite poor doing "big man things" which is why I don't see the similarity even in player archetype.

could very easily be a bust, i am a Michigan fan and just joking being biased, over exaggerating.... But he is roughly same age as jokic when he was drafted and way ahead of where jokic was at that time

Jokic draft analysis nbadraft.net (i know not most reliable source) but he was far from polished in anyway "Needs to improve as a post player, gain strength and develop a repertoire of back to the basket moves "

wolf will get drafted in all likelihood well after wherever the raptors draft (better chance we'd take him with our portland second than our first... but my bias aside i do believe he is a very interesting high ceiling prospect offensively, and with his size and mobility being an average or plus defender seems very possible as well

[BoyzNTheHood]

just put a bit of time into stirtz and he's growing on me a ton

his volume of rim/non rim 2/3pt is almost even across the board demonstrating a really balanced threat on offense who can keep defenders guessing. self-creation %s are amazing. while i tend to doubt 6'4 guards who aren't either super quick or strong i think stirtz has the frame/build to really improve his body. there's actually a tiktok vid of his gf showing how much junk food he eats and i think just a bit of work on his body could pay big dividends when it comes to scaling up to NBA ball.

he is also basically a one man show at drake and players who singlehandedly carry d1 teams to success tend to fare well. last example of such a player off top of head was TJD. the rest of his team was ass and i'd argue it applies even more to drake.

He’s going to be good in the league. He reminds me of guys like Podz or dare I say, Steph who come from smaller programs but dominate there.

[BoyzNTheHood]

Thomas Sorber is my pick if we don't get into the top 5.

-Sorber at 19 YO, a full year younger than D Queen and a half year on CMB
-250 lbs - significantly heavier than both - very useful as a screen setter
-15.6 AST% fits Toronto as a high-low passer and in pick and pop
-7.5 Blk% primarily a drop-big, but he is so good at vertical contests (Daniel Gafford level)
-2.7 STl% elite at deflections/ball strips. Hands really stand out as he is fast like Jokic or Sengun, he is deceptive.
-42 FTR / 72% from the line - very good aggression and shooting indicators
-4.1 BPM elite numbers for +50 ranked freshman playing in the Big East

Read on Twitter

Overall, Sorber is underrated because of the foot injury/surgery and off the radar a bit, but the two-way effectiveness and skill level showed. The touch and IQ and defensive awareness all remind me a lot of Al Horford who over time figured out the outside shot.

Sorber isn't 7ft, but I think there is some special upside to the kid. Raptors are unafraid to take a player they like even if they are injured (like OG).

To me, the separator is the defensive playmaking from Sorber because it is rare for high major freshman to have his defensive numbers coupled with the scoring and playmaking. CMB is similar but 20 lbs lighter, so I don't know if he really can play C like Sorber.

For the undrafted route, I'd love to get Micah Peavy (special defender and shooter) and since Sorber went out is scoring well over 22 PPG and 50% from three in nine games.

Read on Twitter

He dominates lesser competition and struggles versus top 50 competition

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=iDergfyDJveIq9pY2qCCBQ

[REJECTEDBYCLARK]

Danny Wolf could really be the perfect fit - basically just Jokic with better driving, and defense ... I can dream

Or he could just bust if you overdraft him.

All the deeper numbers suggest he's not Jokic. Wolf legitimately is like a mediocre 7' PG whereas Jokic has the magic ability to essentially shapeshift between being an outstanding interior presence and a lead initiator at will. Wolf is quite poor doing "big man things" which is why I don't see the similarity even in player archetype.

could very easily be a bust, i am a Michigan fan and just joking being biased, over exaggerating.... But he is roughly same age as jokic when he was drafted and way ahead of where jokic was at that time

Jokic draft analysis nbadraft.net (i know not most reliable source) but he was far from polished in anyway "Needs to improve as a post player, gain strength and develop a repertoire of back to the basket moves "

wolf will get drafted in all likelihood well after wherever the raptors draft (better chance we'd take him with our portland second than our first... but my bias aside i do believe he is a very interesting high ceiling prospect offensively, and with his size and mobility being an average or plus defender seems very possible as well

without paying attention to nbadraft.net and looking at the real numbers, jokic at mega was at least attempting a ton of post ups and quite competent at them while also being employed as roller 3x as much as wolf and being more competent than him. he also was better at and had higher frequency of putbacks.

wolf at michigan mostly is employed as P&R ballhandler while his post up, putback and roll man volume is bad and his scoring efficiency in all those situations is bad too for his age

i'm almost positive wolf is going to bust if taken lotto and i've put in enough time to make that a final evaluation

[Indeed]

Thomas Sorber is my pick if we don't get into the top 5.

-Sorber at 19 YO, a full year younger than D Queen and a half year on CMB
-250 lbs - significantly heavier than both - very useful as a screen setter
-15.6 AST% fits Toronto as a high-low passer and in pick and pop
-7.5 Blk% primarily a drop-big, but he is so good at vertical contests (Daniel Gafford level)
-2.7 STl% elite at deflections/ball strips. Hands really stand out as he is fast like Jokic or Sengun, he is deceptive.
-42 FTR / 72% from the line - very good aggression and shooting indicators
-4.1 BPM elite numbers for +50 ranked freshman playing in the Big East

Read on Twitter

Overall, Sorber is underrated because of the foot injury/surgery and off the radar a bit, but the two-way effectiveness and skill level showed. The touch and IQ and defensive awareness all remind me a lot of Al Horford who over time figured out the outside shot.

Sorber isn't 7ft, but I think there is some special upside to the kid. Raptors are unafraid to take a player they like even if they are injured (like OG).

To me, the separator is the defensive playmaking from Sorber because it is rare for high major freshman to have his defensive numbers coupled with the scoring and playmaking. CMB is similar but 20 lbs lighter, so I don't know if he really can play C like Sorber.

For the undrafted route, I'd love to get Micah Peavy (special defender and shooter) and since Sorber went out is scoring well over 22 PPG and 50% from three in nine games.

Read on Twitter

He dominates lesser competition and struggles versus top 50 competition

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=iDergfyDJveIq9pY2qCCBQ

Wouldnt surprise being a freshman, and he doesnt have a jumper.

I am high on him as well, will base on the measurement result.

His IQ and passing are not bad, and his stocks are high, so he seems to be a high reward pick.

[BoyzNTheHood]

Thomas Sorber is my pick if we don't get into the top 5.

-Sorber at 19 YO, a full year younger than D Queen and a half year on CMB
-250 lbs - significantly heavier than both - very useful as a screen setter
-15.6 AST% fits Toronto as a high-low passer and in pick and pop
-7.5 Blk% primarily a drop-big, but he is so good at vertical contests (Daniel Gafford level)
-2.7 STl% elite at deflections/ball strips. Hands really stand out as he is fast like Jokic or Sengun, he is deceptive.
-42 FTR / 72% from the line - very good aggression and shooting indicators
-4.1 BPM elite numbers for +50 ranked freshman playing in the Big East

Read on Twitter

Overall, Sorber is underrated because of the foot injury/surgery and off the radar a bit, but the two-way effectiveness and skill level showed. The touch and IQ and defensive awareness all remind me a lot of Al Horford who over time figured out the outside shot.

Sorber isn't 7ft, but I think there is some special upside to the kid. Raptors are unafraid to take a player they like even if they are injured (like OG).

To me, the separator is the defensive playmaking from Sorber because it is rare for high major freshman to have his defensive numbers coupled with the scoring and playmaking. CMB is similar but 20 lbs lighter, so I don't know if he really can play C like Sorber.

For the undrafted route, I'd love to get Micah Peavy (special defender and shooter) and since Sorber went out is scoring well over 22 PPG and 50% from three in nine games.

Read on Twitter

He dominates lesser competition and struggles versus top 50 competition

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=iDergfyDJveIq9pY2qCCBQ

Wouldnt surprise being a freshman, and he doesnt have a jumper.

I am high on him as well, will base on the measurement result.

His IQ and passing are not bad, and his stocks are high, so he seems to be a high reward pick.

There’s a lot to like, but one of my favourite ways to verify if a guy is for real is to check his performances versus the best competition. If he’s pooping the bed, I’m out. I wish him success and to prove me wrong, but I couldn’t pick a guy who folds versus the better teams.

[REJECTEDBYCLARK]

Honestly my confidence on wolf's outcome is very high, he's masquerading as a jokic-type player upon vague observance but when you dive deeper you realize he's actually a gimmick mediocre 7' PG whose big man skills are way too poor for any kind of good outcome.

Taking some dudes off the bounce from the perimeter and adding some self created 3s which could brick a ton given his shooting numbers is not going to propel him to success in the nba given how cringe the rest of his kit is for a guy who would be deployed as a center.

[Mark_83]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25168649-2025-nba-mock-draft-full-2-round-predictions-and-pro-comparisons

Queen at #6?

Demin really dropped. Jak too.

What makes Ben Saraf a better prospect than Noah Penda?

Hugo Gonzalez makes more sense at #28 than mid 1st.

Rasheer Fleming is the only player with 50 threes and 50 dunks.

Wolf at #29 makes sense but Queen at #6 doesn't.

Alex Condon at #40?

If we fall any further in the lottery we might be reaching Rasheer Flemming territory for me. Imo he's a lottery pick based on his skillset and profile.

[Yallbecrazy]

CMB played his last college game today and had a good performance, 2 of his 5 fouls came when trying to extend the game. Wonder if he drops in the public eye as he won't be playing any more.

[Dalek]

He dominates lesser competition and struggles versus top 50 competition

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=iDergfyDJveIq9pY2qCCBQ

Wouldnt surprise being a freshman, and he doesnt have a jumper.

I am high on him as well, will base on the measurement result.

His IQ and passing are not bad, and his stocks are high, so he seems to be a high reward pick.

There’s a lot to like, but one of my favourite ways to verify if a guy is for real is to check his performances versus the best competition. If he’s pooping the bed, I’m out. I wish him success and to prove me wrong, but I couldn’t pick a guy who folds versus the better teams.

It is fair to look at competition and how they perform. Sorber is very rim-oriented and Georgetown is not exactly a floor stretching type of team. In conference play he may not have done as well because of the increased attention in the paint. It's too bad he got hurt and couldn't have more games to scout.

Let's say the offense is a work-in-progress, but he has shown high level skills getting to the rim and and passing and the shooting is developing but not poor from a freethrow side. Ultimately, he hangs his hat on high level defense. He was at an Anthony Davis and Nerlens Noel level as a freshman with a 2.5 STL% and 7.5 BLK% which was what caught my attention. He did that in a high major conference like those two.

Toronto prides itself on defense, so I think he will be someone they consider. I don't know if they'd have him above Maluach, but I like how poised the kid looks. He honestly never looks flustered or rushed.

[Dalek]

CMB played his last college game today and had a good performance, 2 of his 5 fouls came when trying to extend the game. Wonder if he drops in the public eye as he won't be playing any more.

I think people know who he is. He made strides as a primary scorer but not much on the jumpshot side of things. I still see a team like OKC jumping all over him because of his defense and passing. He has an NBA ready body.

The bright side is he can now train full time, go to Vegas and work with trainers for several months in lead up to the draft. If he starts making threes at the combine, he might go high lottery.

[BoyzNTheHood]

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=iDergfyDJveIq9pY2qCCBQ

[Indeed]

He dominates lesser competition and struggles versus top 50 competition

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=iDergfyDJveIq9pY2qCCBQ

Wouldnt surprise being a freshman, and he doesnt have a jumper.

I am high on him as well, will base on the measurement result.

His IQ and passing are not bad, and his stocks are high, so he seems to be a high reward pick.

There’s a lot to like, but one of my favourite ways to verify if a guy is for real is to check his performances versus the best competition. If he’s pooping the bed, I’m out. I wish him success and to prove me wrong, but I couldn’t pick a guy who folds versus the better teams.

The draft combine skimage should be a better measure. He is unlikely to bang against grown men at this stage. And player ceiling isn't just based on performance. Leonard nor Giannis are performing great versus the best. Anyway, it is complicated, so there is no right and wrong afterward.

[BoyzNTheHood]

We’re about to drop to the 7th best odds tonight boys!