2025 Draft Thread - Part 2

[Dat2U]

I tend to look at these two consensus mock draft aggregators to get a sense of how the market evaluates the players.

https://nbadraftnetwork.com/consensus-big-board (5 mocks currently)
https://www.rookiescale.com/2025-consensus-board/ (14+ mocks currently)

Also The Ringer is generally pretty close to how things shake out.
https://nbadraft.theringer.com/
They have Queen at 7 and Maluach at 8.

Both of those sites have the same guys in the top 5 that I have seen several other places, the same guys several here have posted including me.

I'll be different. I'm officially out on Ace Bailey. Doing a deep dive confirmed my initial impressions of him and I had initially backed off some of the harsh criticism but boy oh boy, there is so much he does not have in his toolkit that I assumed was there the way folks talk about him.

First let's talk about how he cannot use his dribble to get to the rim. It's not that he's jumper reliant, he's jumper only unless it's a rare cut to the rim, running the break or attacking an overzealous closeout.

His handle is stiff and ineffective. He's also a bit upright and not extremely flexible. He's not really explosive so his athleticism only shows when he has a clear lane or is playing defense off the ball.

His weak dribble impacts his shot creation. He is borderline terrible off the bounce, especially from 3. This to me is the nail in the coffin for his ISO upside For such a skilled shot maker, he's rather remedial off the dribble as a shooter.

The 3rd strike for me is his passing. It's not that he's just an unwilling passer, he's actually bad at it! Alof of his passes are not accurate, and were not talking advanced passing here. Just very basic reads will be off the mark. I don't know what to make of that.

It all feels very Cam Reddish. Just doesn't know how to play, no feel for the game with the ball in his hands and his best skill isn't special enough for him to make it up. A one-on-one ISO guy unaware of how to incorporate his skills within a team concept.

[Dat2U]

New top 6:

1. Cooper Flagg
2. Dylan Harper
3. V.J. Edgecombe
4. Derik Queen
5. Tre Johnson
6. Jase Richardson

[SUPERBALLMAN]

A good draft and stash candidate for our 2nd round pick...

Read on Twitter

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Drake Powell declared for the draft. I think he's an interesting prospect that checks a lot of the Will Dawkins boxes. Has top tier defensive potential and high end offensive flashes. Has the youth, upside, positional size & length at SG, high motor, good handle, and shot 38% from 3.

I'm not sure if he'd be a candidate at 40 or possibly at 18.

We don't really have a true SG like Powell. Bub, AJ, Poole are all more combo guard/PGs. Bilal, Kyshawn and JC are probably better suited for the 3.

He's LOW on most mocks. Tankathon has him 53. Bleacher Report & Draft Room don't seem to have him getting drafted. Yahoo looks like they have him the highest at 34. But that may be because most were expecting him to return to school for his sophomore season. I expect him to be a riser during the combine and workout process. To me he's a no brainer at 40, but Ill be surprised if he's not a 1st rounder.

Watch on YouTube

[Hibachi_0]

De Larrea is staying in Spain next year. He'll have the opportunity to showcase more of his game in a bigger role next season and in better competition (Valencia is said to be back to the Euroleague next season).

If he has a good season he could jump to the lottery in `26.

Read on Twitter

The other spaniard that is entering the draft and has been kind of forgotten is Hugo Gonzalez. He was once mocked in the lottery but due to little playing time in Madrid he is around 25-35 now. If you are not familiar with his game, he is been always the top player in Madrid's youth team playing besides Demin. Curious to see where he'll end up being picked.

[spaceman_E]

This is why I love the draft. We'll be able to come back to this. The 'strongest conference in history." So amazing. Derik Queen put up 27 against Florida and was 8/17.

dude, why do you think that is good for a center that doesn't shoot 3's? He also got cooked at like 7/7 from a guy that can only dunk and 20+ from a bench guy

[9 and 20]

I tend to look at these two consensus mock draft aggregators to get a sense of how the market evaluates the players.

https://nbadraftnetwork.com/consensus-big-board (5 mocks currently)
https://www.rookiescale.com/2025-consensus-board/ (14+ mocks currently)

Also The Ringer is generally pretty close to how things shake out.
https://nbadraft.theringer.com/
They have Queen at 7 and Maluach at 8.

Both of those sites have the same guys in the top 5 that I have seen several other places, the same guys several here have posted including me.

I'll be different. I'm officially out on Ace Bailey. Doing a deep dive confirmed my initial impressions of him and I had initially backed off some of the harsh criticism but boy oh boy, there is so much he does not have in his toolkit that I assumed was there the way folks talk about him.

First let's talk about how he cannot use his dribble to get to the rim. It's not that he's jumper reliant, he's jumper only unless it's a rare cut to the rim, running the break or attacking an overzealous closeout.

His handle is stiff and ineffective. He's also a bit upright and not extremely flexible. He's not really explosive so his athleticism only shows when he has a clear lane or is playing defense off the ball.

His weak dribble impacts his shot creation. He is borderline terrible off the bounce, especially from 3. This to me is the nail in the coffin for his ISO upside For such a skilled shot maker, he's rather remedial off the dribble as a shooter.

The 3rd strike for me is his passing. It's not that he's just an unwilling passer, he's actually bad at it! Alof of his passes are not accurate, and were not talking advanced passing here. Just very basic reads will be off the mark. I don't know what to make of that.

It all feels very Cam Reddish. Just doesn't know how to play, no feel for the game with the ball in his hands and his best skill isn't special enough for him to make it up. A one-on-one ISO guy unaware of how to incorporate his skills within a team concept.

+1 for the contrariness. I kinda agree - I'd be very nervous if we drafted him. I trust Dawkins and his eye for talent, though.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

New top 6:

1. Cooper Flagg
2. Dylan Harper
3. V.J. Edgecombe
4. Derik Queen
5. Tre Johnson
6. Jase Richardson

Now, you've come around!

[AFM]

#QueenRising

[Rafael122]

I'm waiting on VJ's combine measurements before I make a final declaration.

[Frichuela]

#QueenRising

Yep. I am also coming around. If we drop to 5 or 6, he should be in consideration. He has a ton of offensive talent and great basketball IQ. His defensive instincts are better than I thought, after watching more tape. The key is his fitness. Is our FO convinced they can improve his level of conditioning to the point he is an adequate defender?

A Queen/Sarr combo at 4/5 is intriguing as both complement each other quite well. Let’s not forget that Queen played with another big at Maryland. But unlike Sarr, this chap was solely a rim runner with zero ability to space the floor.

[The Consiglieri]

I just checked NBAdraft.net which i haven't followed much the last few years. The thing that stood out with their mock was the center rankings:

8 Sorber
10 Queen
23 Maluach

I have often wondered who the hell runs this site, which is a major NBA draft site, but the mocks are wacky, and the draft order is not always up-to-date.

Yeah that is why i stopped following it. Looks like there isn't much effort going into it most of the year but with the draft getting close i decided to check in.

I view the value of it as exclusively their collected old drafts. It's great as a quick and easy way to scroll down through drafts the past decade or so if you can't remember who went where like in the top 10 of the '16 class or whatever. Their mocks are worthless.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Here's a new No Ceilings mock just posted...

Queen goes 5, Bryant is 9. Wizards get Harper & Fleming.

Watch on YouTube

This is another good draft discussion...

Watch on YouTube

[Benjammin]

Am I being worn down to be a DQ truther? I'd still take Maluach over him though.

Sent from my Pixel 9 Pro XL using Tapatalk

[dckingsfan]

I'm waiting on VJ's combine measurements before I make a final declaration.

3, 5, 1, 5, 3 - very symmetric! So, going with 3 - V.J. Edgecombe. VJ, Bub, AJ, Jones, Kispert, Smart & Poole is our backcourt.

Unless he measures out at 6’3” barefoot with a 6’6” wingspan like some are projecting. Then... back to the drawing board? I kinda feel this is a guard/forward draft. Not feeling any of the Cs except as a swing as a solid backup. Much rather be at 1/2.

If it is 5 then.... Tre Johnson. I think he is going to be a really good scorer in the NBA. Now, will he be able to defend? Become a really good secondary ball handler?

[doclinkin]

I'm waiting on VJ's combine measurements before I make a final declaration.

By then we should know the lotto results.

[dckingsfan]

New top 6:

1. Cooper Flagg
2. Dylan Harper
3. V.J. Edgecombe
4. Derik Queen
5. Tre Johnson
6. Jase Richardson

I pretty much agree with you on this - I might flip Johnson with Queen (ducks).

For 18, it seems like it is going to be "fascinating" to see who is there. I think we are in for some surprises (in a good way) of players on the board that we think should have been gone. I think there will still be some interesting guards and forwards at that spot. Who do you think will drop that would be a swing player?

[doclinkin]

Lol here’s how ridiculous the draft will make a fan. I’m going back to watch footage of Derik Queen at age 17 to compare to Maluach in the Olympics.

Watch on YouTube

Ok. Kid has been good a long time. Elite feel for the game. Balance. Body control. Understanding of how to use his leverage and mass.

The same critiques apply from then to now: if he can speed up his feet on defense he will be an asset on that end since his brain and hands work fine. Scouts have been saying that a long time and it hasn’t changed. But maybe coach BK can reach him and teach him. Maybe our developmental program is better than most.

I still have Maluach ahead of him on potential. Long term. End of career. Though I know we’ll hear it for years when Queen produces stats earlier. I’m still looking towards championship and what I see the league growing towards in the Unicorn era. Plus instant production hurts our long term potential when we win games agains bad teams and jeopardize our lotto pick.

That said the Bub to DQ pick and roll would really be fun to watch. Funny. Marketing wise I’m sketching the Maryland flag version of the alternate uniforms.

Basically it means I don’t hate if we fall to #6 or whatever and choices are removed from the board. I have a feeling we will fall back and still luck into the best possible player for our situation. I’d rather use our #18 to trade up for Queen or Sorber. Whereas I’d be fine with Maluach as early as #3 if that’s the direction the front office chose.

This group doesn’t trade back. But I wonder at the haul we could get if we listened to offers at #3. The Nets have 4 picks…

[dckingsfan]

...This group doesn’t trade back. But I wonder at the haul we could get if we listened to offers at #3. The Nets have 4 picks…

The team that should trade back if they get #3 is NO. Let's say Brooklyn has 8, 19, 26 & 27. What is a "fair trade"?

[payitforward]

I would not give 8 & 19 for 3. Let alone throw in 26 & 27 !!