2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 7

[WuTang_CMB]

Who stood out during Tuesday's drills and tests?
i
Yaxel Lendeborg, PF/C, UAB/Michigan: The highest-ranked prospect, and lone projected first-round pick who is fully participating in all competitive action, Lendeborg did nothing to diminish his standing with an outstanding all-around day in drills and 3-on-3 play. His measurements are outstanding, a hair under 6-foot-10 in shoes, 235 pounds with a 7-4 wingspan, a 9-½ standing reach, and huge hands, comparable to the likes of Isaiah Stewart and Amare Stoudemire, per the DraftExpress historical database.

Lendeborg demonstrated legitimate skill in drills -- converting 69% of his aggregate field goal attempts (tied for 10th best at the combine) and also showed off his ballhandling and passing ability in 3-on-3, showing off in impressive plays as both as a creator and finisher. Lendeborg's defense is a work in progress, something another year in college could certainly help with, but there's little doubting his skill and talent, and he has more upside than most 22-year-olds, barely playing any organized basketball before graduating high school.

Michigan's Dusty May, Lendeborg's potential future coach, was present Tuesday to support him along with much of his coaching staff. Whether Lendeborg ever plays a game for May probably will depend on how he performs in 5-on-5 play over the next two days, as the crowd of NBA executives had greatly diminished when Lendeborg appeared in the very last session of prospects. -- Givony

i
Drake Powell, SG/SF, North Carolina: Powell tested as arguably the best athlete in Chicago, with the best no-step (37½ inch) and max (running) vertical (43 inches), while also finishing fourth in the three-quarter-court sprint (3.07 seconds), seventh in the shuttle run (2.79 seconds) and seventh in the pro lane drill (10.71 seconds). He also measured a huge 7-foot wingspan and grew nearly an inch since ESPN's last measurements, with overall dimensions similar to those of New Orleans Pelicans wing-stopper Herb Jones.

Powell didn't shoot the ball particularly well in drills, converting 55% of his aggregate attempts (in the bottom third of combine participants) something at which NBA teams will want to take a closer look in private workouts in coming weeks, especially if he elects to stay in the draft as expected. -- Givony


i
Chaz Lanier, SG, Tennessee: We knew Lanier would look like one of the best shooters entering the combine, and that carried over Tuesday. He has been one of the premier perimeter shotmakers in college basketball over the past two seasons, making 44% of his 3s in 2023-24 at North Florida and 39.5% last season at Tennessee.

He finished in the top five in all three 3-point shooting drills, and his touch and agility also caught the eyes of scouts. He had the fifth-fastest time in the pro lane agility drill, the third-highest no-step vertical leap and the fourth-highest max vertical leap. -- Borzello

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Mark Sears, PG, Alabama: Sears entered the week ranked No. 78 in ESPN's NBA draft rankings, but his elite shooting ability could intrigue teams late in the second round. He was clearly the best shooter during Tuesday's sessions, finishing first in three of the four drills.

Sears put on an exhibition, going 26-for-30 on off-dribble midrange pull-ups, 21-for-25 on spot-up 3s and 25-for-27 in the side-mid-side 3-point drill. His athletic testing wasn't great, but his shooting ability stood out. -- Borzello

i
Tre Johnson, SG, Texas: Though top prospects don't typically do a lot of on-court activities at the combine, getting to see projected top picks get up shots in this setting is additive for evaluation. Teams took notice of Johnson's shooting performance in drills (68% on all shots attempted), as he displayed quick and clean mechanics from long range and left a strong impression. Johnson also tested well athletically.

Multiple scouts I spoke with were impressed with his stroke -- and while that's not a shocker for a player who shot 39.7% from 3 on nearly seven attempts per game last season -- it does offer insight into what teams will see from him in private workouts. Based on what he showed, Johnson figures to impress in that context as he vies for a spot among the draft's top-five picks. -- Woo



Injury news: Duke's Knueppel sits out drills, tests
Kon Knueppel, the projected No. 8 pick and shooting guard/small forward out of Duke, did not participate in the combine's athletic testing or shooting drills because of an injury, his agent Mark Bartelstein told ESPN.

"Kon sprained his ankle three weeks ago and is not all the way back yet," Bartelstein said. "He's at 85% now and we want him at 100%. He's really close. Hopefully, he's back by the end of the week and can participate in our pro day Friday."

Because of the NBA's mandatory combine participation rules, Knueppel will be required to complete the athletic testing and shooting drills portion at a NBA team facility in the coming weeks. -- Givony


What we're hearing in Chicago
play
2:48
Shams: Spurs' lottery jump could impact Giannis sweepstakesShams Charania breaks down the options for the San Antonio Spurs after they move up in the lottery to claim the second pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
What do the Spurs do at No. 2?
Reaction reverberated around the league when San Antonio's pick jumped to No. 2 in Monday's lottery, not only because of the prospect of the Spurs adding consensus No. 2 prospect Dylan Harper alongside Victor Wembanyama, De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle, but also the implications of what that specific pick could mean as a trade option.

The Spurs have had exceptional fortune, their draft pick having now jumped into the top four in three straight lotteries. While there has been speculation already about what San Antonio could do at No. 2, there's a case for standing pat and selecting Harper, who stands out as the best available talent at that spot and would be an excellent roster addition.

Though the prospect of aggressively targeting a star such as Giannis Antetokounmpo would accelerate San Antonio's playoff path, the Spurs can also afford to think big picture, thanks to the presence of 21-year-old Wembanyama as the team's centerpiece.

San Antonio has the trade assets to execute a major move: They control the Atlanta Hawks' next two drafts, own their future picks other than 2027, and hold far future swap rights to picks from Boston (2028, top-one protected), the more favorable of Dallas and Minnesota (2030, top-one protected), and Sacramento in 2031. Those assets are also far enough out that the Spurs can hold them until they're ready to upgrade or ultimately make those picks.

With Fox already in the fold and the attractive option to build around the young trio of Wembanyama, Harper and Castle in the long run, there's plenty of rationale behind letting the team develop organically. That approach led to sustainable contention two decades ago as the Spurs put players around Tim Duncan. And at the moment, San Antonio is playing with a strong enough hand to dictate its own urgency.

The coming weeks should bear out more in terms of how proactive the Spurs want to be in trade talks. The expectation around the league is Harper will come off the board at No. 2 whether it's the Spurs or another team selecting there, leaving the 76ers -- another team that will weigh trade opportunities -- with a less-clear decision selecting at No. 3. -- Woo

First-round buzz on Coward grows
When Cedric Coward picked Duke over Alabama a couple of weeks ago, it looked as if Duke coach Jon Scheyer might have found the missing player to another team built for a potential Final Four run.

But the Washington State transfer might not make it to Durham.

On Monday, he measured at 6-foot-5¼ with a 7-2¼ wingspan, and then was one of the best performers in Tuesday's shooting drills (hitting 72% of his aggregate attempts, tied for sixth best). Despite the fact Coward will not be participating in 5-on-5 scrimmages because of a shoulder injury he sustained in November, there is growing talk about NBA personnel that Coward is going to play himself into the first round. -- Jeff Borzello


Context is key for lottery prospects from non-powerhouse schools
Other than the three Duke players projected in the lottery, none of the other top prospects in this draft were in ideal situations in college. Rutgers didn't make the NCAA tournament despite the presence of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, because so little talent surrounded those freshman phenoms. Baylor (with VJ Edgecombe), Oklahoma (Jeremiah Fears), Texas (Tre Johnson) and South Carolina (Collin Murray-Boyles) were all middling teams at best as well.

NBA executives always have to consider context when forecasting the transition from college to the pros -- but they say that step is especially crucial with this crop of prospects, because they have to determine whether the weaknesses they see on tape are actual problems or merely the result of inferior teammates. Playing next to much better talent could mitigate some issues as prospects find their roles in the NBA. -- Kram


Coming up Wednesday and Thursday
Wednesday brings the first day of 5-on-5 scrimmages, and while the majority of highly-ranked draft prospects won't participate, there are plenty of intriguing names to watch. Yaxel Lendeborg (former UAB big man who has committed to Michigan) is the only projected first-rounder slated to play, but a long list of players who are on the fence about staying in the draft or returning to college are on the rosters. Auburn's Tahaad Pettiford, Darrion Williams and San Diego State's Miles Byrd headline the list.

There will be plenty of eyes on Penn State's Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who tested incredibly well and was the best prospect at the G League Elite Camp recently, earning a call-up to the combine and slotting in as a top-45 pick in ESPN's mock recent mock draft. -- Borzello

[Mark_83]

He didn't have the best season but I'm still a believer in Mark Sears NBA potential. Had the best shooting round in combine drills. If he somehow goes undrafted I hope Masai is on it.

Watch on YouTube

;t=65s&pp=ygUVbWFyayBzZWFycyBoaWdobGlnaHRz

[Indeed]

16:40

A scout rep from one of the top 5 teams in the draft told him Queen is a top 5 pick

Yep because the Draft Combine is not something that shouls be taken with a grain of salt....Especially all these Measurements/High jumps/Shooting in an open gym mean nothing to on court basketball production at the end of the day....I mean you can have concerns on the defensive end or if you draft him your rim protection still needs to be addressed ....But to look at NBA Draft Combine stuff and say "This guy sucks" Is funny to me...

In a 5 on 5 NBA Setting i bet Queen outshines the majority of the players in this draft....Teams will have these guys in for workouts and run scrimmiges and i bet Queen shines in them....I hope teams though are silly and dismiss Queen after the combine so he has a better chance to fall to 9....Would not be mad one bit if we draft him...

Those numbers made me a bit skeptical of if he'll be played off the court defensively being that slow.

I'm now at Queen or Jak at 9 with some thought to moving down and getting another asset and one of Fleming or Bryant.

I think you could argue if Jak just sat the rest of the year after he injured his forearm in January and had started playing worse, he would have remained in top 5, top 6 convos just off the stretch from end of Nov to mid Jan where his team went 8-2 and he averaged 20/5/5 (and 4 TOs) on 51/46/89 shooting taking 6 3's a game. Turnovers were an eye sore but thats incredible stuff

That guy is still in there and I think he's being too underrated now with where he's falling to in the draft.

I don't understand how is Bryant this low. I think he might even be picked before us.

Perhaps you can explain why Bailey is better than Bryant if you think Bryant is that low.

[Clutch0z24]

Kon likely goes before us from all podcasts im hearing

Which will make someone drop

Hope some how its Fears....Who is taking Kon though in the top 8?...Will the Jazz really take Kon over Tre?...Prolly not....Wizards may go Kon that would mean Queen could drop....It would be between the Pelicans and what big they take because for sure they pick one of the bigs as they have a bundant of guards and wings....At 8 Fears is prolly picked by the Nets if he falls that far...

You have either Khaman/Queen depending on what big the Pelicans like more...

I think Fears’ floor is BRK. Perfect fit and they get an upside guard. Dumars in NO not sure what he’s thinking they are a wild card. Ya they could go KM or grab Kon

Yeah its possible they like Kon but they already have so many Guards and wings....CJ/Brown/Hawkins/Herb/Tre Murph...Where does Kon really get mins in that rotation? Where as they have Yves Missi/Kelly Olynyk as bigs.....So would Nets take Kon at 8? If it were between Fears/Kon at 8 its possible they like Kon...But idk....I guess anything could really happen from 5-9

[Smalltown]

I'm gonna say it again Walter Clayton Jr. is gonna make a team really happy in the late teens early twenties range.

[Rapsfan07]

Watch on YouTube

16:40

A scout rep from one of the top 5 teams in the draft told him Queen is a top 5 pick

Smokescreen

[Clutch0z24]

I'm gonna say it again Walter Clayton Jr. is gonna make a team really happy in the late teens early twenties range.

You know Masai loves him....Hes got shot making ability as well as lead guard upside....If we were in this range he would be on our draft boards.

[WuTang_CMB]

full list of measurements

https://basketnews.com/news-224506-nba-draft-combine-2025.html

[Smalltown]

I'm gonna say it again Walter Clayton Jr. is gonna make a team really happy in the late teens early twenties range.

You know Masai loves him....Hes got shot making ability as well as lead guard upside....If we were in this range he would be on our draft boards.

He's a baller. Plain and simple.

[Rapsfan07]

I'm gonna say it again Walter Clayton Jr. is gonna make a team really happy in the late teens early twenties range.

You know Masai loves him....Hes got shot making ability as well as lead guard upside....If we were in this range he would be on our draft boards.

He's a baller. Plain and simple.

Period.

Someone's going to get a steal.

[WuTang_CMB]

kasparas jakucionis could have the same type of year that JKW had where they started off strong and tapered off in 2nd half of year due to injury

6'6" with shoes
6'8" wingspan
35" max vert

I know the defense is a little suspect but this team desperately needs a creator at the top and get into the lane

[WuTang_CMB]

Read on Twitter

CHICAGO — They were all gathered, watching intently, some with their laptops open, taking notes, occasionally conferring with each other, but for the most part keeping their own counsel.

After the dust settled on Monday night’s explosive draft-lottery results, the Toronto Raptors front office got to work Tuesday morning on how to make the best of not having the No. 1 overall pick in the June 25-26 NBA Draft, and identifying the best possible player that will be available when they pick ninth.

There is no guarantee that the events this week in Chicago will automatically help that cause.

There is likely nothing that will happen this week or even at the draft that will have a bigger potential effect than what has happened in the past two days around the NBA.

Among the key developments:

• A not-to-be underrated benefit of the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs ending up with the first and second picks in the draft is that it likely means the two best players in the draft class will end up in the Western Conference, a long-term trend, it seems.

• The news that Celtics star Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles tendon late in Boston’s Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks on Monday night. Tatum had surgery on Tuesday and will most likely miss the 2025-26 season. In an instant, the defending champions lost their best player just as they are about to hit a wall financially that likely would have required them to make some significant roster moves. However it pans out in the long term, the Celtics will almost certainly be a weaker team next season than they were this past year when they finished 61-21.

• Not to be ignored is an ESPN.com report that Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo is open to exploring the possibility of leaving the Bucks after 12 seasons of brilliance, culminating in two MVP awards and the 2021 NBA title. If he ends up moving to the West — San Antonio and Houston are two possible trade partners that could win a bidding war — the East would get that much weaker.

In that context, a team like the Raptors — even coming off a 30-52 season — has no reason not to think it can return to competitive relevance sooner than later.
[b]
“It’s going to be very competitive, that I know,” Raptors president Masai Ujiri said Monday night after the lottery. “We’re hoping to add a talented player that can come in and compete.

"(Head coach Darko Rajakovic) is proving to be a one of the good developers of talent and that’s how we need to attack it, (but we will) continue to grow as a team, everybody make a jump and see. Get (Brandon Ingram) back healthy and see how we all jell together."[/b]


The draft combine, which takes place the remainder of this week in Chicago, is just one more piece in the effort to assemble the puzzle of what a playoff team in the East could look like, a bar that suddenly seems more attainable than it was even a week ago.

The combine brings together most of the top draft prospects — the exception being a small handful of Europeans who remain overseas competing for their professional teams — in one place so that the league can take their official measurements. It's not just height, weight and reach — if want to know the width of a prospect’s hands, you can find that out too.

Yes, teams pay attention to that stuff.

After the measurements are taken the prospects go through a battery of standardized tests on the floor of Wintrust Arena, home of the DePaul University basketball teams, to determine to what degree they can move, run and jump like an NBA player.

They start with a standing vertical jump test, then test their maximum jump with a brief running start, and then do two different types of agility tests and a three-quarter court sprint.

What does it have to do with basketball? Not all that much. It’s a little bit like trying to judge whether someone will be able to parallel park based on how they play Mario Kart, but it’s interesting fodder.

For example, VJ Edgecombe, the Baylor star many believe will be the third-overall pick in the draft behind Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper, delivered as expected and set the early standard with a 38.5-inch vertical jump, compared with presumptive No.1 pick Flagg — no slouch himself, athletically — who came in at 34 inches.

All it really means is that Edgecombe can jump higher than Flagg. There is no height that Edgecombe could jump to that would convince anyone that he’s going to be a better NBA player than Flagg.


It’s the same with the shooting drills the players do once they’ve competed their athletic testing.

But when you’re trying to determine why to take a certain player first or second, or ninth rather than 10th, there is no harm in gathering all the data possible.

The point is to gain context. While Ace Bailey, the Rutgers star who has been projected as a top-five pick or better all season, certainly showed that he has the athleticism that typically translates at the NBA level, it almost works against him. With all his speed, quickness and explosiveness, there are questions about why Bailey wasn’t even more impactful at the college level as a freshman. Executives look at his relatively poor shooting percentages and lower-threshold blocks, steals and assist rates and question if he has the feel for the game — the anticipation and decision-making abilities — to fully leverage his athleticism. They're trying to determine if he'll end up as the proverbial strong-armed quarterback who keeps throwing the ball off-target and into coverage?

These are the waters the Raptors and the rest of the NBA will be trying to navigate this week and in the weeks to come prior to the draft.

It’s not just what is happening on the floor either. It’s interesting that seven-foot-two Duke centre Khaman Maluach shot an intriguing 11-for-23 in a timed three-point shooting drill where he had to move from the sideline to centre court and to the opposite sideline, while Derik Queen, another top big-man prospect from Maryland, converted just 4-of-21 attempts.

Does it mean anything? Only that Maluach might have more shooting ability than he was able to demonstrate while playing for a loaded Duke team that used him mostly as a rim protector and lob threat, and that Queen, who has earned a reputation as a highly skilled player with a knack for getting the ball in the basket, might have some work to do on his shooting, his fitness or both.


Perhaps the most valuable exercise of the week will take place in the suites at the hotel adjacent to the arena where the basketball activities take place. The Raptors are hoping to meet with roughly 20 prospects the next three days for a series of 20-minute interviews.

They’ll use video clips and photographs from the prospect’s background as ice-breakers, ask for insights about any relevant moments of conflict that might need clearing up, and save time to go over the prospect’s on-floor performances — good and bad — while getting a feel for their basketball knowledge as they go through video from the ongoing NBA Playoffs.

The draft lottery and the two days of developments around the NBA may have changed the trajectory of the off-season in a matter of hours, but for the Raptors the job remains the same: identify the best player that might be available with the No. 9 pick in the draft.

The ongoing NBA combine is one more tool for that.

There is no promise that they’ll learn anything definitive, but that’s no reason not to play close attention.

[JCP11]

Fleming is interesting, with the wingspan, shape and 3pt shot he could be a Al Horford type. All kinds of smart on defense, steals and blocks he could be a key piece on a championship team eventually.

[Johnston]

I could see Masai taking Noa Essengue at 9.

[Dalek]

I keep thinking that Riley is going to be one of those players that gets picked in the late teens or 20's, then goes on to develop into an allstar level.scorer.

He is very skilled, yet still raw in many ways. I think there is a lit of growth potential there.

He was the guy on my radar since U17. He blew up in an EYBL game and I was convinced this kid has star potential. He is just held back by his skinny frame. They said he gained 15 lbs since last year and he is still only 185. Once he hit 200 watch out.

Watch on YouTube

He looked a bit outmatched to start the NCAA season. As the season went on, he got more comfortable & became.a more.reliable scorer.

Even though he could shoot and score, you could see that he was very inexperienced & raw compared to some.of.his teammates. Kind of gave me TMac vibes. Not saying he is as good as Tmac.......just the skinny lankiness & the rawness about his game.

So.much room for growth.

He strikes me as a hooper type who will need time again to adjust to the league, but after how well he measured he will get lottery interest. Definitely reminds me of TMac. He also reminds me of Jaden McDaniels coming in. He was skinny but filled out well and then found his defensive niche. JM has some serious ball skill like Riley. Riley still has to work on his defense.

[Clutch0z24]

He was the guy on my radar since U17. He blew up in an EYBL game and I was convinced this kid has star potential. He is just held back by his skinny frame. They said he gained 15 lbs since last year and he is still only 185. Once he hit 200 watch out.

Watch on YouTube

He looked a bit outmatched to start the NCAA season. As the season went on, he got more comfortable & became.a more.reliable scorer.

Even though he could shoot and score, you could see that he was very inexperienced & raw compared to some.of.his teammates. Kind of gave me TMac vibes. Not saying he is as good as Tmac.......just the skinny lankiness & the rawness about his game.

So.much room for growth.

He strikes me as a hooper type who will need time again to adjust to the league, but after how well he measured he will get lottery interest. Definitely reminds me of TMac. He also reminds me of Jaden McDaniels coming in. He was skinny but filled out well and then found his defensive niche. JM has some serious ball skill like Riley. Riley still has to work on his defense.

Everything about him reminds me of Kevin Martin from the Kings/Rockets back in the day.

[Indeed]

kasparas jakucionis could have the same type of year that JKW had where they started off strong and tapered off in 2nd half of year due to injury

6'6" with shoes
6'8" wingspan
35" max vert

I know the defense is a little suspect but this team desperately needs a creator at the top and get into the lane

And someone please explain how is Knueppell higher than Jakucionis?
I personally have Knueppell lower.

[Duffman100]

kasparas jakucionis could have the same type of year that JKW had where they started off strong and tapered off in 2nd half of year due to injury

6'6" with shoes
6'8" wingspan
35" max vert

I know the defense is a little suspect but this team desperately needs a creator at the top and get into the lane

And someone please explain how is Knueppell higher than Jakucionis?
I personally have Knueppell lower.

I think probably becuase Jak's shot disappeared (injury) and his turnovers were a huge problem. A player that is more leaning towards needing the ball in his hands.

Whereas Kon is someone who you can slot in easier off-ball and has an elite skill.

Both have similar upside to me.

[Clutch0z24]

kasparas jakucionis could have the same type of year that JKW had where they started off strong and tapered off in 2nd half of year due to injury

6'6" with shoes
6'8" wingspan
35" max vert

I know the defense is a little suspect but this team desperately needs a creator at the top and get into the lane

And someone please explain how is Knueppell higher than Jakucionis?
I personally have Knueppell lower.

Prolly the 3 point shooting....41 Percent from 3, And a 91 percent FT Shooter is very valuable in todays NBA where Jak is at 31 Percent...Turnover ratio may play a part....As he avrgs as many turnovers as he does Asts....

I think an elite shooter in todays NBA is more valuable than it would have been before...

Both are safe picks at 9 though...They might not have the best upsides but you know you are getting a solid rotation player out of both of them.

[LoveMyRaps]

kasparas jakucionis could have the same type of year that JKW had where they started off strong and tapered off in 2nd half of year due to injury

6'6" with shoes
6'8" wingspan
35" max vert

I know the defense is a little suspect but this team desperately needs a creator at the top and get into the lane

And someone please explain how is Knueppell higher than Jakucionis?
I personally have Knueppell lower.

because Kon is a better payer and had a significantly better season.