2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 8

[Yallbecrazy]

Pray for Maluach

What happened to him?

[Mark_83]

Pray for Maluach

What happened to him?

He's getting tested for bust-itis?

[WuTang_CMB]

3 months ago still a good breakdown

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=NoCeilingsNBA

[DG88]

Fears’ floor is brk for me

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=0YpMScWXY2zRUqR8fH-usg

Unless some drops that's higher than BRK board, I agree with you.

[DG88]

jak

I love players who can rapidly “stack” actions. Players who know, instinctively, how to respond to whatever the defense is doing with rapid-fire decisions. Jakucionis, the Lithuanian guard who left FC Barcelona to star for Illinois this season, might be the best at it of anyone in this draft. He’s the type of role-malleable triple threat that every team in the league could use.

Jakucionis fits a flattering Euro stereotype for guards in that he has an almost joyous bobbing rhythm in the way he moves with the ball—a command for starting and stopping that really puts defenders in a less joyous place. Jakucionis, despite having credible size for his position, isn’t exceptionally long or blazingly fast. He does, however, have a low center of gravity and can be very quick from side to side or in situations when he suddenly bursts to attack after lulling his man into a spot.

Jakucionis is also a fantastic passer. In fact, I’d put him just a step or so behind BYU’s Egor Demin in terms of pure creativity. He’s able to consistently survey where his open teammate is or is about to be, where in the defense he needs to sell a fake, what type of fake that should be, and finally, what type of pass should be the solution. I don’t penalize a prospect for experimentation (I love it, actually), and that’s why I don’t really grind my teeth over Jakucionis’s ugly turnover percentage (second highest among the 164 players who posted 150 or more pick-and-roll reps). For one, he was battling a nagging forearm injury for nearly half the season while playing in a physically demanding conference, and for another, the best problem-solvers break eggs when they’re making omelets. Jakucionis definitely has stints of letting his guard down while protecting the ball, but he tries things, and at this stage, I am all for that.

Ultimately, Jakucionis’s success at the next level will live or die with his credibility as a scorer, and while I don’t think he is an “If it’s in the air, jog the other way” type of marksman, I’m optimistic he’ll be a consistent threat as a shooter. Through January 1 (so, pre-injury), Jakucionis was hitting 41.4 of his 3s, and the types of attempts varied—a blend of stepbacks in isolation and dribble pull-ups in the pick-and-roll and catch-and-shoot looks. Post-injury, his self-created 3s dried up almost entirely, which I suspect was a result of that injury to his nonshooting forearm. Beyond that, the craft in his middle game could definitely stand to progress and evolve, but he’s great when he gets to the rim. When he isn’t finishing at the basket (71.7 percent there), he relishes contact, which allows him to be a foul-generating machine. I expect his broad-shouldered frame to become a useful hammer in the paint by his mid-20s.

Jakucionis doesn’t have the kind of length or explosiveness that would give him a margin for error on defense, and he’s not particularly disruptive with his hands, so he’ll always have to work to hold up within a greater team scheme. That said, I don’t think his frame and physical tools put him in a terrible position. He’s shown that his low center of gravity, balance, and quickness can be effective in working through screens. It’ll be a challenge, but the net result should be positive.

fears

ears presents a strong case against nominative determinism. The young Sooner, in defiance of his name, plays with determination and audacity. He invites physicality on drives, using the force of his downhill velocity to shield him from the contact that awaits him near the basket. If you factor in both ball and body control, there might not be another prospect with a better first step and handle in the class. The ability to consistently pressure the rim is one of the most sought-after skills in basketball, and Fears has a natural blend of top-end speed, slithery pacing, and relentless attitude. He has some of the hard parts down pat. The rest is a work in progress.

Although one of the youngest prospects in the draft, not turning 19 until mid-October, Fears had the highest usage rate of any freshman in the nation. There are a few things that come with that territory. For starters, he turns the ball over a ton. And while he can be an effective playmaker, he often finds openings for his teammates as a by-product of his physical skills rather than creatively processing several frames ahead. He confidently takes deep, NBA-range pull-up jumpers, but his accuracy has been brutal outside of a few streaky performances. He gets into the paint with ease and draws fouls at an excellent rate for a player his size—even better than either Ja Morant or Damian Lillard in their final college seasons—but he’s not a particularly nuanced finisher once he gets to the rim, hampered by a lack of strength and unremarkable vertical explosiveness. He expertly shifts gears and changes speeds with the ball moving downhill, but it’s when he’s set his mind on scoring around the basket that he runs into the young man’s tendency of playing too fast. He hasn’t acquired the full decelerative tool kit yet, and it occasionally shows in the lack of control he has going up with the ball.

That’s a lot of buts! But—when it all clicks? When the controlled handle couples with the speed as he turns the corner, when the pull-up game is aligned just so, he has the look of a top-five prospect with clear pathways to stardom. With refinement of his jumper and some time spent building his core and lower body strength, Fears has the makings of a potent lead guard. Without them, Fears’s glaringly obvious gifts could get obscured at the next level.

cb

The counting stats won’t make a very compelling case for Bryant as a first-round talent. He has one of the lowest usage rates of any player projected to go in the top 30, comparable to those of fellow freshman Khaman Maluach, who started playing basketball only five years ago. But Bryant would pass even the most rudimentary of eye tests: His Vitruvian frame, agility, and explosiveness would stand out in just about any game he’s in. The clincher? He’s only a freshman.

Bryant’s standout trait at this stage is his defensive playmaking. He lifts off the ground quickly and hangs in the air for as long as necessary. His leaping ability, coupled with his quick reaction speed, makes his blocks seem like acts of precognition. He can swat away shots before the apex of the shooter’s jump because he arrives earlier than you’d expect. That mind-body sync grants him complete shot-blocking versatility: He’s equally adept at chase-downs, weakside help, blocking 3-pointers from a standstill, and getting an angle on a shot when defending on the low block. Of course, there’s a thin line between reading a situation more quickly than your opponent and getting caught in a compromising position. Bryant’s foul rate is staggeringly high for his position, more akin to a true center’s numbers than a roving, switchable combo forward’s. Teams will have to weigh their desire for ceiling-raising defensive playmaking against their appetite for foul trouble.

The rest of Bryant’s game is far less volatile. He’s mostly a play finisher on offense, spotting up from 3 or scoring at the rim. The shooting indicators are legitimate: Bryant shot nearly 40 percent from 3 in Big 12 conference play and has shown promise from deep dating back to his high school stats. While flashes of self-creation have been practically nonexistent, Bryant finds ways to impact the offense. He’s a shrewd off-ball mover with a deep understanding of when to cut into daylight; he’s a smart passer, trusted to make the right read when the ball finds him. At this stage in his offensive development, he’s mostly a human fiber supplement (that’s a compliment).

It will be hard for teams to pass up Bryant’s baseline skill set. He offers the full vision of a versatile role player without major compromises in size, shooting ability, or defensive acumen. The lack of meaningful on-ball reps could cap Bryant’s ceiling at the next level, but honest-to-goodness 3-and-D starters are hard to come by. Carter has all the tools to be next in line.

Link?

[OhCanada]

Jase Richardson at #9 is absolutely insane and would never happen under Masai Ujiri.

I'm a fan of Jase. I watched most of Michigan State's conference games. Also a big fan of Jeremy Fears (the older brother). Both of those players have adopted the Izzo lead guard mentality. Do I think he can be a top 10 player in this draft? Absolutely. But thats not the point.

Heres the thing. If you believe in your teams ability to scout, assess and develop talent you are not going to use those resources on a 6 foot player that only averaged 2 assists a game. The deck is just stacked against him. The likelyness of the NBA athletisism, physicality and length bothering him is very high and those are things that will always be out of the teams control. No amount of succsussful development or training will change the fact that every shot he takes at the rim will be difficult. Every contested shot will be difficult. Look at Jalen Brunson and FVV, they have to make tough shots. From there it becomes a battle with consistency and confidence. His shots are not going to be coming at the rim in the NBA so he's gonna have to be lights out on tough perimeter jumpshots.

So now your going to invest all your resources and assets into a player who is permenantly at a disadvantage when generally speaking those players are highly abundant in the 2nd round and even undrafted. Mark Sears and Ryan Nembhard are excellent examples of this. If Nembhard was 6'3 he would be a lock for top 40. So now why is it that a 6'0 Jase Richardson is not too small but Mark Sear, Ryan Nembhard and Tahaad Pettiford are?

[WuTang_CMB]

jak

I love players who can rapidly “stack” actions. Players who know, instinctively, how to respond to whatever the defense is doing with rapid-fire decisions. Jakucionis, the Lithuanian guard who left FC Barcelona to star for Illinois this season, might be the best at it of anyone in this draft. He’s the type of role-malleable triple threat that every team in the league could use.

Jakucionis fits a flattering Euro stereotype for guards in that he has an almost joyous bobbing rhythm in the way he moves with the ball—a command for starting and stopping that really puts defenders in a less joyous place. Jakucionis, despite having credible size for his position, isn’t exceptionally long or blazingly fast. He does, however, have a low center of gravity and can be very quick from side to side or in situations when he suddenly bursts to attack after lulling his man into a spot.

Jakucionis is also a fantastic passer. In fact, I’d put him just a step or so behind BYU’s Egor Demin in terms of pure creativity. He’s able to consistently survey where his open teammate is or is about to be, where in the defense he needs to sell a fake, what type of fake that should be, and finally, what type of pass should be the solution. I don’t penalize a prospect for experimentation (I love it, actually), and that’s why I don’t really grind my teeth over Jakucionis’s ugly turnover percentage (second highest among the 164 players who posted 150 or more pick-and-roll reps). For one, he was battling a nagging forearm injury for nearly half the season while playing in a physically demanding conference, and for another, the best problem-solvers break eggs when they’re making omelets. Jakucionis definitely has stints of letting his guard down while protecting the ball, but he tries things, and at this stage, I am all for that.

Ultimately, Jakucionis’s success at the next level will live or die with his credibility as a scorer, and while I don’t think he is an “If it’s in the air, jog the other way” type of marksman, I’m optimistic he’ll be a consistent threat as a shooter. Through January 1 (so, pre-injury), Jakucionis was hitting 41.4 of his 3s, and the types of attempts varied—a blend of stepbacks in isolation and dribble pull-ups in the pick-and-roll and catch-and-shoot looks. Post-injury, his self-created 3s dried up almost entirely, which I suspect was a result of that injury to his nonshooting forearm. Beyond that, the craft in his middle game could definitely stand to progress and evolve, but he’s great when he gets to the rim. When he isn’t finishing at the basket (71.7 percent there), he relishes contact, which allows him to be a foul-generating machine. I expect his broad-shouldered frame to become a useful hammer in the paint by his mid-20s.

Jakucionis doesn’t have the kind of length or explosiveness that would give him a margin for error on defense, and he’s not particularly disruptive with his hands, so he’ll always have to work to hold up within a greater team scheme. That said, I don’t think his frame and physical tools put him in a terrible position. He’s shown that his low center of gravity, balance, and quickness can be effective in working through screens. It’ll be a challenge, but the net result should be positive.

fears

ears presents a strong case against nominative determinism. The young Sooner, in defiance of his name, plays with determination and audacity. He invites physicality on drives, using the force of his downhill velocity to shield him from the contact that awaits him near the basket. If you factor in both ball and body control, there might not be another prospect with a better first step and handle in the class. The ability to consistently pressure the rim is one of the most sought-after skills in basketball, and Fears has a natural blend of top-end speed, slithery pacing, and relentless attitude. He has some of the hard parts down pat. The rest is a work in progress.

Although one of the youngest prospects in the draft, not turning 19 until mid-October, Fears had the highest usage rate of any freshman in the nation. There are a few things that come with that territory. For starters, he turns the ball over a ton. And while he can be an effective playmaker, he often finds openings for his teammates as a by-product of his physical skills rather than creatively processing several frames ahead. He confidently takes deep, NBA-range pull-up jumpers, but his accuracy has been brutal outside of a few streaky performances. He gets into the paint with ease and draws fouls at an excellent rate for a player his size—even better than either Ja Morant or Damian Lillard in their final college seasons—but he’s not a particularly nuanced finisher once he gets to the rim, hampered by a lack of strength and unremarkable vertical explosiveness. He expertly shifts gears and changes speeds with the ball moving downhill, but it’s when he’s set his mind on scoring around the basket that he runs into the young man’s tendency of playing too fast. He hasn’t acquired the full decelerative tool kit yet, and it occasionally shows in the lack of control he has going up with the ball.

That’s a lot of buts! But—when it all clicks? When the controlled handle couples with the speed as he turns the corner, when the pull-up game is aligned just so, he has the look of a top-five prospect with clear pathways to stardom. With refinement of his jumper and some time spent building his core and lower body strength, Fears has the makings of a potent lead guard. Without them, Fears’s glaringly obvious gifts could get obscured at the next level.

cb

The counting stats won’t make a very compelling case for Bryant as a first-round talent. He has one of the lowest usage rates of any player projected to go in the top 30, comparable to those of fellow freshman Khaman Maluach, who started playing basketball only five years ago. But Bryant would pass even the most rudimentary of eye tests: His Vitruvian frame, agility, and explosiveness would stand out in just about any game he’s in. The clincher? He’s only a freshman.

Bryant’s standout trait at this stage is his defensive playmaking. He lifts off the ground quickly and hangs in the air for as long as necessary. His leaping ability, coupled with his quick reaction speed, makes his blocks seem like acts of precognition. He can swat away shots before the apex of the shooter’s jump because he arrives earlier than you’d expect. That mind-body sync grants him complete shot-blocking versatility: He’s equally adept at chase-downs, weakside help, blocking 3-pointers from a standstill, and getting an angle on a shot when defending on the low block. Of course, there’s a thin line between reading a situation more quickly than your opponent and getting caught in a compromising position. Bryant’s foul rate is staggeringly high for his position, more akin to a true center’s numbers than a roving, switchable combo forward’s. Teams will have to weigh their desire for ceiling-raising defensive playmaking against their appetite for foul trouble.

The rest of Bryant’s game is far less volatile. He’s mostly a play finisher on offense, spotting up from 3 or scoring at the rim. The shooting indicators are legitimate: Bryant shot nearly 40 percent from 3 in Big 12 conference play and has shown promise from deep dating back to his high school stats. While flashes of self-creation have been practically nonexistent, Bryant finds ways to impact the offense. He’s a shrewd off-ball mover with a deep understanding of when to cut into daylight; he’s a smart passer, trusted to make the right read when the ball finds him. At this stage in his offensive development, he’s mostly a human fiber supplement (that’s a compliment).

It will be hard for teams to pass up Bryant’s baseline skill set. He offers the full vision of a versatile role player without major compromises in size, shooting ability, or defensive acumen. The lack of meaningful on-ball reps could cap Bryant’s ceiling at the next level, but honest-to-goodness 3-and-D starters are hard to come by. Carter has all the tools to be next in line.

Link?

ringer bb

[Yallbecrazy]

fully agree with this guys top 4 and his write ups on why:
https://www.reddit.com/r/NBA_Draft/comments/1kwow6h/my_2025_nba_draft_big_board_45_full_scouting/

I don't have a clue on #5. There's a large gap between my top 4 and #5.

[OhCanada]

3 months ago still a good breakdown

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=NoCeilingsNBA

Thats probably a better breakdown than the one you would get now because a flue went through his team, Ivisic sat out a bunch of games but Kasparus kept playing and thats when he went into his shooting slump and never got back.

[OhCanada]

I'm starting to wish it ends up being Kon, he could literally turn out to be our best offensive player on the team immediately.

If they're really shopping RJ that could allow Kon to start day 1 and function as elite shooting option + offensive hub.

C- Poeltl
PF- Barnes
SF- Ingram
SG - Kon
PG- Quickley

bench: Obaji, Walter, Dick, Mogbo, Lawson, 2nd round 2025, Return for RJ additional 1st pick?

I think we are underestimating how deadly that team could be in next yrs super weak East.
Crazy deep bench/depth as well

Young contender on the rise?

Theres a very very high chance that Kon Knueppel never becomes as productive offensively as RJ Barrett or Brandon Ingram. In fact I would defenitely bet he doesn't. I understand pickingh him but "offensive hub" from day 1? Nah man thats not even close to realistic.

[DreamTeam09]

Pray for Maluach

What happened to him?

Pray he's on the board at 9 / lol mabad for being dramatic

[Basketball_Jones]

I'm starting to wish it ends up being Kon, he could literally turn out to be our best offensive player on the team immediately.

If they're really shopping RJ that could allow Kon to start day 1 and function as elite shooting option + offensive hub.

C- Poeltl
PF- Barnes
SF- Ingram
SG - Kon
PG- Quickley

bench: Obaji, Walter, Dick, Mogbo, Lawson, 2nd round 2025, Return for RJ additional 1st pick?

I think we are underestimating how deadly that team could be in next yrs super weak East.
Crazy deep bench/depth as well

Young contender on the rise?

Kon could end up being this drafts Desmond Bane. But I’m just not super sure about him. He’ll be a solid player for sure and a chance at 20-4-4 type guy in the right situation but I don’t think any better than that. We can say the same about RJ and Quickley right now so he just doesn’t do much for me.

[DreamTeam09]

Fears’ floor is brk for me

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=0YpMScWXY2zRUqR8fH-usg

Unless some drops that's higher than BRK board, I agree with you.

So really it's only the Pelicans at 7 who might wanna take Maluach, I don't see that personally happening but some posters said Pelicans front office mentioning bigs.

Dal-Cooper
SA-Harper
Phi-Ace
Cha-VJ
Utah-Tre
Wash-Queen
Pels-Kon
BK-Fears
Tor-Maluach

[billy_hoyle]

Jase Richardson at #9 is absolutely insane and would never happen under Masai Ujiri.

I'm a fan of Jase. I watched most of Michigan State's conference games. Also a big fan of Jeremy Fears (the older brother). Both of those players have adopted the Izzo lead guard mentality. Do I think he can be a top 10 player in this draft? Absolutely. But thats not the point.

Heres the thing. If you believe in your teams ability to scout, assess and develop talent you are not going to use those resources on a 6 foot player that only averaged 2 assists a game. The deck is just stacked against him. The likelyness of the NBA athletisism, physicality and length bothering him is very high and those are things that will always be out of the teams control. No amount of succsussful development or training will change the fact that every shot he takes at the rim will be difficult. Every contested shot will be difficult. Look at Jalen Brunson and FVV, they have to make tough shots. From there it becomes a battle with consistency and confidence. His shots are not going to be coming at the rim in the NBA so he's gonna have to be lights out on tough perimeter jumpshots.

So now your going to invest all your resources and assets into a player who is permenantly at a disadvantage when generally speaking those players are highly abundant in the 2nd round and even undrafted. Mark Sears and Ryan Nembhard are excellent examples of this. If Nembhard was 6'3 he would be a lock for top 40. So now why is it that a 6'0 Jase Richardson is not too small but Mark Sear, Ryan Nembhard and Tahaad Pettiford are?

Jase has a plus wing span for his height, and his wide shoulders have allowed him to finish at the rim in college. That skill may hold in NBA. He also shot well.

Short dudes that CAN shoot and score at the rim are very valuable.

[RoteSchroder]

Fears’ floor is brk for me

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=0YpMScWXY2zRUqR8fH-usg

Unless some drops that's higher than BRK board, I agree with you.

So really it's only the Pelicans at 7 who might wanna take Maluach, I don't see that personally happening but some posters said Pelicans front office mentioning bigs.

Dal-Cooper
SA-Harper
Phi-Ace
Cha-VJ
Utah-Tre
Wash-Queen
Pels-Kon
BK-Fears
Tor-Maluach

would Washington take Maluach and go for a twin towers thing like Cleveland?

[LoveMyRaps]

3 months ago still a good breakdown

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=NoCeilingsNBA

Not gonna lie, his second half of the season turned me off so much but if Masai drafts him I'll throw all my doubts out the window.

[LoveMyRaps]

In no particular order these guys will go top 8:

1. Flagg
2. Harper
3. Bailey
4. VJ
5. Johnson
6. Fears
7. Kon
8. Maluach

Which means we'll be left with: Kasp, Demin, Essengue, Traore, CMB, Newell, Queen, Bryant

Not ideal.

[DreamTeam09]

Unless some drops that's higher than BRK board, I agree with you.

So really it's only the Pelicans at 7 who might wanna take Maluach, I don't see that personally happening but some posters said Pelicans front office mentioning bigs.

Dal-Cooper
SA-Harper
Phi-Ace
Cha-VJ
Utah-Tre
Wash-Queen
Pels-Kon
BK-Fears
Tor-Maluach

would Washington take Maluach and go for a twin towers thing like Cleveland?

Sarr+Queen makes more sense than Maluach+Sarr

+ Carrington & Queen have some connection
+ Maryland is close to Washington so I'm sure they scouted him a lot

[DreamTeam09]

In no particular order these guys will go top 8:

1. Flagg
2. Harper
3. Bailey
4. VJ
5. Johnson
6. Fears
7. Kon
8. Maluach

Which means we'll be left with: Kasp, Demin, Essengue, Traore, CMB, Newell, Queen, Bryant

Not ideal.

Queen will be the first big off the board

[Raptorfan2012]

In no particular order these guys will go top 8:

1. Flagg
2. Harper
3. Bailey
4. VJ
5. Johnson
6. Fears
7. Kon
8. Maluach

Which means we'll be left with: Kasp, Demin, Essengue, Traore, CMB, Newell, Queen, Bryant

Not ideal.

Queen and Bryant will be nice pick ups IMo. Even if we don’t like Queen, some team out there does and may trade for him. It will be fine.