2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 6

[MessiahUjiri]

Final tiers with upside comps

Tier 1 - Locks
1. Cooper Flagg - Lamar Odom with a knock down jump shot

Tier 2 - Might take a year or 2 but basically a lock
2. Dylan Harper - Brandon Roy with Cade's hair

Tier 3 - Clear All-star potential, couple of elite skills
3. Edgecombe - pre injury Oladipo
4. Fears - Tony parker with kyrie handles
5. Bailey - MPJ with better defense

Tier 4 - Intriguing players, could develop into all-star
6. Kon Kneuppel - bigger/stronger Manu Ginobili
7. Derik Queen - more aggressive Boris Diaw
8. JRich - Derrick white
9. Tre Johnson - bigger Lou Will

Tier 5 - Riskier picks with upside
10. Kasparas - Smaller hedo Turkoglu
11. Egor Demin - Josh giddey
12. Rashard Fleming - PJ Washington
13. Carter Bryant - Robert Covington
14. Khaman Maluach - Mitchell Robinson


Unknowns with lottery pick potential: Essengue, Traore, Gonzalez, Yaxel, Penda, Saraf

I agree your tiers, and many of your comps, but some of them are off.

Cooper is closer to Scottie Pippen than Lamar Odom (defensive presence)

Kon doesn’t have the onball skills of Manu. He’s closer to a Gordon Hayward mold


Queen is closer to Naz Reid / Zach Randolph

[Got Nuffin]

Guy has been playing ball for how many years and still anchored a final four defense at DUKE as a Frosh but you're worried about IQ.

Yikes... don't think it's his IQ we gotta be worrying about here.

Agreed with this. I'm not sure how people are looking at iq?

Because to me his defensive IQ is really good aside from some footwork issues that can be resolved and will help him stay in front on smaller players even better. He is generally in the right place at the right time.

On offence, he is an absolutely elite roller and screener, and that also requires a pretty high level iq - it is why his fg% at the rim is ridiculous high.

I think people are just basing the iq thing on the fact that he doesn't handle or pass the ball too much, but that literally is not his role on offence and that's not necessarily the barometer of bball iq.

There are many reasons i could argue to draft Fears or Queen over Maluach, but imo with that body / speed with the iq that he has shown Maluach does have a decent floor and is unlikely to just bust long term.

[dohboy_24]

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Excellent size (7'2", 250 lbs, 7'5" wingspan) and mobility for his position.
Will turn 19 years old just before the season starts - born on Sept 14, 2006.
Started playing basketball later than most of his peers (age 13) and joined the Basketball Africa League at 15 years old.
Teammate of Ulrich Chomche at NBA Africa Academy.
Runs the floor well. Has solid footwork. Efficient finisher in the paint.
Has the length and mobility to guard multiple positions on defense.
Only the 8th freshman to have more than 80 dunks in a season (81 dunks)
Highest offensive rating (143.1) for a freshman since 2008.
Lob threat with a wide catch radius who plays well out of the dunker and short corner spots.
Solid pick setter/screener who can make contact with the defender and open up the court for his teammates.
Shot just under 77% at the rim (1.55 PP) - 98th percentile.
Shot 84% (89/106) in the halfcourt.
Shot 89% (42/47) as the roll man in PnR sets (1.76 PP) - 99th percentile.
Shot 65% (35/54) on layups.
Shot 65% (13/20) in transition (1.39 PP) - 91st percentile.

[Grew]

If we don't draft a superstar the next most important skillset for this team to have is probably another 7 footer who can catch a lob and defend the rim. Some people think we should sign or trade for someone who has Khaman's skillset instead of drafting him. There aren't many guys in this league who are 7ft+ and can catch lobs, defend the paint and switch onto perimeter players. Lively, and? Is that it? Lively would likely be top 5 in a redraft.

If Khaman proves he can switch sometimes, stay on the court for starter minutes, and stretch the floor at some point in his career, He's a unicorn. If all he ever amounts to is a 7'2 lob threat and paint deterrent who plays 18ish minutes off the bench, he's still a player archetype we haven't had in the history of this franchise since maybe rookie Marcus Camby...

Not so easy to trade for that type of player and we basically don't sign sought after free agents.

[Jcity08]

I wish I could be convinced on KM but I can't, wasting a losing season and our likely last sniff at a decent lottery pick for years assuming we stay healthy to get at best a backup big, is just too much for me.

I pray the lottery gods bless us with a top 3 pick and give us the best chance to avoid drafting a bust.

[M3tro]

I wish I could be convinced on KM but I can't, wasting a losing season and our likely last sniff at a decent lottery pick for years assuming we stay healthy to get at best a backup big, is just too much for me.

I pray the lottery gods bless us with a top 3 pick and give us the best chance to avoid drafting a bust.

I'm not seeing it either.

We need someone who's dynamic offensively regardless of position.

[Gavin_TDThree]

If he was a mid 1st then I can get behind KM, anything in the top 10 scares me. His upside is awesome, but his current floor worries me.

[Buff]

There is in no way shape or form that Maluach if drafted by us, wouldn't have that issue resolved. Either can get a Canadian visa, become a PR or even a citizen of Canada before he were to miss playoff games for us

Its still a risk pick because there are issues there regardless....And with a top pick who has so many questions in his game as well i would not risk it when there are many players who i think are better than Maluach where we are drafting....Id rather take a big man at 39...If it doesn't work out at 39 its a meh it was a 2nd rounder....If your top 7/8 pick doesn't work out after a year of tanking thats a fireable offense for Masai....So risk is outweighing the rewards on this one because i don't see Maluach ever being a Embiid type of player and hes more of a backup C to me...

I agree. Is Maluach going to be much better than 7'1 Tomislav Ivisic, who can pass, rebound and shoot the 3 already?

Can Ivisic defend the perimeter? Then you are evaluating 2 different players. You draft KM to be your elite defensive C that you don't have to sit when the other team goes small. That guy in itself is a championship piece, if you add elite rimrunning and maybe a 3? That's where the allure is.

Can he be that guy? no idea, but make no mistake, these 7'2 perimeter defenders are not available once drafted.

[WuTang_CMB]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25190988-2025-nba-mock-draft-lottery-simulation-sending-cooper-flagg-eastern-conference

7. Toronto Raptors: Kon Knueppel, SG/SF, Duke

Odds to win lottery: 7.5 percent

Odds for top four: 31.9 percent

Pro Comparison: Cameron Johnson

If Knueppel isn't the best shooter in this draft, he's at least in that discussion.

And given his ability to make plays out of the pick-and-roll and knack for finding scoring chances from the mid-range, he should serve as more than a shooting specialist.

Will his competitiveness and feel allow him to compensate for his athletic limitations on the defensive end? That's a big question mark.

It's also one the Raptors could be willing to overlook, since they have reliable defenders at other spots and will be on the hunt for more spacers as long as they're building around Scottie Barnes.

8. San Antonio Spurs: Jace Richardson, SG, Michigan State

Odds to Win Lottery: 6 percent

Odds for top four: 26.2 percent

Pro Comparison: Derrick White

The 6'3" Richardson didn't inherit quite as much size or explosion as his father, Jason Richardson, who routinely displayed elite aerial artistry over his decade-plus NBA career.

The younger Richardson shares his old man's knack for shotmaking, though, and plays with a predictably advanced feel for the game.

At 6'3", Richardson lacks ideal size for a combo guard, but he otherwise checks the boxes for shooting, creation and table-setting.

His lack of size could hinder his versatility on defense, but he is someone who can be counted on to be in the right place at the right time.

9. Houston Rockets (via PHO): Kasparas Jakučionis, PG/SG, Illinois

Odds to win lottery (via PHO): 3.8 percent

Odds for top four (via PHO): 17.3 percent

Pro Comparison: Bogdan Bogdanović

This comparison probably undersells Jakučionis' passing and oversells the current state of his shooting. That said, it paints a pretty fair picture of his offensive creativity, scoring potential and ability to beat defenders in ways unrelated to quickness and explosion.

There are some eye-of-the-beholder elements to his outlook as a floor general, given there wasn't much separation between his averages in assists (4.7) and turnovers (3.7) this past season.

Having said that, you can usually see his vision in his film, and NBA teams might forgive some of the giveaways as signs of experimentation.

10. Portland Trail Blazers: Carter Bryant, SF, Arizona


Odds to win lottery: 3.7 percent

Odds for top four: 16.9 percent

Pro Comparison: Trevor Ariza

If the Blazers aren't worried about team fit—and since they're still in their post-Damian Lillard rebuild, they might not be—they could spend this pick on one of the centers typically mocked ahead of Bryant.

But given their glut of bigs just limited last year's No. 7 pick to only 19.8 minutes per game, they might prefer to avoid spending another top-10 pick on a center.

Instead, they could fortify their wings with Bryant, a defensive playmaker who can capitalize on the offensive chances created for him behind the arc or at the rim. He is more of a budding role player than a future star, but impact three-and-D wings might be the most coveted role players around.

11. Dallas Mavericks: Khaman Maluach, C, Duke

Odds to win lottery: 1.8 percent

Odds for top four: 8.5 percent

Pro comparison: DeAndre Jordan

Considering Maluach just started playing organized basketball at 14 years old—four years ago—it should be uncomfortable making a player comparison.

The calendar gives him so much theoretical room to grow, and his touch and ability to defend away from the basket potentially add interesting wrinkles to his game.

Having said all that, he is big (7'2"), long (9'8" standing reach) and athletic, and he feels destined to land in a rim-running role.

If he aces his development, he could be a reliable lob finisher and defensive anchor with more modern enhancements than Jordan, like capable foul shooting and an ability to defend in space.

[ciueli]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25190988-2025-nba-mock-draft-lottery-simulation-sending-cooper-flagg-eastern-conference

7. Toronto Raptors: Kon Knueppel, SG/SF, Duke

Odds to win lottery: 7.5 percent

Odds for top four: 31.9 percent

Pro Comparison: Cameron Johnson

If Knueppel isn't the best shooter in this draft, he's at least in that discussion.

And given his ability to make plays out of the pick-and-roll and knack for finding scoring chances from the mid-range, he should serve as more than a shooting specialist.

Will his competitiveness and feel allow him to compensate for his athletic limitations on the defensive end? That's a big question mark.

It's also one the Raptors could be willing to overlook, since they have reliable defenders at other spots and will be on the hunt for more spacers as long as they're building around Scottie Barnes.

I'll be very surprised if Masai drafts Gradey Dick 2.0 with this pick in Knueppel, this quote:

Will his competitiveness and feel allow him to compensate for his athletic limitations on the defensive end? That's a big question mark.

is the big red flag to me, Masai has already said he's only interested in drafting 2-way players. We already have several good offence bad defence wings, we don't really need another one.

[WuTang_CMB]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25190988-2025-nba-mock-draft-lottery-simulation-sending-cooper-flagg-eastern-conference

7. Toronto Raptors: Kon Knueppel, SG/SF, Duke

Odds to win lottery: 7.5 percent

Odds for top four: 31.9 percent

Pro Comparison: Cameron Johnson

If Knueppel isn't the best shooter in this draft, he's at least in that discussion.

And given his ability to make plays out of the pick-and-roll and knack for finding scoring chances from the mid-range, he should serve as more than a shooting specialist.

Will his competitiveness and feel allow him to compensate for his athletic limitations on the defensive end? That's a big question mark.

It's also one the Raptors could be willing to overlook, since they have reliable defenders at other spots and will be on the hunt for more spacers as long as they're building around Scottie Barnes.

I'll be very surprised if Masai drafts Gradey Dick 2.0 with this pick in Knueppel, this quote:

Will his competitiveness and feel allow him to compensate for his athletic limitations on the defensive end? That's a big question mark.

is the big red flag to me, Masai has already said he's only interested in drafting 2-way players. We already have several good offence bad defence wings, we don't really need another one.

I don't see how they take Kon either

[Gavin_TDThree]

Let's say KM is there at 16, do you call up Orlando and offer GD? It'd balance the roster a bit as well. I want to see KM in our development system because I think there's a path to him becoming a really good pro (not all-star level)

[tecumseh18]

Hoping another team - Utah? - takes Kon ahead of the Raptors.

[WuTang_CMB]

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[Raptorfan2012]

If KM or Queen are not available or there is a better prospect still left on the board, let's not sweat it and pick up our back up C in the 2nd round. Still routing for Hansen Yang at 39 or for us to buy another 2nd round pick like for Ulrich. 19 year old who has been playing against real mean, can shoot, block etc. Good chance he is more ready for NBA back up minutes.

[WuTang_CMB]

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[WuTang_CMB]

Key Aspects of the Early Entry Process:


Declaration Deadline:
Players must declare their eligibility no later than 60 days before the draft. The 2025 NBA Draft early entry deadline was April 26th.


Withdrawal Deadline:
Players can withdraw from the draft and maintain their college eligibility until June 15th.


Early Entry Status:
Players who declare early entry are often referred to as "early-entrants" or "early-entry candidates".


Draft Participation:
Early entrants can participate in NBA pre-draft camps, individual team workouts, and the NBA Draft Combine to showcase their skills and receive feedback.


Return to College:
If an early entrant is not selected in the draft or withdraws before the deadline, they can return to their college and retain their eligibility, provided they meet certain conditions.

[DreamTeam09]

Really gotta see how this draft plays out and where we land.
Philly & BK are the wildcards with what selection they take.

If we land out of the top 4 and both bigs are off the board I'd definitely look to trade down.

I have a narrow list of candidates of who I want in the top 7

[WuTang_CMB]

Wow NIL showing its value of keeping talent in ncaa. This is just the start imo. Look for more international guys going to ncaa too. Guys like hugo gonzalez will lean more college route

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[WuTang_CMB]

1. Queen
2. Asa
3. KM

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