Breaking down one of the best and worst of the NBA draft

The 2025 NBA draft is a wrap, with Cooper Flagg (No. 1 to the Dallas Mavericks) and Dylan Harper (No. 2 to the San Antonio Spurs) the headliners of what turned out to be a primary spherical filled with twists.

Ace Bailey got here off the board at No. 5 to the Utah Jazz, a staff that wasn’t one among his deliberate locations, however could possibly be a wonderful touchdown spot. The New Orleans Pelicans made an aggressive play to pair Jeremiah Fears (No. 7) with Derik Queen (No. 13), shifting worthwhile draft capital to make it occur. The Portland Trail Blazers made essentially the most shocking choose of the primary spherical by deciding on Yang Hansen (ranked No. 35 in our ultimate Prime 100 massive board). And the Brooklyn Nets, who managed 5 first-round picks, drafted all 5 to jump-start a youth motion.

What was one of the best value pick? Which staff drafted one of the best class? And which gamers could possibly be named first-team All-Rookie? We’ve spent years learning the prospects within the 2025 class, and listed below are the strikes we preferred, the strikes that shocked us and we’ll share a couple of long-term predictions.

Let’s dig into the fallout of this draft by answering 15 questions.

Soar to a subject:
Favorite pick | Ideal situation | Best value
Biggest surprise | Class pick | In-draft trades
Surprise faller | ROY candidates | All-Rookie players
G-league hitter | Undrafted underdog
Predictions | Overall takeaways

What was your favourite choose of all the draft?

Givony: Kasparas Jakucionis to the Miami Heat at No. 20. Not solely did the Warmth get the No. 10 participant on my massive board, in addition they acquired a participant who fills a roster void and matches their tradition and magnificence of play completely. Jakucionis (6-foot-6, 205 kilos) has the ballhandling and playmaking skill to supply much-needed shot creation within the backcourt, however he is also large enough to function off the ball alongside All-Star combo guard Tyler Herro.

With Davion Mitchell (restricted free agent) coming off a robust playoff exhibiting, the three might definitely play in the identical lineup at instances, because of Jakucionis’ dimension, energy and perimeter capturing prowess — positional versatility that’s excellent for the fashionable NBA.

Of their draft room and after consuming perogies (an Japanese European staple) on Thursday, the Miami Heat entrance workplace secured Russian heart Vlad Goldin, the No. 2-ranked undrafted free agent prospect on the ESPN Top 100 big board (No. 49). He provides to the Warmth’s rising roster of worldwide performer in recent times, together with Lithuanian and Russian gamers. The Warmth even have Sweden’s Pelle Larsson and Serbia’s Nikola Jovic on their roster.

Woo: Khaman Maluach to the Phoenix Suns at No. 10. I can not let you know whether or not the Suns will probably be any good subsequent season. However I can say they did job of addressing a few of final season’s issues, notably by drafting Maluach, who’s the precise kind of jumbo paint protector Phoenix was sorely lacking.

I do not assume it is an exaggeration to say the Suns had zero defensive id final season, and Maluach (in tandem with new addition Mark Williams) ought to assist change that tone. He ought to have the ability to thrive complementing the Suns’ ball dominant perimeter group.

Which participant landed within the excellent state of affairs to maximise his expertise?

Givony: Bailey to the Utah Jazz at No. 5. Regardless of the drama round Bailey’s most popular draft vacation spot (Washington?) and his agent’s alleged risk to a top-five staff earlier than the draft to probably not report back to camp, it wasn’t shocking to see this case amicably resolved, doubtless in no small half attributable to Bailey’s lack of leverage due to the NBA’s collective bargaining settlement and the general public relations backlash this transfer generated.

When Bailey arrives in Utah on Saturday and sees how lucky he’s to land in a state of affairs with an ample alternative, an absence of star energy, an impressive teaching employees and a extremely passionate fan base, he ought to rapidly notice he’s within the good place to succeed in All-Star potential.

Woo: Egor Demin to the Brooklyn Nets at No. 8. I am extra optimistic on Demin’s future than some appear to be — there’ll all the time be a premium positioned on prospects in his mildew as a jumbo playmaker, and I perceive why the Nets believed he was well worth the dive that early within the draft. Going to a staff the place he’ll get an opportunity to play immediately with loads of on-ball reps, pair with the opposite gifted passers in Brooklyn’s draft class and likewise hone his capturing is right.

His rookie season could possibly be one thing of a crucible, however his unselfish model of play falls according to how the Nets clearly need their staff to look. Touchdown in a clean slate state of affairs like this could possibly be big for Demin, versus having to battle for minutes on a deeper roster which may have restricted the chance to unfold his wings.

What was one of the best worth choose?

Givony: Liam McNeeley to the Charlotte Hornets at No. 29. I am nonetheless shocked McNeeley (ranked No. 17 on our prime 100 massive board) fell to the top of the primary spherical. Identified for his capturing prowess for many of his profession, McNeeley hit solely 32% of his 3s at UConn this season. He had a number of exercises the place he struggled to shoot as successfully in non-public settings as NBA groups had hoped.

I’ve seen McNeeley shoot lights-out in many alternative settings and firmly imagine he’ll thrive with NBA spacing in a smaller offensive function than he was requested to shoulder at UConn. He additionally brings extra to the desk along with his dimension (6-foot-8 in footwear), toughness, really feel for the sport and total ability degree. It isn’t straightforward to seek out the sort of participant, so I imagine the Hornets will find yourself getting a steal with this choose.

Woo: Jakucionis to the Warmth. Miami benefited from among the surprising selections forward of it by drafting a participant who some (me included) considered as a top-10 prospect — and one who additionally matches the Warmth’s want for a playmaking guard. He was finally a bit of extra polarizing than we anticipated, however my guess is that this one will age higher for the Warmth than it’ll for the groups that handed on him.

Which choose most shocked you?

Givony: Demin to the Nets. Lots of people had a tough time understanding why we stored Demin in our prime 10 all yr, particularly as he was struggling badly in Large 12 play. Nonetheless, I used to be a bit of shocked to see him chosen forward of Khaman Maluach and Jakucionis, who I had in entrance of him on our Prime 100 massive board. We had heard the Nets needed to come back out of this draft with a place to begin guard, and so they now have three candidates for that place: Demin, Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf (and possibly Danny Wolf too).

I really like the actual fact Demin will probably be empowered to succeed in his full potential in an outsized function (just like BYU), the place he’ll have the ability to play by way of errors, however may also have playmakers alongside him. Ideally, there can be a bit of extra capturing to be discovered on this group, however that is one thing the Nets can work by way of long run, probably with one other excessive choose in subsequent yr’s loaded draft, the place A.J. Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer or Nate Ament all seem like excellent matches.

Woo: Yang Hansen to the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 16. My response was nearer to fascination than shock. Yang has an intriguing ability set for a teenage massive who was going to be price somebody rolling the cube on. I preferred what I noticed from him on the mix, however there was no expectation that he would wind up inside the highest 20, and it is a massive gamble on his offensive expertise finally translating from a low degree in China.

The one staff that was broadly tied to Yang was the Nets, who held 4 picks behind the Path Blazers within the first spherical. I perceive why Portland took him the place it did, as a blanket assertion on draft technique. In the event you love a man, simply take him, do not threat it. Buying and selling again was most likely a problem, however even with that rationale, the considered Yang going that prime by no means crossed my thoughts in any situation.

Which staff has your favourite class as an entire?

Givony: Charlotte Hornets. I already wrote about McNeeley above, however I additionally just like the additions of Kon Knueppel (No. 4) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (No. 34) fairly a bit. Knueppel’s really feel for the sport, selfless model of play, energy and toughness ought to make him straightforward to play with, particularly alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, who he might complement fairly nicely. I used to be an enormous fan of Knueppel all season and was not shocked to see him go within the prime 5.

With Kalkbrenner, the Hornets acquired a plug-and-play massive who seems able to play rotation minutes immediately on an affordable rookie-scale deal. Charlotte wanted somebody NBA-ready after buying and selling Mark Williams for the choose that acquired them McNeeley and a 2029 first-rounder, which I believed was a fantastic transfer as nicely.

Woo: San Antonio Spurs. Lucking into Harper was one factor, however the Spurs have been proper to not lean into any temptation to commerce him and fast-track their aggressive window. I perceive the match issues, and it might be less complicated have been De’Aaron Fox not within the combine already, however the concept of letting Harper jell with Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle makes lots of sense.

Usually talking, we like to assign a way of instant title urgency to each staff lucky sufficient to make use of superstar-caliber expertise however one has to recollect Wembanyama is 21 years previous. In my thoughts, there was by no means any want for San Antonio to do something however choose and see how these gamers develop collectively. Think about No. 14 choose Carter Bryant, who ought to complement his extra ball dominant teammates with capturing and perimeter protection over time, and the Spurs might have a wonderful factor going.

Which staff has your least favourite class as an entire?

Givony: There is not one staff that stands out, although I’d have liked to have seen the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets soar into the motion in both spherical, however it’s comprehensible why each groups are prioritizing their playoff home windows proper now.

Woo: New Orleans Pelicans. That is much less in regards to the expertise of gamers they drafted and extra about how the Pelicans invited threat and match issues with their string of current transactions. Fears is an actual expertise, however him maximizing it in what could possibly be a crowded backcourt with Jordan Poole now within the combine is a priority.

And I wrestle to see how Queen can share the ground with Zion Williamson in a successful context — neither can shoot from the perimeter or defend the paint at a excessive degree, and so they would possibly finally get in one another’s approach. I am involved in regards to the probabilities both lottery choose will get to make use of their skills within the state of affairs.

After all, I perceive a brand new entrance workplace focusing on the fellows they like, placing their stamp on the staff and determining different issues later. It will all be a bit of extra palatable had the Pelicans not offered off their very own draft choose subsequent yr to make it work — a transfer that locations strain on their present group to take an enormous collective step ahead.

What was your favourite in-draft commerce?

Givony: The Atlanta Hawks buying and selling right down to finally draft Asa Newell at No. 23. Woo recapped the New Orleans facet of the Queen deal, however a shoutout to the brand new Hawks entrance workplace (led by Onsi Saleh) is so as. The Hawks secured what I mission to be the No. 8 choose within the 2026 NBA draft, only for shifting down 10 spots on this draft. I had Queen rated 23 spots forward of Newell on my private massive board, so there is definitely room to quibble about worth.

Nevertheless it’s honest to query the method New Orleans went by way of, clearly telegraphing its curiosity in Queen so strongly within the lead-up to the draft that it damage its negotiating leverage. It led to giving up a probably excessive draft choose in 2026, which ought to have netted New Orleans much more than what it did.

Woo: The Jazz buying and selling as much as draft Walter Clayton Jr. at No. 18 I admittedly was not an enormous Clayton proponent throughout the season, however the extra I evaluated him, the extra I began to purchase his shotmaking expertise as an intriguing wager in a draft class that was fairly mild on level guards. The Jazz did not need to pay a lot to do it, and whereas he may need to battle for minutes, there is a affordable likelihood Clayton turns into a worthwhile contributor.

What was your least favourite in-draft commerce?

Givony: Memphis buying and selling up 5 spots with Portland from No. 16 to No. 11, giving up an unprotected first-round choose from the Orlando Magic in 2028 and two second-round picks (2027 through Atlanta and 2028 from Orlando). That appears like an awfully massive haul to maneuver up simply 5 spots, even when there have been lots of rumblings that the Oklahoma City Thunder (selecting No. 15) have been additionally attempting to maneuver up for Cedric Coward. I wasn’t particularly offered on Coward being picked that prime, so we’ll need to see how this performs out.

I’d have preferred to have seen Portland transfer down one other five-to-10 picks for Yang, and maybe choose up extra property within the course of, however it appears the commerce market softened fairly a bit outdoors the highest 15, with minimal motion within the second half of the primary spherical.

Woo: New Orleans mortgaging the longer term for Queen. Contemplating all of the circumstances, regardless of how badly you imagine within the Maryland heart (or regardless of who you assume ought to have been the thirteenth choose as a substitute), buying and selling away a 2026 first-round choose to maneuver up 10 spots on this draft was arduous for me to rationalize. It is much less in regards to the participant and extra in regards to the course of.

In 5 years, we’re all going to surprise why ____ fell within the draft?

Givony: Hugo Gonzalez to the Boston Celtics at No. 28. I had him rated because the No. 15 participant on my private massive board, 13 spots forward of the place he was drafted. He began the method as a projected top-10 choose, however it’s not arduous to know why his inventory fell, as he struggled to get on the ground for a loaded Actual Madrid staff. Had Gonzalez performed for Ratiopharm Ulm, went to BYU (which recruited him closely previous to signing Demin), or spent a season with the NBL Subsequent Stars program in Australia … he would have been a transparent lottery choose in my opinion.

He constructed an impeccable résumé as one of many prime prospects in worldwide basketball in FIBA youth competitions and junior membership competitors previous to this season.

I additionally love his slot in Boston, the place he is sure to emerge as a fan favourite as a result of frenetic depth degree he brings defensively. I used to be advised Boston was telling brokers it deliberate to signal whichever rookie it took with this choose for 80% of the rookie scale, however attributable to Gonzalez’s important buyout with Actual Madrid ($1.4 million), that will not be viable, as Gonzalez will already must cowl a good portion of that out of his pocket.

Woo: Will Riley to the Washington Wizards at No. 21. I most likely noticed extra of him up shut than anybody, as I noticed Illinois reside many instances final season. I am a giant believer in Riley’s expertise and assume there’s an opportunity he rises to the highest on a Wizards staff that’s going to provide lots of alternatives to their younger expertise. He will need to work arduous at his bodily improvement to make it occur — Riley is 6-foot-8, 180 kilos — however what number of wings with official dimension and offensive expertise have ever been too skinny to make it within the NBA?

Riley is not missing for precise sport, and I feel he’ll shock some individuals over time.

Name it now: Who will win NBA Rookie of the Yr?

Givony: Flagg. He’s one of the best participant on this class and will probably be requested to play a big function for the Mavs instantly, as they’ve little or no shot creation on their roster at present and can want him to be a star from day one. They’re going to want him to primarily maintain them afloat within the brutal Western Convention as they anticipate Kyrie Irving‘s return from a knee harm.

Woo: Anybody aside from Flagg? Um, no. That is to not discredit any participant on this draft, however I do not assume this can be a notably daring name. He is strolling into a wonderful alternative to face out immediately, and I think we’ll see him determine the NBA out on the fly, and relatively rapidly.

Name it now: Which 5 gamers will probably be named to the NBA All-Rookie first staff?

Givony: Flagg, Harper, Bailey, Knueppel, Tre Johnson (Wizards).

Woo: Flagg, Harper, Johnson, Knueppel — and primarily so we do not choose the very same gamers, I am going to go along with the opposite Jazz rookie, Clayton Jr.

Which participant is most probably to mild up the G League in 2025-26?

Givony: Javon Small, No. 48 choose by Memphis. A primary-team all-conference participant within the loaded Large 12, Small carried an undermanned West Virginia staff to the cusp of a NCAA match berth with regular shot creation and shotmaking whereas bringing main toughness on each ends of the ground, issues that sometimes translate nicely to the G League.

He’ll be a handful to take care of in transition and will thrive within the wide-open nature of that league, doubtless placing up factors in bunches whereas making successful performs on each ends of the ground. I’d not be shocked to see him emerge as one other Scotty Pippen Jr.-type gem for Memphis within the coming years.

Woo: Ryan Nembhard, undrafted. Nembhard will signal a two-way take care of the Mavericks, and the caveat right here is that I might see him getting fast-tracked to a roster spot and NBA utility purely as a result of Mavs’ lack of level guard depth. I really like Nembhard’s really feel for playmaking and involving teammates and imagine he can transcend his dimension limitations (6-foot, 180 kilos). He’ll be among the many prime guards within the G League each time he is assigned there.

Which undrafted participant are you most to observe?

Givony: Eric Dixon with the Los Angeles Lakers. The previous Villanova guard was the No. 1 scorer in school basketball this season, averaging 23 factors and capturing 41% from 3. He isn’t only a spot-up shooter although, he can hit robust side-step and iso pull-ups, and assaults closeouts to attract fouls at a robust price. He stands 6-foot-8 with a robust 260-pound body, making him a real inside-out mismatch within the Guerschon Yabusele mildew. Dixon, 24, might want to show he can maintain his personal defensively, however he is acquired some actual toughness and physicality on prime of his skill to stretch the ground. I like this addition fairly a bit for the Lakers.

I heard Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka hung out with Dixon after his predraft exercise with the staff. Apparently, Pelinka advised Dixon the story of Kobe Bryant’s go to to the Sistine Chapel within the Vatican, which was cleared out for them. Pelinka stated the very first thing Bryant seen was the shortage of lighting and the way Michelangelo was pressured to do a lot of his work by candlelight, which demonstrated his consideration to element and the main target required to grasp his craft below robust circumstances. Bryant associated this to his work on the basketball court docket, imagining what Michelangelo’s mindset may need been like on the time, by way of perfecting his craft and making a world-renowned masterpiece, regardless of less-than-ideal circumstances.

Woo: John Poulakidas with the LA Clippers. The previous Yale guard was one of many deep sleepers I grew to love over the course of the season. Poulakidas (6-foot-6, 205 kilos) has robust proportions for a wing, he is an excellent shooter already, and if he can step up his defensive contributions, there is a path for him to make it onto a roster by way of the backdoor (he is reportedly signing an exhibit-10 with the Clippers). High quality 3-point marksmen with NBA dimension usually get to skip the road extra so than another function archetype.

Make one prediction about this class for 5 years from now:

Givony: Joan Beringer (No. 17 to the Minnesota Timberwolves) will probably be an All-Defensive staff candidate in 5 years. He is getting a uncommon alternative to study from four-time NBA Defensive Participant of the Yr and fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert in observe every single day. Beringer, who grew an inch and a half over the previous yr, had by no means touched a basketball till summer season 2021, as he was targeted on soccer till a late development spurt allowed him to outgrow the game.

He proved to be the highest shot blocker within the Adriatic League throughout his first season {of professional} basketball, demonstrating distinctive instincts and agility as a drop defender and rim protector, giving him big potential to develop into long run on that finish of the ground.

Woo: The Nets’ draft ages higher than anticipated. There is a clear imaginative and prescient for what Brooklyn was attempting to do: It purchased low on Nolan Traore (No. 19) and Drake Powell (No. 22) coming off of down seasons and it loaded up on high-IQ passers with above-average dimension with Demin, Ben Saraf (No. 26) and Wolf (No. 27). Clearly, the Nets need to construct an unselfish staff that shares the ball. I am not as involved about these guys getting in one another’s approach developmentally as some individuals appear to be.

All of those gamers want to enhance their perimeter capturing — which is a good critique and main variable. Nonetheless, I fear much less about ability set overlap once you’re bringing collectively guys who like to go. Letting all of them begin their careers collectively, construct chemistry and play a definite model ought to facilitate simpler seems throughout. The Nets seem to have minutes for everyone as they put together to spin the lottery wheel once more subsequent season — and I feel not less than a couple of of those gamers will outkick expectations.

What’s your prime overarching takeaway from this draft?

Givony: School basketball is again and never going away anytime quickly. After the highest two picks in final yr’s draft got here from France (Zaccharie Risacher) and through Australia (Alex Sarr), there have been zero non-collegiate worldwide gamers chosen within the prime 10 this yr, and solely six chosen within the first spherical. These are traditionally low numbers, however they might lower even additional subsequent yr, as we at present solely mission 4 non-collegiate worldwide gamers to be picked within the first and second rounds, which is able to doubtless be the bottom we have seen in a while.

The enchantment of huge NIL-related paydays in school has led many gamers to stay in class and has attracted extra worldwide gamers to the U.S., just like what we noticed with Demin and Jakucionis. Time will inform if revenue-sharing restrictions from the Home settlement reduces the excessive NIL salaries we’re seeing now, which could trigger some worldwide gamers to remain residence and develop by way of the normal European basketball path.

Woo: Consensus is only a idea. Almost all of the first-round surprises we noticed have been by-products of groups merely trusting their boards and analysis course of above all else. Whether or not it was Memphis guaranteeing it snagged Coward, New Orleans getting into massive for Queen, Portland taking Yang larger than anybody anticipated or the Nets seeing worth in making all 5 first-round picks, the draft is all the time within the eye of the beholder, and that is why mock drafts are likely to go off the rails at a sure level.

This draft was an entertaining reminder of what number of groups are keen to pick with conviction and forgo regardless of the public’s notion of worth is perhaps.