Tag: 2025 NBA mock draft

Aggregate 2025 NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Harper, Jakucionis surge; Bailey, Demin slide

HoopsHype has updated the list of the top prospects for the 2025 NBA Draft by compiling 10 mock drafts from ESPN, CBS Sports, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, Babcock Hoops, USA Today, NBAdraft.net, SB Nation and FTW. A couple of quick notes on our …

HoopsHype has updated the list of the top prospects for the 2025 NBA Draft by compiling 10 mock drafts from ESPN, CBS Sports, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, Babcock Hoops, USA Today, NBAdraft.net, SB Nation and FTW.

A couple of quick notes on our aggregate mock draft:

All statistics are as of January 20, 2025. We are in the midst of conference play for college basketball and the thick of the regular season for international prospects.

We also spoke with several executives, coaches and scouts for their insight on the prospects for the third edition of this year’s aggregate mock draft.

An explanation for HoopsHype’s Draft Predictor from colleague Alberto de Roa, who contributed research to this story, can be found here. 

NOTE: These rankings reflect the composite score to get a feel for the overall consensus, not our own opinion.

The New York Knicks forfeited their 2025 second-round pick due to tampering.

 

USA TODAY Sports NBA mock draft has UNC basketball players in first round

Could two UNC basketball standouts go first round in the 2025 NBA Draft?

The North Carolina Tar Heels appear to finally be finding their groove on the basketball court, winning their past three games and leading Cal by 10 at halftime of Wednesday’s ACC battle.

Hubert Davis found a rotation that finally works for UNC, led by high-scoring production from Ian Jackson. Jalen Washington is proving why he’s North Carolina’s best option at center, while team defense is significantly improved from non-conference play in December.

The Tar Heels still have a long way to go in proving itself as an NCAA Tournament threat, but regardless of how they end the season, two of their young stars are projected to play in the NBA.

In USA TODAY Sports’s latest NBA Mock Draft, Drake Powell will go 15th overall and Jackson will go 26th overall.

Powell, known primarily for his defense, is averaging 7.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Powell is shooting an efficient 48.9 percent from the field – and already has a pair of double-digit scoring outings in ACC play.

Jackson is turning into a superstar before our eyes, averaging 15.4 points per game on a 50.9 field goal percentage. Jackson initially entered the starting lineup when Seth Trimble missed time with an injury, but his hot play forced Hubert to keep him in the lineup.

I hope Jackson and Powell continue playing well enough to get serious NBA Draft consideration, but selfishly, I also hope they stay in Chapel Hill. UNC is set if its current star freshman duo does leave, though, thanks to 2025 combo guards Isaiah Denis and Derek Dixon.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

The latest 2025 NBA mock draft from Bleacher Report has BYU star Egor Demin on the Jazz

This seems like a PERFECT fit for the Jazz if they don’t Cooper Flagg.

One of the most exciting names in college basketball is BYU freshman Egor Demin, who is off to an incredibly hot start this season.

After one of the strongest debuts of any first-year player, the 18-year-old freshman from Russia looks like one of the most promising prospects in all of college basketball. He is averaging 17.0 points and 7.5 assists per game at 6-foot-9, shooting 11-of-20 (.550) on 3-pointers as well.

Read more from Jonathan Wasserman on why this is such a good pick (via Bleacher Report):

“While the Cooper Flagg hype came built in after years of coverage and NBA accessibility, no player has generated more NBA buzz on his own so far than Egor Demin.

BYU coach Kevin Young has given the freshman an ideal role to showcase his on-ball upside, and the Russian has capitalized, looking like a legitimate 6’9″ initiator creating advantages and setting up teammates with his handle, size and passing IQ.

So far, he’s looked fluid and convincing enough for scouts to start feeling confident in his ability to continue playmaking at a high level in the NBA.

He also looks substantially further ahead as a shooter than previous jumbo playmakers like Josh Giddey, Anthony Black or even Scottie Barnes. Demin made 11 threes over his first four games. And even if the accuracy falls off, his early start and track record overseas point to clear shotmaking confidence and shooting becoming a regular part of his scoring attack.

Looking ahead, scouts will be eager to assess Demin against power-conference opponents, specifically his ability to create separation and finish inside the arc.”

Demin has not faced much competition so far this season. Among all teams ranked in the top 30, via KenPom, only five have had less difficult strength of schedule so far. But if he can keep this up, expect he will only continue this ascension on draft boards.

The Jazz could make a lot of sense for Demin to pair him with Keyonte George as their backcourt of the future. Jazz chairman Ryan Smith and CEO Danny Ainge both attended BYU and are reportedly very big donors to the university. They would likely find it thrilling to add the next great BYU star to their roster.

Another team with potential interest is the Spurs, who selected him in ESPN’s latest mock draft.

Here is our latest NBA mock draft at For The Win, where Demin goes to the lowly and injured New Orleans Pelicans.

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Three Duke Blue Devils go within the top 10 of ESPN’s latest NBA mock draft

ESPN released a new 2025 NBA mock draft on Tuesday with a trio of Duke basketball stars within the first eight picks.

With a recruiting class as deep as the one Duke basketball coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] landed this offseason, NBA coaches and front offices will be keeping a keen eye on the Blue Devils in 2024-25.

Superstar forward [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], the presumed top pick in the class, has looked the part of a franchise-changing talent even as he’s battled cramps through his first two games. The 6-foot-9 Maine native notably scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds before halftime against Army on Friday. However, two other five-star freshmen have made an impression, and according to ESPN analysts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, they remain strong lottery candidates.

Givony and Woo included a trio of Blue Devils among the top eight selections in their updated 2025 mock draft on Tuesday, and three older members of the roster made their larger rankings as second-round talents. Here’s a look at the Duke basketball stars with the highest draft stock after two games.

Cooper Flagg

Washington Wizards, No. 1 overall

Despite needing to sit for chunks of the second half against Maine and Army, Flagg has averaged 15.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game. He leads the Blue Devils in the latter three categories, and the passing prowess adds a wrinkle to his athleticism and defense. Even without leading the team in scoring, he’s somehow been as good as advertised. It’d be an upset if he wasn’t the top pick at this point.

Kon Knueppel

San Antonio Spurs, No. 6 overall

Knueppel emerged as the star of the offseason after teammates and analysts raved about his offensive playmaking and basketball IQ, and he proved them right by leading the Blue Devils in scoring against both the Black Bears and Black Knights. He’s averaged 18.5 points per game while making seven of his 14 3-point attempts, and he can catch and shoot or fire off the dribble with ease. On a team with at least four 40% 3-point threats, he’s the best shooter of all.

Khaman Maluach

New Orleans Pelicans, No. 8 overall

Maluach might not be stuffing the offensive stat sheet like Flagg and Knueppel through two games, but the 7-footer pulled down 10.0 rebounds and blocked 1.5 shots per contest in his first week with the Blue Devils. He put together his first double-double against Army, scoring 11 points to raise his scoring average to 8.5. If this draft destination comes true, he’d join former Duke basketball stars Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram in New Orleans.

Other Blue Devils on the prospect rankings

33. Caleb Foster (11.0 points, 3.0 assists)

35. Tyrese Proctor (12.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 50% 3PT)

51. Sion James (11.5 points, 2.5 assists, 2.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals)

Where do pair of UNC freshmen land in updated NBA Mock Draft?

If Ian Jackson and Drake Powell head to the NBA next season, Hoops Hype likes their chances of being first-round selections.

College basketball season is so close, you can practically smell it every time you turn on the TV.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are once again a national championship contender, but this season with a different twist. What was a veteran-heavy team last year, headlined by Armando Bacot, Cormac Ryan and Harrison Ingram, is now a squad filled with young talent.

Freshman center James Brown is a key part of that youth, but the freshman headliners are Drake Powell and Ian Jackson, two five-star All-Americans in high school.

North Carolina hopes it’ll have Jackson and Powell for several years, but each are certainly talented enough to be one-and-dones. That’s why Hoops Hype’s Aggregate 2025 NBA Mock Draft lists Jackson and Powell as projected first-round picks.

Powell is mocked 13th, while Jackson is mocked 18th. Let’s see what Hoops Hype had to say about each of the Tar Heels’ freshmen stars.

“Powell is a solid two-way player with length and defensive upside, but he has to prove his shooting consistency as he continues to develop his perimeter shot,” Hoops Hype’s Cyro Asseo de Choch wrote.

“Jackson is an aggressive guard with intensity on both ends and a strong scoring ability, but he needs to shoot with more consistency to reach his full potential,” Asseo wrote.

Jackson is likely to start and Powell should, too, but North Carolina is so deep, there’s no telling who’ll start where and who comes off the bench. Jackson comes to Chapel Hill from New York, while Powell grew up 20 minutes from campus and is living his childhood dream.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Aggregate 2025 NBA Mock Draft 2.0: International prospects rise

HoopsHype has updated where the top prospects stand for the 2025 NBA Draft by compiling six mock drafts from ESPN, Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, SB Nation, and USA TODAY. A couple of quick notes on our aggregate mock draft: * Some …

HoopsHype has updated where the top prospects stand for the 2025 NBA Draft by compiling six mock drafts from ESPN, Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, SB Nation, and USA TODAY.

A couple of quick notes on our aggregate mock draft:

* Some freshmen are missing because they weren’t listed on all the mocks we compiled, meaning scouts don’t see them as one-and-done prospects yet.

* Additionally, the ages shown for international prospects reflect their draft-day age. These are preliminary scouting reports and are subject to change as we progress through the pre-draft process.

While some see future all-stars in Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, and VJ Edgecombe, others have doubts. We tend to agree with scouts who don’t see this group as generational. As the season unfolds, they’ll have a chance to prove themselves, but expectations should remain grounded.

NOTE: These rankings reflect the composite score to get a feel for the overall consensus, not our own opinion. For example, if a player was the first pick on a publication’s mock draft, he received 60 points. If a player was second, he received 59 points, and so on. We then tabulated the total number of points for each player’s consensus ranking.

The New York Knicks forfeited their 2025 second-round pick due to tampering.

Which incoming Tar Heel is a mocked lottery pick in 2025 NBA Draft?

The UNC basketball squad has a potential 2025 NBA lottery pick in Drake Powell on its roster.

It’s the middle of August, which means the UNC men’s basketball team is just over three months away from kicking off its 2024-2025 season.

The Tar Heels enjoyed a historic season last year, capturing their first regular season ACC Title since 2019 and making the Sweet 16. North Carolina was aided by the likes of Armando Bacot, RJ Davis, Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan, amongst others.

Bacot, Ingram and Ryan are all gone, so who will replace their production this winter?

Look no further than incoming 5-star freshman and McDonalds All-American Drake Powell, the hometown kid who played his high school basketball just minutes from the Dean Dome.

Powell is projected to stand out during his first collegiate year – so much, that Bleacher Report has Powell going fifth overall in its latest 2025 NBA Mock Draft.

“Drake Powell received some quality experience this summer at Jayson Tatum’s Elite Camp and the Nike Skills Academy,” Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman wrote. “He’s going to build a real case for starter minutes, with more versatility at both ends, than North Carolina wings Ian Jackson and Cade Tyson. Head coach Hubert Davis will be able to slide Powell into multiple positions and roles. He’s extremely well-rounded and is capable of making plays on and off the ball with his pull-up, passing, improved catch-and-shoot game and athleticism. Powell is going to make his mark this coming season by impacting games in different ways.”

Powell’s star-studded prep career included two state championship appearances at Northwood (NC) High School, where he averaged 16.6 points per game across four varsity seasons. If you go back and watch some of Powell’s highlight tapes, you’ll see his game is far advanced beyond his age.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Bleacher Report’s new 2025 NBA mock draft still features four Duke basketball freshmen

Bleacher Report released a new 2025 NBA mock draft on Monday, and four incoming Duke basketball freshmen went in the first round.

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman updated his 2025 NBA mock draft on Monday in wake of the 2024 Olympic Games, and incoming Duke basketball star [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] remained the first overall pick.

Flagg, one of four Blue Devils in Wasserman’s one-round projection, has been the heavy favorite to go first overall next summer since he reclassified to the Class of 2024. The top-ranked player in the freshman class made national waves when he played for the Select Team at USA Basketball Olympic training camp, earning praise from NBA stars and scouts.

He ended up with the Brooklyn Nets in Wasserman’s projection.

[autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag], the 7-footer from South Sudan who recently played in the Olympics, comes into the year as the consensus second-best prospect in Duke’s 2024 recruiting class. However, Wasserman thinks five-star [autotag]Kon Knueppel[/autotag] could be the second Blue Devil off the board. He paired the Wisconsin native with the Houston Rockets at 12th overall.

“Even if he comes off the bench…Knueppel’s skill level, IQ and efficiency should pop similar to how Reed Sheppard did in a reserve role at Kentucky,” Wasserman wrote.

Maluach went 18th overall to the Indiana Pacers, and Wasserman highlighted his exceptional performance against Team USA in an exhibition match ahead of the Olympics as a tease of his enormous ceiling.

North Carolina native Isaiah Evans, the last of Duke’s four five-star signees, went 25th overall to the Orlando Magic.

OKC Thunder adds pair of players in early 2025 NBA mock draft

OKC Thunder adds pair of players in early 2025 NBA mock draft.

Roughly a month after the 2024 NBA draft concluded, experts have already turned their focus to the next cycle.

Next year’s draft class is centered around Duke’s Cooper Flagg. He’s seen as a blue-chip prospect that teams will likely tank for next season.

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman conducted an early 2025 NBA mock draft on July 18. The Oklahoma City Thunder took a pair of first-round players from the class. They will accompany Nikola Topic as 2025-26 OKC rookies.

The Thunder gained the No. 10 pick via the LA Clippers, who they own swap rights. They added Georgia forward Asa Newell. The 18-year-old is viewed as a lottery prospect.

“At 6’11” with a live motor, Asa Newell should deliver immediate activity around the rim, easy baskets and putbacks to Georgia. He covers a lot of ground and loves to crash the glass and sprint the floor in transition.

But his developing three-point stroke and post skill is what will help push him up draft boards in 2025.”

The Thunder’s second selection comes at the No. 25 spot via the Philadelphia 76ers. OKC owns a top-six protected pick by the Sixers. They added Duke forward Isaiah Evans.

“Evans, who’s 175 pounds, will have to be very efficient with his shot selection and shooting to give Duke consistent minutes and production. But scouts may ultimately be willing to look past any inconsistency for a wing with Evans’ caliber of perimeter scoring versatility.”

Despite being championship contenders, expect premium draft capital to head toward the Thunder for the foreseeable future. They own significant assets from other teams for the rest of the 2020s.

This could help them either boost their depth with cheap, young talent or have valuable trade currency in case OKC wants to add veteran players.

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Bleacher Report includes four Duke basketball players in new 2025 NBA mock draft

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman released an updated 2025 NBA mock draft on Thursday with four members of Duke’s 2024 recruiting class.

It makes sense when you consider that Duke basketball coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] landed four five-star prospects and two more four-star players in the 2024 recruiting class, but the 2025 NBA draft could shape up as a day for the Blue Devils.

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman released a new mock draft for next year’s cycle on Thursday, and he thinks four Duke freshmen end up in the first round.

[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], the top-ranked player in the class and the most anticipated college basketball player in years, of course went first overall. The USA Select Team member only solidified his status as a generational player with his performance at Olympic training camp, earning praise from NBA stars like Kevin Durant.

“He continues to show improvement working on the ball with his ball-handling, playmaking and self-created shotmaking,” Wasserman wrote. “While his skill level continues to rise, Flagg’s speed, hops and IQ will instantly translate to easy baskets, assists and defensive activity.”

Wasserman gave the Portland Trail Blazers the top pick in the draft, winning the Flagg sweepstakes.

While South Sudanese 7-footer Khaman Maluach typically gets hailed as the second-best NBA prospect on the 2024-25 roster, Wasserman actually turned to Kon Knueppel as the second Blue Devil off the board. He paired him with the Miami Heat with the 12th overall pick.

Knueppel, a prospect many basketball writers have praised during the offseason, will need to answer questions about his athletic ceiling, but Wasserman said his scoring instincts should alleviate any concerns.

Maluach followed as the third Blue Devil chosen when Wasserman let him go 17th overall to the Utah Jazz, meaning he’d play alongside [autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag]. Isaiah Evans, the final four-star signee in the recruiting class, went to the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 25th pick for the final Duke player off the board.