Tag: 2025 NBA mock draft

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.

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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.

Three Duke basketball players go within the top 10 in new 2025 mock draft

CBS Sports released an early 2025 mock draft on Saturday morning, and Gary Parrish had three Blue Devils within the first 10 picks.

The 2024-25 Duke basketball team remains a runaway hype train, and CBS Sports added another layer to the momentum on Saturday morning.

In a new 2025 mock draft from Gary Parrish, three Blue Devils came off the board within the first 10 picks.

[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], who is considered the favorite to get taken first in 12 months time, went before anyone else to the Washington Wizards.

“He’s terrific,” Parrish wrote about Flagg, who finished atop every major recruiting ranking. “He’s been an undeniable star at the high school level (and on the grassroots circuit) for years, so much so that I really do believe all 30 NBA franchises would take the 6-foot-9 forward first overall if next year’s draft were held right now.”

Flagg would be the first American picked No. 1 since fellow Duke star Paolo Banchero went to the Orlando Magic in 2022.

Four picks later, 7-footer [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] went to the Toronto Raptors with the fifth overall pick. The South Sudanese star, whom Parrish said could be the best prospect in NBA Academy Africa history.

The presumed lottery pick contains more than just shot-blocking potential, however, with highlights from his Basketball Africa League games including knockdown 3-pointers.

The third and final Blue Devil in the lottery came from the returning crop with sophomore guard [autotag]Caleb Foster[/autotag] going 10th to the Brooklyn Nets. A 6-foot-5 ball-handler who made 40% of his 3-pointers and averaged two assists per game last year, Foster brings an appealing set of skills to the NBA level.

Parrish’s projection only included the first 14 picks of the lottery, but other names like Tyrese Proctor and Kon Knueppel have been thrown around in 2025 mock drafts already. Check out Duke Wire’s predictions for who heads to the pros and who returns for 2025-26 here.

New 2025 NBA mock draft from ESPN weighs Cooper Flagg’s chances to go first overall

At this point in his hype, Cooper Flagg’s only competition seems to be historic. On Friday, ESPN asked if his status as top dog is locked.

Based on the hype he’s received and the words thrown around about his talent, the competition for [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] seems to revolve around ghosts more than other college basketball players.

The debates, to this point, haven’t been whether Flagg is better than any other freshman in his class. The questions have been whether he’s the best prospect since Zion Williamson or Anthony Davis, looking at the last decade of No. 1 picks.

On Friday, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo released an early 2025 NBA mock draft, and while the duo had Flagg go first overall to the Detroit Pistons, they did take a second to break down whether the future Duke star’s a lock to be the first player off the board.

Givony espoused praise for Flagg’s ability on both ends of the floor. His athleticism has always been his selling point, but the longtime NBA draft writer circled an improved jump shot as a reason for even more optimism. However, even with that considered, he mentioned Rutgers commits Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper as potential threats to his status.

“Some NBA teams say they have Harper ranked No. 1 in the 2025 class, but others are enamored with Bailey’s upside,” Givony wrote. “However, most are sticking with the status quo with Flagg as the early favorite since he’s clearly the most accomplished of the group.”

Givony said the pressure on Flagg once the 2024-25 season kicks off will be intense, but as of June, there seems to be no reason to think he won’t be the top player on the board in 12 months.