2025 NBA Draft

SkyBrickey said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1880665549409313093

I still believe Khaman will end up top 6. He may have the second highest ceiling of any player in this draft. Sorry Dylan.
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I've not paid attention to any mocks so I'm not familiar with these two. Mostly because I don't know anything about unranked Rutgers.
So how do they have the #2 and #3 picks (Harper and Bailey) and have such a lousy record?
Edit..link to the referenced article. It's paywalled.

www.espn.com

Updated NBA draft rankings: How the NCAA withdrawal deadline shook up the top 100

With 18 of our top 100 NBA prospects returning to college, there's movement in our list, starting at No. 5.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 
CameronBornAndBred said:
I've not paid attention to any mocks so I'm not familiar with these two. Mostly because I don't know anything about unranked Rutgers.
So how do they have the #2 and #3 picks (Harper and Bailey) and have such a lousy record?
Edit..link to the referenced article. It's paywalled.

www.espn.com

Updated NBA draft rankings: How the NCAA withdrawal deadline shook up the top 100

With 18 of our top 100 NBA prospects returning to college, there's movement in our list, starting at No. 5.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
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They don't have much other talent. The team doesn't play defense. And Ace Bailey has no idea how to pass the ball. Would have helped a lot if they'd opened their wallets to keep Center Cliff Omoruyi who is now at Alabama.
 
CameronBornAndBred said:
I've not paid attention to any mocks so I'm not familiar with these two. Mostly because I don't know anything about unranked Rutgers.
So how do they have the #2 and #3 picks (Harper and Bailey) and have such a lousy record?
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Because putting together a good team is more than just collecting the best talent and rolling the ball out onto the floor. Rutgers does have two of the most gifted players in the land, but the team does not play well together and seems barely interested in playing defense. Steve Pikiell has a lousy track record with only 1 20-win season in 8 year at Rutgers and only 3 NCAA tourney appearances in that time.

As I have mentioned a good bit lately in my campaign to promote Jon Scheyer for COY, getting great players in your program is one thing... how you build a team around them and shape them into complete assets at both ends of the floor is something else entirely.
 
JasonEvans said:
Because putting together a good team is more than just collecting the best talent and rolling the ball out onto the floor. Rutgers does have two of the most gifted players in the land, but the team does not play well together and seems barely interested in playing defense. Steve Pikiell has a lousy track record with only 1 20-win season in 8 year at Rutgers and only 3 NCAA tourney appearances in that time.

As I have mentioned a good bit lately in my campaign to promote Jon Scheyer for COY, getting great players in your program is one thing... how you build a team around them and shape them into complete assets at both ends of the floor is something else entirely.
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Shades of US Olympic teams of the past...
 
JasonEvans said:
As I have mentioned a good bit lately in my campaign to promote Jon Scheyer for COY, getting great players in your program is one thing... how you build a team around them and shape them into complete assets at both ends of the floor is something else entirely.
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Yes. Add my name to any such petition.

roywhite said:
Yeah, at this point, I'd have to say Coach Scheyer has done a masterful job, from roster construction, scheduling, game strategy and player development.

Can't imagine the GOAT himself, Coach K could have done any better.
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Travis Branham of 247 Sports wrote this longform article grading the 2025 NBA Draft potential of some of the players in Saturday's UNC-Duke game. It's also a brutal takedown of the Heels. The whole thing is worth reading; each player gets a paragraph or two of analysis, so I quoted selectively.


Cooper Flagg
Grade: A+
Projection: No. 1 pick

Khaman Maluach
Grade: B+
Projection: Lottery pick

Kon Knueppel
Grade: A+

All things considered, this was Kon Knueppel's best game of the season. When the second half started, it was the Kon show. He took over on the offensive end, attacking UNC's R.J. Davis on every possession with success. His shooting left a big mark on the game but so did his attacking off the dribble, playing off two feet, playing through contact, and making the right passes out of ball screens.

Projection: Late lottery to mid-first round draft pick

Tyrese Proctor
Grade: A
Projection: Second round NBA draft pick

Isaiah Evans
Grade: NA
Projection: Return for sophomore season at Duke


RJ Davis
Grade: F

For a guy who has had so much success in this rivalry and was one of the best guards in the country entering the season, R.J. Davis was infuriating to watch on Saturday. He's the supposed leader of this UNC team but from the jump, there were no leadership qualities to be found. He coasted through the entirety of the first half with what seemed like no care for the absolute beatdown that was being delivered his way.

North Carolina had nothing going offensively and Davis looked like he wanted no part in carrying that burden. He finally started to get aggressive very late into the first and early into the second but it was way too late by that point. He got subbed out and played limited minutes in the second half and the Tar Heels were frankly better with him on the bench -- which is an alarming sign for an All-American caliber player.

Projection: G League

Elliot Cadeau
Grade: D-
Projection: Return for junior season or G League

Ian Jackson
Grade: D
Projection: Mid-late first-round draft pick

Drake Powell
Grade: C+
Projection: Mid-late first-round draft pick
 
If you told me that UNC would play its way out of the NCAA Tournament while RJ Davis plays his way out of contention for any meaningful postseason awards and, simultaneously, that they would drag down the draft stock of their two 5-star players but not enough to keep them both in Chapel Hill for a second season, yeah, I would love to see it.
 
DavidBenAkiva said:
If you told me that UNC would play its way out of the NCAA Tournament while RJ Davis plays his way out of contention for any meaningful postseason awards and, simultaneously, that they would drag down the draft stock of their two 5-star players but not enough to keep them both in Chapel Hill for a second season, yeah, I would love to see it.
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Not so fast. Some of the sportswriters so closely aligned with the light blue program will surely vote RJ to 1st team All/ ACC. Doubt her gets many votes for ACC player of the year😏
 
DavidBenAkiva said:
If you told me that UNC would play its way out of the NCAA Tournament while RJ Davis plays his way out of contention for any meaningful postseason awards and, simultaneously, that they would drag down the draft stock of their two 5-star players but not enough to keep them both in Chapel Hill for a second season, yeah, I would love to see it.
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I still expect RJ to return next season for his Super-Super-Senior year. He can get NIL money from Just For Men like Walt Frazier.
 
Best possible outcome from a Duke perspective would be Evans returning and Powell and Jackson remaining in the draft but each falling into the 2nd round.

I think Proctor is going to have a tough decision at the end of the season. Hopefully we'll all be so grateful for his contributions to a National Championship performance that we are not bummed with the worst possible outcome.
 
From ESPN today, thoughts on the top 15 prospects. It's paywalled so just the scout's take:
  • Flagg #1: "He'll get to a point where he can create for himself comfortably. He'll be good enough to be the best player in a playoff series at his peak. But the late-clock stuff isn't necessarily his gift."
  • Kon #6: "He's good, but I see him as a role player in the NBA. I was a little worried until he started to make shots. [Kon] is tough, he competes, not a vertical athlete. I just feel like, what's he elite at? Is he a jack-of-all-trades, master of none? Those type of guys tend to wind up in more of a role. But even as kind of a thicker guy, if he can make shots, he can be your fifth starter."
  • Maluach #7: "I just want to see him keep being good at what we project him to be. For his role as a non-shooting big, rim protector and rebounder, he just has to be able to play out of pick-and-roll, catch lobs, play in the dunker spot. Shooting probably will never be a threat. If someone can tap into the upside, credit to them. Maybe he gets to where he can play in dribble handoffs, setting screens, that's where he can be a great asset."
 
DavidBenAkiva said:
Best possible outcome from a Duke perspective would be Evans returning and Powell and Jackson remaining in the draft but each falling into the 2nd round.

I think Proctor is going to have a tough decision at the end of the season. Hopefully we'll all be so grateful for his contributions to a National Championship performance that we are not bummed with the worst possible outcome.
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Would love to see Proctor run it back and help us earn back to back nattys, make some handsome NIL, and find himself in the first round of the 2026 NBA draft.
 
Isaiah might be playing his way into a first round pick. At this point we should probably hope for either Evans or Nate Ament on the roster. May not be realistic to have both.
 
SkyBrickey said:
Isaiah might be playing his way into a first round pick. At this point we should probably hope for either Evans or Nate Ament on the roster. May not be realistic to have both.
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I'm a huge Evans fan. But though his defense has definitely improved over the course of this season, I do believe he would still be a liability in the NBA. Teams would just target him over and over again. His shooting is great, but he's called Slim for a reason: 6-6, only 175 lbs. I think he'd get pushed aside and beat a lot. For this reason, I don't think he'd be a 1st round pick at this point. Of course, if he goes off for 30 in the NCAA Final, there may be some GM willing to draft him, especially if they have the picks. The hype machine would be in effect here.

He could be a 2nd round pick. I would think teams might take a flyer on him there. But he could become a 2-way player instead of getting a full contract, or just play in the G-League the whole year. I think then the road to a max contract may be as long in this scenario as just staying in college. For a guy like Flagg, it's a no brainer. He will get a full rookie contract from the start, maxing out the rookie scale as the #1 draft pick, and he'd be one year closer to that generational wealth. But for a late 2nd rounder and the money? That where I think NIL can really come into play to get a guy ready to be drafted in the 1st round and be more guaranteed of a full rookie contract and the money years to come.

9F
 
kako said:
I'm a huge Evans fan. But though his defense has definitely improved over the course of this season, I do believe he would still be a liability in the NBA. Teams would just target him over and over again. His shooting is great, but he's called Slim for a reason: 6-6, only 175 lbs. I think he'd get pushed aside and beat a lot. For this reason, I don't think he'd be a 1st round pick at this point. Of course, if he goes off for 30 in the NCAA Final, there may be some GM willing to draft him, especially if they have the picks. The hype machine would be in effect here.

He could be a 2nd round pick. I would think teams might take a flyer on him there. But he could become a 2-way player instead of getting a full contract, or just play in the G-League the whole year. I think then the road to a max contract may be as long in this scenario as just staying in college. For a guy like Flagg, it's a no brainer. He will get a full rookie contract from the start, maxing out the rookie scale as the #1 draft pick, and he'd be one year closer to that generational wealth. But for a late 2nd rounder and the money? That where I think NIL can really come into play to get a guy ready to be drafted in the 1st round and be more guaranteed of a full rookie contract and the money years to come.

9F
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Yes, and teams picking late in the first round are usually playoff teams who may be looking to add an older player who can help right away - not invest in a freshman project like Evans.

It was interesting how the announcers Sat night were saying college basketball, along with Duke, should do whatever it takes to keep Cooper for another year. The tide that lifts all boats... Seems like it's the longest of long shots, but still nice to hear them recognize that he is an asset to the entire sport.
 
SkyBrickey said:
It was interesting how the announcers Sat night were saying college basketball, along with Duke, should do whatever it takes to keep Cooper for another year. The tide that lifts all boats... Seems like it's the longest of long shots, but still nice to hear them recognize that he is an asset to the entire sport.
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I'd expect them to say that, it was a college broadcast. And amazing players like Flagg, Zion and to certain extents even guys like JImmer, Ja, Trey Young, etc. are/were all assets for college hoops. But IMO there's simply no way to realistically compete with NBA money for the top selections.

All lottery picks feel like they have the talent, so they strive towards a max contract ASAP. To stay, we are talking about them delaying 10s or 100s of millions of dollars in return for maybe (maybe!) low 7 figures. NBA is global with huge revenue streams, and other than perhaps a team like Duke and a few others, college hoops is national at best and more likely regional or even local. Think of the NBA - teams like the Bucks or the Jazz just can't compete with the Lakers, Knicks, etc. in terms of money (unless they have an owner like Balmer or Lacob, who are willing to shell out big money). So where would college teams be getting the money to pay big, big, BIG bucks? Donors? For public schools, donors and taxpayers? For Duke it would be from Iron Dukes and whatever isn't specifically designated in the Duke Annual Fund. Instead of having some random college freshman call you on your mobile asking for money, you'd have Flagg doing it? The chase for money would get kind of crazy. Maybe Duke has deep pockets, but I don't think that would actually be good for the college game... or for any given team if the big NIL bucks don't pan out.

I'm all for college players getting paid. They were indentured servants for too long. But trying to compete with the NBA is fraught with financial peril. I'm not for that. Best to just see if you can keep rising stars happy and have them chose to stay another year rather than risk the draft and get picked in the second round, or even not get drafted. Guys like Keels, Duval, etc. might have stayed with hundreds of thousands in their pockets. But guys like Zion, Flagg, etc... they would be crazy to stay.

9F
 
Phredd3 said:
If a player can make multiple millions playing in a place he knows he loves, I don't necessarily think he'd be "crazy" to stay. But there is certainly no purely financial reason to stay. There's more money to be had at the next level, by a lot, in both salary and NIL (aka endorsements).
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True... In the age of NIL, the idea of staying has become far less "crazy."
 
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