2025 NBA Mock Draft 1.0
The chaotic NBA Draft Lottery took place this week. How could the NBA Draft shake out?
Before starting this mock draft, this is a big day for the Substack, as SubTsakalidis has been live for two years now. It’s been such a fun journey to do this project and just talk about basketball — whether it’s the Memphis Grizzlies or basketball scouting. I cannot wait to see what’s next. Most importantly, I appreciate all the support over the years.
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On to the draft, quick post-lottery thoughts… Wow, what a whirlwind. The Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, and Philadelphia 76ers get premium assets to reload with an eye towards the playoffs. It’s a bummer for teams like Utah and Washington who slip to 5 and 6. It brings people to screaming conspiracy. I’m not there, because it’s nearly statistically possible for them to fall (47.6%)than to stay in the top-4 (52.4%) — and over three times more likely to fall than get the 1st pick (14%).
A solution? Maybe make the lottery for the first two picks, so that the worst teams falling two spots at worst rather than four. Nonetheless, flatten odds were meant to discourage tanking, and it’s working.
Anyways, for the two-year anniversary of SubTsakalidis, I’m running a mock draft. I’ll be blending what I think teams will do, while keeping my ranking in mind. I’ll keep the reasonings for the picks for the first round and for the Grizzlies’ second-round picks brief.
First Round
Dallas Mavericks: Cooper Flagg, Forward, Duke.
So Nico Harrison traded Luka Doncic with the idea “defense wins champions,” and now with Cooper Flagg, he has the centerpiece for that vision, which should be menacing alongside Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II. Flagg will also ease himself into the responsibilities of being the guy, as he has championed veterans like Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson to lean on.
San Antonio Spurs: Dylan Harper, Guard, Rutgers
Everyone immediately went to the idea of this pick going to Milwaukee for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but rolling with Harper is a strong possibility. Even with Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox, he’s a big, cerebral guard with unbelievable upside as an offensive player.
Philadelphia 76ers: Ace Bailey, Wing, Rutgers
Ace Bailey has warts as a player with his shot selection and handle, but his shooting arsenal and upside is so tantalizing. Philadelphia would be the perfect spot — his offensive responsibilities would be low, Paul George would be his mentor, and he can fit next to a future core of Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain.
Charlotte Hornets: VJ Edgecombe, Guard, Baylor
Edgecombe would give the Hornets a much-needed jolt of energy as a defensive difference-maker that can take on point-of-attack responsibility and create chaos as an event creator. If he can showcase more playmaking upside, he can be a terrifyingly good two-way player next to Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball.
Utah Jazz: Tre Johnson, Wing, Texas
Among the consensus top guys, I’m not the highest on Johnson, but Utah needs a guy that can potentially step in as a core piece. Though he doesn’t pressure the rim, he can score in tight spaces off the dribble, while also being an incredible floor spacer.
Washington Wizards: Derik Queen, Big, Maryland
Queen and Sarr would be a match-made in heaven, as they can alleviate each other’s weaknesses — Queen providing rebounding, and Sarr for defense. His skill level is remarkable, and the Wizards can be creative in leveraging his tools.
New Orleans Pelicans: Jeremiah Fears, Guard, Oklahoma
For several years, the Pelicans have needed a point guard, and Dejounte Murray’s injury reinforces it. Though he has to prove he can shoot the three-ball, he provides real on-ball juice as a driver and playmaker, and he has star upside.
Brooklyn Nets: Collin Murray-Boyles, Forward, South Carolina
The jumpshot isn’t there, but there are so many things Collin Murray-Boyles does remarkably well: versatile defender, chaos creation, dazzling passing, efficient finishing, and active rebounding. The Draymond Green comparison is thrown out a lot for prospects, but he’s the closest thing to the Hall-of-Fame defender we’ve seen since his rise on the Warriors.
Toronto Raptors: Khaman Maluach, Big, Duke
With Jakob Poeltl’s 2026 free agency, Maluach can be the center of the Raptors’ future. His scalability is seamless as an efficient play-finisher that can anchor a defense — and it wouldn’t shock me if his impact is resounding.
Houston Rockets: Kon Knueppel, Wing, Duke
The Rockets desperately need outside shooting, and Knueppel is one of the most reliable ones in this draft. In addition, he has the feel to punish defenses that close out too hard.
Portland Trail Blazers: Noa Essengue, Forward, France
Essengue should be higher on boards give his age (18), level of production in a professional league, and his tools at 6’9”. His shooting isn’t inspiring right now, but he’s such a fluid athlete that can run the floor, initiate transition offense, defend on the perimeter, and provide rim pressure.
Chicago Bulls: Jase Richardson, Guard, Michigan State
The measurements are discouraging, but Richardson has been so efficient and impactful as a shooter, finisher, and playmaker to the point it’s hard seeing him failing. Chicago would be a wonderful spot for him, as they have plenty of perimeter size with Coby White, Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis.
Atlanta Hawks: Thomas Sorber, Big, Georgetown
Sorber’s freshman year was cut short due to injury, but he quickly showed that his two-way feel at his size will impact winning at the next level. With Clint Capela hitting free agency, Sorber could be an extraordinary backup big man to Oyenka Okongwu.
San Antonio Spurs: Asa Newell, Big, Georgia
Asa Newell is the type of backup big man that the Spurs need, as he could play alongside Wembanyama as a low-usage, high-efficiency finisher. In addition, he can switch and defend on the perimeter, leaving optimism he can also play alongside Wemby.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Yaxel Lendeborg, Forward, UAB
Lendeborg is one of my favorite role players in this draft, as he’s a stat-stuffer that can make plays for others, finish effectively, create defensive chaos, and crash the glass. The rich-in-assets Thunder could use some more size in the frontcourt, while not ignoring their desire to have defense and skill at all 5 positions.
Orlando Magic: Nique Clifford, Wing, Colorado State
Nique Clifford just impacts winning in so many ways with his defense, shooting, rebounding, and playmaking. The Magic need shooting badly, but they should continue fortifying their strong perimeter defense — and they can do so with a player ready to play big minutes from day one.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Carter Bryant, Wing, Arizona
The Wolves could go in so many different directions with this pick, especially with the impending free agency for Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Bryant’s stats don’t pop off the page, but teams are enamored with his defensive profile at his size, and he’d fit with the Timberwolves to a T.
Washington Wizards: Ben Saraf, Guard, Israel
Saraf is such a crafty guard that loves to push the pace and create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates — his defensive event creation is a sneaky component to his attack. The Wizards could use more playmaking in its backcourt, and after taking Queen at 6, Saraf would be a good swing — especially if he can alleviate concerns about playing off the ball.
Brooklyn Nets: Kasparas Jakucionis, Guard, Illinois
This spot is probably lower than Jakucionis will really go, as his turnovers and subpar outside shooting give me concerns for his transition as a primary creator and as an off-ball player. The Nets could give a flyer here to see if his shot creation and rim-finishing at his size could outweigh his flaws.
Miami Heat: Nolan Traore, Guard, France
I’m not sure where the Heat will go next year, but they should take a swing for talent with the 20th pick, primarily in the ball-handler department. Traore’s efficiency as a shot-maker and playmaker have been up-and-down, but he possesses the size and burst that tantalize teams looking for a starting point guard.
Utah Jazz: Egor Demin, Guard(?), BYU
The Jazz have prioritized skill with size since Danny Ainge has taken over, and though Isaiah Collier and Keyonte George are in its backcourt, they don’t offer the combination of size and extraordinary playmaking. Demin could go higher if he shoots the ball well in the pre-draft workouts, although I worry about his defense and lack of advantage creation hindering him from achieving his upside.
Atlanta Hawks: Liam McNeeley, Forward, Connecticut
I remain higher on McNeeley than most, even after a rollercoaster season at UConn, but his concerns about his athleticism and post-season struggles may slip him down the board. I believe the context was suboptimal for his skillset, and his shooting, basketball IQ and competitiveness should lead to impact winning at the NBA level.
Indiana Pacers: Danny Wolf, Big, Michigan
The Pacers should use this pick on a backup big man, and Wolf gives them a different vibe with his extraordinary playmaking. He could be a nice curveball option for whenever Myles Turner needs a breather, but has the perimeter skill to play next to him in two-big lineups.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Miles Byrd, Wing, San Diego State
Byrd is testing the waters, but he’s elite in the possessions department (steals, blocks, and rebounds) — all areas the Thunder covet on the perimeter. He’s a player that’s a consistent jumper away from being impossible to keep off the floor.
Orlando Magic: Cedric Coward, Wing, Washington State
Coward is the combine’s biggest riser, and he could go even higher on draft night. His outside shooting, size (6’6” with a 7’2” wingspan), and defensive upside could make him a real piece to build with next to Banchero and Wagner.
Brooklyn Nets: Rasheer Fleming, Forward, St. Joseph’s
Fleming is a play-finisher through and through, as he’s a limited creator as a passer and live-dribble scorer. As the Nets is a blank canvas, they can get creative to see if he’s best optimized as a 3, 4 or 5.
Brooklyn Nets: Walter Clayton Jr., Guard, Florida
The biggest star of the NCAA tournament, Walter Clayton Jr. is a dynamic creator that can punish teams with his shooting and playmaking. The Nets could obviously swing for the fences quite a bit with 5 picks inside the top-40, but a polished prospect that can contribute and lead immediately should be helpful.
Boston Celtics: Noah Penda, Forward, France
Penda has great feel, and he may be one of the best perimeter defenders in the class. With the Celtics getting super pricey, they could benefit from getting a cost-controlled perimeter stopper.
Phoenix Suns, Labaron Philon, Guard, Alabama
I’m not sure how Philon translates, because his shooting leaves little to be desired as a pure combo guard, but he didn’t get to showcase his primary facilitation skills at Alabama. However, the Suns could benefit from testing his skillset as a combo guard with defensive upside — he could be the Andrew Nembhard of this class, if his creation skills pop with more on-ball reps.
Los Angeles Clippers: Maxime Raynaud, Big, Stanford
Raynaud could offer a different dynamic than Zubac with his outside shooting and closeout attacks. The Clippers would be a great spot for Raynaud, as he can learn the intricacies of screening, rebounding, and anchoring a defense from one of the most complete big men in basketball.
Second Round
Minnesota Timberwolves: Joan Beringer, Big, France
Boston Celtics: Johni Broome, Big, Auburn
Charlotte Hornets: Will Riley, Wing, Illinois
Charlotte Hornets: Hugo Gonzalez, Wing, Spain
Philadelphia 76ers: Drake Powell, Wing, North Carolina
Brooklyn Nets: Neoklis Avdalas, Wing, Greece
Detroit Pistons: Koby Brea, Wing, Kentucky
San Antonio Spurs: Adou Thiero, Forward, Arkansas
Toronto Raptors: Tahaad Pettiford, Guard, Auburn
Washington Wizards: Kam Jones, Guard, Marquette
Golden State Warriors: Micah Peavy, Wing, Georgetown
Sacramento Kings: Sion James, Guard, Duke
Utah Jazz: Darrion Williams, Forward, Texas Tech
Oklahoma City Thunder: Alex Condon, Big, Florida
Chicago Bulls: Max Shulga, Wing, VCU
Orlando Magic: Milos Uzan, Guard, Houston
Milwaukee Bucks: Ryan Kalkbrenner, Big, Creighton
Memphis Grizzlies: Tyrese Proctor, Guard, Duke
Tyrese Proctor showed more of his NBA upside in a scaled-down role — catching fire from 3 towards the back-half of the year, defending multiple positions on the perimeter, and serving as a playmaker in pinches. He’d be a good flier to have on a two-way contract to see if they can unearth a big 3-and-D guard.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Alex Toohey, Forward, Australia
Los Angeles Clippers: Bogoljub Markovic, Forward, Serbia
New York Knicks: Brooks Barnhizer, Forward, Northwestern
Phoenix Suns: Hansen Yang, Big, China
Utah Jazz: Dink Pate, Guard, G League
Indana Pacers: Mo Feye, Big, Senegal
Los Angeles Lakers: Rocco Zikarsky, Big, Australia
Memphis Grizzlies: Kobe Sanders, Guard, Nevada
Sanders is a 6’9” guard that’s a smooth ball-handler and can get to his spots from beyond the arc. While he has to sharpen his outside shooting and add more value defensively, this is a good spot for a flier on size and skill.
Orlando Magic: Brice Williams, Wing, Nebraska
Cleveland Cavaliers: Ryan Nembhard, Guard, Gonzaga
Houston Rockets: RJ Luis Jr., Forward, St. John’s
It’ll be interesting to see how everything shakes out for three reasons: workout intel, team preferences and smoke, and the NIL factor for returning prospects. I may do one more of these closer to the draft.
Let me know what you think.
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