2025 NBA Mock Draft – Extended Edition – 12/9/24

2025 NBA Mock Draft – Extended Edition – 12/9/24

December 9, 2024

13–19 minutes

I will try to do extended versions for my Monday Lottery Mock Drafts. Let’s see how I do!

Draft order and lottery courtesy of http://www.tankathon.com

Pick	Team	Player	2024-2025 Stats	Commentary
1	Indiana Pacers	PF Cooper Flagg, Fr, Duke – 6’9, 205 lbs	17.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 3.8 apg	The Indiana Pacers picked twice three times in the 1980’s, but have never picked first overall. Pascal Siakam plays the same position as Cooper Flagg, and may be Indiana’s best player, but positional needs will not dissuade this franchise, or any other, from making Flagg the first pick in the 2025 draft. I like the Rutgers guys, but the prize in this draft will remain Cooper Flagg. The term “generational prospect” is thrown around too loosely. He is not a LeBron James or Victor Wembanyama, but is comparable to any other first overall pick this century. He is like a glue guy on steroids. He can handle the ball, slash, and play exceptional defense. The jump shot continues to develop. The stats may not blow you away, but considering he is still only 17 years old, the sky is the limit.
2	Philadelphia 76ers	SG Dylan Harper, Fr, Rutgers – 6’6, 215 lbs	23.1 ppg, 4.6 apg, 4.3 rpg	It has been a brutal start for the 76ers, but fortunately for them, the Eastern Conference play-in exists. 32 wins may be enough to get them in position to reach the playoffs. I doubt they pick this high come draft time, but if that happens, Dylan Harper would be a perfect fit. He is an exceptional scorer, too strong for most college players. He also can function as a large point guard and has drawn some James Harden comparisons. He could slide right in at shooting guard, allow Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain to play off the ball a bit more, and give the 76ers quite a few competent scorers.
3	Detroit Pistons	SF Ace Bailey, Fr, Rutgers – 6’10, 200 lbs	17.9 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.3 spg	The Pistons are simply a mediocre team, which is a tremendous improvement from what they have been the past few seasons. Landing in the top three of this draft would be a great blessing to a franchise that has had bad luck with the lottery balls recently. Ace Bailey may be a bit one dimensional at the moment, but he would provide what Detroit lacks the most, and that is a player that can generate his own offense. Bailey has 25 point per game potential.
4	Washington Wizards	SG Tre Johnson, Fr, Texas – 6’6, 190 lbs	20.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.8 apg	This draft really opens up after the first three picks. While I do not think this is a three player draft at all, rebuilding teams like the Wizards are going to be disappointed if they fall to four or lower. Washington is in the infancy stages of a complete rebuild, so they could go any direction here. Drafting a lights out shooter is never a bad idea. Tre Johnson has developed into a 20 point per game scorer off the bat. While he has not done much other than score, youh ave to love his shooting percentages. The rest of his game should come, but shooting is his calling card, and if he can keep that 20 point per game average, he should go very high come draft time.
5	New Orleans Pelicans	SG Egor Demin, Fr, BYU – 6’9, 190 lbs	13.3 ppg, 5.8 apg, 4.6 rpg	This Pelicans franchise is simply snake bitten. It is impossible to continue to count on Zion Williamson as a roster anchor, as he continues to miss more games than he plays. Retooling around Dejounte Murray and Brandon Ingram would be the right move, even if it is too late to salvage the 2024-2025 season. Egor Demin would be a nice Dyson Daniels replacement. He can play some point guard, is a solid defender and has great length. He has cooled off a bit following a blistering start but still offers potential as a big point guard who could flirt with triple doubles daily during his prime.
6	Utah Jazz	PG Kasparas Jakucionis, Fr, Illinois – 6’6, 200 lbs	14.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 6.1 apg	The Jazz are finally playing the way Danny Ainge has hoped since he traded Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell; horribly. Other than Lauri Markkanen, Utah will be okay with bringing in competition for all of its players, including point guard Keyonte George. Kasparas Jakucionis is having a tremendous freshman season. He can shoot, run an offense, play defense and has enviable size for the point guard position. The Illini are loaded with NBA talent.
7	Toronto Raptors	PG Nolan Traore, France – 6’3, 175 lbs	10.0 ppg, 4.9 apg, 1.8 rpg	Toronto has struggled to fill the point guard role since Fred VanVleet moved on to Houston. Although “true point guard” is probably an antiquated term these days, Nolan Traore fits the bill. He is electrifying and quick, but still looks to set up others before going after his own points. Although it may be unfair, the shooting struggles of French point guards like Killian Hayes and Frank Ntilikina caused both former players to flame out of the NBA. Traore will have to show quite a bit to scouts to buck that trend, but it is too early in the process for me to push him down the board too far.
8	Charlotte Hornets	PF Asa Newell, Fr, Georgia – 6’11, 220 lbs	15.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.2 bpg	If the Hornets could avoid constant injuries, they could easily reach the play in out East. Unfortunately, Mark Williams and LaMelo Ball can simply never seem so stay healthy, and there is not enough depth on this roster to make up for their continuous absences. The lottery balls were not kind to this franchise for this mock, but I like Asa Newell as a fit. He is a solid scorer, can rebound and block shots, and made 41% of his three pointers in high school, proving he has some stretch four potential, despite shooting struggles so far at Georgia. He has nice all around potential at the power forward position.
9	Portland Trail Blazers	SF Noa Essengue, France – 6’9, 194 lbs	13.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.1 spg	The Trail Blazers are a few years into its latest rebuild, but you could say there is not a franchise type talent on the roster. This is a very important draft for this team. From the makeup of the roster, this team probably needs more size to go along with Donovan Clingan. Noa Essengue is the latest freak of nature to come out of France, and, like Tidjane Salaun and Bilal Coulibaly before him, could shoot up into the top ten come draft time. Essengue may never be an offensive force, but has good size, is a strong finisher and has great defensive potential, an archetype Portland could really use.
10	Chicago Bulls	SF Will Riley, Fr, Illinois – 6’8, 180 lbs	15.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.9 apg	There are precious few things in life that you can count on. The Chicago Bulls drafting around pick 10 is one of them. Once again, a team that refuses to commit to a winner or a rebuild is treading water. Moving on, any team looking for a young scorer would be happy with Will Riley. Unlike a lot of players who reclassified in high school to move up a year, Riley is holding his own in college. He has shown a knack for scoring and shooting. He has been inconsistent, as expected from any freshman this young, but he has 20 point per game potential.
11	Sacramento Kings	C Khaman Maluach, Fr, Duke – 7’2, 250 lbs	7.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 0.9 bpg	The Kings are in a tough spot. They have several players on the roster that could start for a championship team, but no real alpha to lead them to that next level. This is a team that could use a dose of size and toughness. Khaman Maluach will not put up big stats or play big minutes for a Duke team led by a ton of shooters and ball handlers, but should be quite valuable to an NBA team. He has great size, can rebound and block shots, and has even shown the ability to knock down three pointers.
12	San Antonio Spurs	PG Boogie Fland, Fr, Arkansas – 6’2, 175 lbs	15.0 ppg, 5.2 apg, 3.8 rpg	The Spurs front office would probably have liked to tank for another year or two, but Victor Wembanyama and the coaching staff are both too talented to let that happen. San Antonio is a playoff threat right now. The Spurs have a ton of draft picks coming up in the next few years, and will likely spend an early one on a developmental point guard. Boogie Fland has shown a nice ability to both score and set up others. He has been John Calipari’s best freshman thus far. The size may worry some, but at this point in the draft, you are simply hoping for a rotation player. Anything beyond that is a bonus.
13	Houston Rockets	SF Liam McNeeley, Fr, Connecticut – 6’7, 210 lbs	13.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.8 apg	From PHX The future looks bright in Houston. They have one of the better young teams in the league, and a treasure trove of draft picks, thanks to the James Harden trade. Liam McNeeley, and Connecticut as a whole, have bounced back nicely from a tough three game losing streak. McNeeley’s calling card is his spot up shooting, but will have to show more of an overall game if he wants to move up into the top ten.
14	Utah Jazz	SF Kon Knueppel, Fr, Duke – 6’7, 217 lbs	12.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.6 apg	From MIN Utah is another team that will have several first round draft picks in the next few drafts. They have drafted freshmen with upside by the boatload, and should continue that trend in hopes some of them really hit. Kon Knueppel is a work in progress who has struggled badly at times (0-8 from 3 against Kansas), but has good size, is a talented scorer and can impact the game in other ways, such as passing and defense, even when his shot is not falling.
15	Brooklyn Nets	C Derik Queen, Fr, Maryland – 6’10, 246 lbs	17.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 2.4 apg	The Nets reacquired this pick from Houston in hopes of joining the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes, but this roster may be too gritty and feisty to let that happen. This is still a roster in need of top end talent, and could have up to four first round picks, so I expect upside swings galore. There may not be another freshman in the country who has been as impressive as Derik Queen. He has shown the ability to score from down low, rebound everything, and even lead the offense from the post. The main worry here is size (he is probably close to 6’8 than 6’10) and the lack of top end athleticism, but this is a great point in the draft to ignore the negatives and swing for the upside.
16	San Antonio Spurs	SG Drake Powell, Fr, North Carolina – 6’6, 195 lbs	5.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.8 spg	From SA With two first round picks, the Spurs can afford to draft for upside here. North Carolina has not done its freshmen any favors in recent years, as evidenced by Drake Powell’s slow start, but he has lottery upside. The shooting percentages look good, and he has been active as a rebounder and defender, even when his number is not called on offense.
17	Brooklyn Nets	SF Adou Thiero, Jr, Arkansas – 6’8, 220 lbs	18.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.1 apg	From MIL Even though Adou Thiero has an inconsistent three point shot, he looks like the best non-freshman or international prospect in this class. He has shown the ability to be a offensively charged Dorian Finney-Smith, thanks to his rebounding, slashing offensive ability and knack for generating steals on defense. For a team with four first round picks, he would be a great glue guy to have on the Brooklyn roster.
18	Atlanta Hawks	SF Collin Murray-Boyles, So, South Carolina – 6’7, 245 lbs	16.2 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 1.9 apg	From LAL The Hawks are off to a solid start, but need to continue to rebuild the roster with defense in mind. Collin Murray-Boyles is a jump shot away from the lottery. He is strong and tough, a good defender, and can really score from near the basket. He may be a bit of a tweener offensively, but that matters less than it used to.
19	Orlando Magic	SG Ben Saraf, Israel – 6’5, 200 lbs	12.7 ppg, 4.3 apg, 2.9 rpg	From DEN The Magic have two first round picks and one of the youngest and deepest rosters in the NBA. This would be a good spot for a young developmental type like Ben Saraf. Saraf may not be the best athlete, and is still a major work in progress offensively, but is a shifty scorer and slasher with some point guard skills as well.
20	Oklahoma City Thunder	C Tomislav Ivisic, So, Illinois – 7’1, 230 lbs	16.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.8 apg	From MIA With a legit MVP candidate, a ton of young talent, and quite a bit of draft capital remaining, the Thunder are the envy of the NBA. If Oklahoma City needs anything, it may be more size off of the bench. Zvonimir Ivisic may be the name everyone knows, but his twin brother Tomislav is the better prospect. The Illinois sophomore is an ideal 2024 big man. He can stretch the floor offensively, and provide some solid rebounding and play-making. He might not be much of a defender, but that would not matter as much on a team with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.
21	Oklahoma City Thunder	SF Hugo Gonzalez, Spain – 6’6, 207 lbs	2.6 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.6 apg	From LAC Hugo Gonzalez was a popular preseason Mock Draft top ten pick, but the minutes for his European club just have not been there yet. Still, the talent is hard to ignore, and with so many teams possessing multiple first round picks, he will be a popular developmental guy to go after. His under-18 tape shows a quality offensive weapon who can score in quite a bit of ways.
22	Brooklyn Nets	SG Ian Jackson, Fr, North Carolina – 6’4, 190 lbs	11.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.5 apg	From NY After a very slow start, Ian Jackson has come alive as a scorer the past few games for North Carolina. He may struggle to work his way into the lottery, since he has less than ideal size and does not offer much other than the ability to put the ball into the basket. Still, he would make an ideal sixth man, who could come in and make it rain from deep and provide instant offense.
23	Golden State Warriors	SF Mackenzie Mgbako, So, Indiana – 6’9, 222 lbs	15.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.7 apg	Mackenzie Mgbako could have been a late first round pick in 2024, but chose to return to Indiana, and has improved his draft stock as a result. His percentages sit at 53/45/92, showing a great ability to put the ball in the basket. He may not be much of a defender or rebounder, but that scoring will always be valued at the NBA level.
24	Orlando Magic	C Rocco Zikarsky, Australia – 7’3, 227 lbs	5.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.7 bpg	The Magic have one of the best center rotations in the NBA, but may not be able to pass up the chance to draft a young developmental big like Roccco Zikarsky. Like most international players his age, playing time has been difficult to come by, but he offers potential as a rim running big who can block shots and rebound.
25	Brooklyn Nets	SG Joson Sanon, Fr, Arizona State – 6’5, 188 lbs	15.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.4 apg	From HOU Yes, this is the fourth pick for the Nets. Brooklyn goes to the freshman well again, this time with sharp shooter Joson Sanon. Sanon is shooting over 50% from the three point line so far this year, leading Arizona State to a 8-1 start. Like a lot of freshman, he needs to diversify his overall game, but the ability to light up the score board could make him a first round pick.
26	Dallas Mavericks	SF Alex Karaban, Jr, Connecticut – 6’8, 225 lbs	15.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.3 apg	The Mavericks look like contenders once again, thanks to an All Star back court and impressive collection of role players. Upperclassman Alex Karaban could fit right in with what Dallas likes to do. He is not a top notch athlete, but is a good shooter, rebounder and shot blocker. His spot up game would be a great fit next to two ball dominant guards.
27	Memphis Grizzlies	PF JT Toppin, So, Texas Tech – 6’9, 225 lbs	18.6 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 1.9 bpg	JT Toppin may not be much of a three point shooter, but he does almost everything else relatively well. He is a springy athlete, a great rebounder and a solid defender. He has the type of game that would endear himself to Memphis fans used to rooting for grit and grind hustle players.
28	Los Angeles Clippers	SG Kam Jones, rSr, Marquette – 6’5, 200 lbs	20.3 ppg, 6.5 apg, 4.7 rpg	No team has gotten less from its draft picks the past decade and a half than the Los Angeles Clippers. This roster has a ton of veteran players on short term deals, so there may be a roster spot or two available for a ready to contribute rookie like Kam Jones. The fifth year senior has shot the ball extremely well, and has shown some point guard ability on top of that. He could be ready to contribute right away.
29	Boston Celtics	C Zvonimir Ivisic, So, Arkansas – 7’2, 245 lbs	12.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.6 bpg	Boston is a top heavy team that has bench minutes to spare. A guy like Zvonimir Ivisic could be a key contributor, in the Luke Kornet mode. He is a solid stretch five, with the ability to knock down some jumpers and block some shots on defense.
30	Utah Jazz	SG Jeremiah Fears, Fr, Oklahoma – 6’4, 182 lbs	16.7 ppg, 4.7 apg, 3.6 rpg	From CLE Utah rounds out the first round with its third pick of the draft. Jeremiah Fears was not one of the more ballyhooed freshmen coming in to the season, but he has been one of the most productive. He has filled up the stat sheet both offensively and with plenty of steals on defense. If he can continue to improve his jump shot he could shoot up the draft board.