As always, draft order and lottery courtesy of http://www.tankathon.com.

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The Pelicans better hope Derik Queen is the real deal long term, because they just gave up the first overall pick this year to select him in 2025. The Hawks win the ultimate prize here, and draft Trae Youngs long term, and perhaps immediate, replacement. Darryn Peterson gets the nod over the other elite prospects, thanks to his NBA friendly offensive game. He is a whiz with the ball in his hands, able to score from all over the court. While not a traditional point guard, he is an ideal 2025 NBA lead guard. Even if the Hawks retain Young, Peterson would be a 20 point per game counterpart in the back court. Hopefully, he can return from injury soon for the Kansas Jayhawks, who could desperately use his talent.

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To the surprise of no one, Milwaukee has completely fallen apart without Giannis Antetokounmpo. I applaud Antetokounmpo’s loyalty to the franchise, and hope he remains, but perhaps a tank season would not be the worst thing. This roster desperately needs some additional talent. While I rank Cameron Boozer slightly ahead of AJ Dybantsa right now, Dybantsa would be a better fit next to Antetokounmpo. His ability to slash, shoot and score everywhere from the court would be a welcome addition to a roster that seriously lacks scoring punch outside of its superstar franchise player.

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After briefly flirting with the playoffs, the Sacramento Kings are back to being the Sacramento Kings. The front office should look to move every veteran not named Keegan Murray, so this roster could be a blank slate draft pick wise. Cameron Boozer is one of three players in serious consideration for the number one pick. He has completely stuffed the stat sheet early on for Duke, showing the ability to score, rebound, pass and play defense. He should continue to dominate the college game, but there are some questions of how his lack of top end athleticism and below the basket game will translate to the NBA level. Even if he tops out as a Julius Randle-type player, you are looking at a potential multi-time All Star.

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The Wizards are still in the infancy stages of a long rebuild, and desperately need an All Star talent on the roster. Caleb Wilson is the one player that could break into that top tier, especially if he continues to dominate the way he has early on. For as historically great as the North Carolina program has been, they have hardly produced NBA lottery talent for the past couple of decades. Wilson is off to a fantastic start, scoring from everywhere, running the floor, rebounding and disrupting opposing offenses on defense. He can play the 3 through 5, and would pair with Alex Sarr to give Washington two very athletic, versatile big men.

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Things were going to be tough without Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner, but even the most pessimistic of Pacers fans did not expect this type of fall-off. Indiana has most likely accepted that this will be a waste of a season, and hope to get some lottery luck. Nate Ament could struggle with consistency as a shooter, but has the talent to be a Michael Porter Jr.-like offensive player, with better playmaking ability and defensive consistency. He is an easy player to fit into any type of offense.

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Brooklyn drafted about 75 point guards in 2025, but no one has the potential of Kingston Flemings. Flemings has been on fire offensively early on for Houston, shooting 64% from the field and 55% from deep. He can play point guard, or move to the two if a tall guard like Egor Demin is handling the ball. Simply put, the Nets need to draft the best talent available in hopes of bringing a bit of star power to a roster that is a complete mess.

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It has been another tough season for the Hornets, but it has not been all bad. Kon Knueppel and the rest of the draft class has paid major dividends. If Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball can simply stay healthy, this could be a playoff team in a year or two. Charlotte misses out on a top prospect here, but still has a chance to land a solid contributor. Koa Peat would be a nice compliment to all of the shooters on the Hornets roster. He is built like a football player and can really attack the basket. While he is not much of a shooter yet, the potential is there. He could give this roster some desperately needed front court beef.

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The Mavericks have a glut in the front court and a clear need for a point guard of the future, making Mikel Brown Jr. an easy choice here. Brown Jr. has struggled with efficiency from an offensive standpoint, but is a talented three level scorer and can handle the point guard role full time. Dallas needs to fully move past the Luka Doncic debacle, gut the roster and build around Cooper Flagg and their draft pick here.

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The Thunder are on pace for a historic season, and have two picks in the top ten of this mock. Life is good in Oklahoma City. Sam Presti can just sit back and draft the best player available here. Labaron Philon Jr. is my favorite non-freshman prospect in this class. He has had a fantastic season offensively, especially as a driver and assist man. He needs to further improve his jump shot, but I think he can be a 20 point per game scorer in the NBA. He will be a very over-qualified backup guard for the Thunder.

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The Thunder are on pace for a historic season, and have two picks in the top ten of this mock. Life is good in Oklahoma City. Sam Presti can just sit back and draft the best player available here. Yes, that is a copy and past job. The Thunder do not need two lottery picks, but here they are. Karim Lopez is the top international prospect in the early going. He is a gifted scorer, who can slash to the basket and is showing a nice shooting stroke as well, knocking down almost 45% of his three point attempts, which bodes well for his draft stock.

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The Grizzlies looked like one of the best up and coming teams in the NBA a couple of seasons ago, but are now a cautionary tale on how quickly things can change, especially when the player you built your team around has mentally checked out. Memphis was not scared to draft a senior in the lottery a couple of years ago, when they selected Zach Edey, and go to that well once again with Bennett Stirtz. Stirtz has had an interesting college journey, but has developed into a serious NCAA player of the year candidate as a senior. He is a better athlete than you would expect, and excels at creating his own offense, shooting and distributing the ball. He can also hold his own defensively, and could be that Ja Morant replacement this franchise desperately needs.

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The Trail Blazers are on the fringes of playoff contention, and expect to get a healthy Damian Lillard back in 2026-2027. Tounde Yessoufou has struggled to consistently shoot the ball, but has the potential to be a solid offensive player. He is also a plus on the ball defender who can rack up steals and even block the occasional shot. He is strong, tough and should be a nice slasher and defender at the next level.

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Yes, you see that right. The Thunder currently have three, yes, three, of the top thirteen picks in this draft. There is no way they can fit this many rookies on the roster, but this is another “best player available” situation for the best franchise in the NBA. Braylon Mullins is currently out with an injury, but should make his debut for UConn soon. He is considered a great shooter with solid size, and guys like that usually do not last too long when the draft rolls around.

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Unlike the Indiana Pacers, Boston is deep enough to not completely fall off of a cliff without its best player. The Celtics should hover around .500 unless they trade pieces and decide to pack it in and play for lottery balls. While this draft looks light on international prospects at first glance, that may be because several of those guys chose to play college basketball this year. German big man Hannes Steinbach is one of those players. He is an ideal stretch four, with great range on his jump shot, and the ability to mix it up down low, grab rebounds and block shots.

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Chris Cenac Jr. has not set the world on fire from a statistical point of view, but often times it takes big men longer to develop. He is still playing 25 minutes per game on perhaps the best team in college basketball, showing that the coaching staff has confidence in him. He could develop into a solid stretch big who can rebound and block some shots. Maybe a better offensive version of Nic Claxton. That could be a future starting center, especially for a team like the Warriors who will eventually have to rebuild.

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After a very hot early start, Chicago finds itself back in the very familiar 10-15 draft range. On first glance, it looks like the international representation for this class may be lacking, but that is because several of those guys are playing at American universities. One of those players is Greek wing man Neoklis Avdalas. Avdalas has played the point forward role for the surprising Virginia Tech Hokies, showing promise as a shooter as well as a distributor. His archetype will always be exciting, and he should not last that long on draft day.

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There have been rumblings that Jayden Quaintance will sit out his sophomore year and prepare for the draft, but Kentucky head coach Mark Pope has denied those rumors. Quaintance is NBA ready as a rebounder and defender, but may top out as a Kevon Looney type offensively. Quaintance is the type of player who could coexist with wing oriented Victor Wembanyama, if both players have to share the court together.

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This is the first of many first round picks that are coming the Grizzlies way, via the Desmond Bane to Orlando trade. Like his older brother Dyson, Dash Daniels is a solid ball handler and defender, but is behind the curve offensively. The Grizzlies coaching staff has gotten the most out of wing players like Cedric Coward, and could coach up Daniels offensively. He should be a pest in spurts when Memphis needs a stop defensively.

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Minnesota has one of the better top 7 or 8 guys in the league roster wise, but bench depth is severely lacking. Thomas Haugh is a nice offensive minded combo forward. He has gone from a player who averaged 3.9 points per game as a freshman to a legitimate first round pick. He can play either forward position, rebound, handle the ball and score out to the three point line.

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The Hornets most likely thought they had another lottery pick here, but so far the Phoenix Suns have defied expectations. Darius Acuff Jr. is a similar prospect as Rob Dillingham, who has struggled to find his footing at the NBA level. Acuff Jr. is a talented scorer and can run an offense, but he may lack the defensive ability and strength to hold his own for 30 minutes per game, but you could do a lot worse at backup point guard.

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Knicks starters are still playing too many regular season minutes, but perhaps new head coach Mike Brown will be more amenable to playing rookies than his stubborn predecessor. Yaxel Lendeborg has been as good as advertised for Michigan, which boasts the best three headed big man monster in college basketball. He is a solid scorer who can knock down jump shots from the three point line in, and contributes in a variety of other areas. He would be an ideal first big off the bench for the Knicks.

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John Calipari rosters usually have more players who need the ball in their hands than actual balls available on the court. Meleek Thomas has had to fight Darius Acuff Jr. and DJ Wagner for touches, but has been relatively effective in the early going. He may struggle from an efficiency standpoint, but is a talented scorer who can play point guard in a pinch. With Darryn Peterson and now Thomas, the Hawks back court will never suffer for scorers.

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Tyler Herro has returned for the Heat, who are on a six game winning streak. Even without Jimmy Butler, this is a team that works too hard and is too well coached to ever tank. This has been a fantastic freshman class, and Matt Able has joined that group. Even as a secondary scorer, he is shooting the ball with efficiency. He has good size and can be a plus wing defender.

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Dame Sarr is not a focal point for the Duke offense, but has made the most of his opportunities, especially as a spot up shooter. He is knocking down 40% of his three point attempts, and is averaging almost 2 steals per game. He is a pesky two way wing, with the potential to start at the next level.

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The Raptors have been the surprise of the NBA. Thanks to a solid, veteran laden starting lineup, they are on an 7 game winning streak and sitting at second place in the entire Eastern Conference. Flory Bidunga had a solid freshman season, but the former five star recruit has exploded at a sophomore. His lack of shooting may be the only thing holding him back come draft time. He is a strong interior finisher, and could be a double digit rebound, two blocks per game guy in the NBA. I like his potential as a mid-tier starting center.

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Sergio De Larrea is off to a nice start for his international team, shooting over 57% from deep and showing the ability to play point guard in spurts. He is not much of a defender, but that scoring ability would be use to any playoff team. That team will not be the Thunder, who hilariously have four first round picks, but not enough roster spots to hold them all.

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While Cayden Boozer is only averaging just over 7 points per game, he has actually played his role very well. He scores with solid efficiency, and is averaging 4 assists to only 1 turnover per game. He is also a solid defender with good size. One thing the Nuggets may lack is a secondary ball handler and defender off the bench. Boozer could excel in that role.

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The Lakers are perhaps the worst three point shooting team in the NBA. This roster could use a bucket getter off of the bench when Luka Doncic and Austin Reeves have to sit. It has been a slow start for Brayden Burries, but the five star freshman is coming off of a 20 point performance in Arizona’s most recent game. He is a talented scorer who should land in the first round.

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What a turnaround for the Pistons. It seemed like only yesterday this team lost 28 games in a row, and now they are on pace to win more than 60 games. I expected Isaiah Evans to take a larger leap as a sophomore, but he is still off to a solid start. He has a couple of duds offensively, but also showed his strengths with a 23 point performance against Texas. Even when his shot is not falling, he is still aggressive on defense, which scouts will appreciate.

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The Washington Wizards round out the first round, and could continue to draft young players with upside. David Mirkovic is yet another European prospect who came to the states. He is not much of a defender, but is a load down low offensively, but also has the ability to step out and knock down jump shots.

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