2025 NBA Mock Draft: Jeremiah Fears moves up to No. 6, Derik Queen jumps into top 10

For more than a year, there’s never really been any doubt about which player will go No. 1 in the 2025 NBA Draft. It was always going to be Flagg, the one-and-done star at Duke who led the Blue Devils in all five major individual categories while becoming the youngest Wooden Award winner in history. High ceiling. High floor. It’s hard to imagine Flagg not being a high-level NBA player for more than a decade.

Harper is the consensus No. 2 prospect in this draft and thus should be the second player selected even if he’s not a perfect fit on a roster already featuring De’Aaron Fox and reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle. As others have noted, that could lead to San Antonio shopping the pick to franchises more in need of a lead guard with nice positional size. So keep an eye on that. Either way, no matter which franchise selects second, Harper is likely to be the pick.

Some believe Philadelphia could move this pick for a veteran given where former MVP Joel Embiid is in his career. That’s understandable. But if the Sixers do execute the pick, they shouldn’t let the presence of talented young guards like Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain on their roster steer them away from Johnson, the player I believe is the third best prospect available. The one-and-done standout from Texas led all freshmen in scoring while shooting 39.7% from 3-point range on 6.8 attempts per contest. Impressive numbers, all around. And most of them are the type of numbers that should translate to the next level.

The Hornets went from having as good of odds as anybody to land Flagg and keep him 150 miles from where he starred at Duke to sliding to fourth in this draft. That’s bad luck. But they’ll still have an opportunity to land a difference-maker — among them Edgecombe, who is a top-shelf and explosive athlete capable of creating posters in transition. He’s the type of prospect who is both safe and filled with upside after helping Baylor make what was a sixth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.

More evidence that Rutgers should’ve been better than it was this past season is the fact that the Scarlet Knights finished with a losing record despite having two projected top-five picks. Is it concerning that Baily isn’t more well-rounded at this point in his development? Yes. But his upside is tremendous given that he’s an electric shot-creator and shot-maker. He checks the box of the best prospect available at this point in the draft and is a sensible option for a Utah franchise still rebuilding.

Fears is set to join the relatively short list of one-and-done lottery picks who were ranked outside of the top 60 of their high school classes. His unique ability to change speeds and keep defenders off balance is too much to ignore even if his subpar 3-point percentage is a source of concern for some front offices.

Knueppel was mostly excellent through Duke’s run to the Final Four, averaging 19.0 points while shooting 63.6% from beyond the arc. He’s an elite shooter, obviously, but far from only a shooter — and anybody labeling him as little more than a catch-and-shoot threat is wildly underestimating Knueppel’s versatility as a player who projects as a nice building block for a New Orleans franchise forever in search of floor-spacers to put alongside Zion Williamson.

Maluach’s otherwise great freshman year concluded horribly with a zero-rebound effort in 21 minutes during Duke’s season-ending loss to Houston. But that was just one game against an older and stronger team, and it shouldn’t sour front offices too much on an 18 year-old who can move unusually well for a man his size.

Queen is a super-interesting forward who offsets some of his physical limitations with incredible skill and above-average smarts. He hit the buzzer-beater against Colorado State that sent Maryland to the Sweet 16, scored 27 against the eventual national champion (Florida) and solidified himself in the NCAA Tournament as an intriguing lottery option.

The Rockets are a 52-win franchise with most of its important pieces under contract. They can afford to package this pick in a trade or use it on a high-upside prospect — and Bryant clearly represents the latter. These playoffs have reminded everybody how much great 3-and-D wings impact winning in the postseason. Bryant has the tools to become one and should be selected accordingly regardless of his limited role as a freshman at Arizona.

Richardson didn’t emerge as a starter at Michigan State until halfway through the season but quickly showed himself to be the team’s most dynamic scorer. He’s the son of 14-year NBA veteran Jason Richardson, which is viewed as a positive among NBA front offices. The combo guard is a high-energy prospect with the type of basketball IQ children of players often possess, and he should be a sensible option for a Portland franchise with promising frontcourt pieces already in place.

The Bulls were a below-average defensive team this past season. Murray-Boyles could help alleviate that issue. Yes, he’s a non-shooting and undersized front-court piece, which makes him a somewhat divisive prospect. But the two-year player from South Carolina is impactful in multiple ways on both ends of the court, and his feel for the game, instincts and defensive versatility have many evaluators on board with the 19 year-old being a lottery pick.

What Jakucionis lacks in explosiveness he makes up for with his diverse skillset and high basketball IQ. The Lithuanian only shot 31.8% from 3-point range in one season at Illinois; that shouldn’t be ignored. But Jackucionis has previously shown to be a more reliable shooter than he largely demonstrated with the Illini and could develop into a nice piece who is capable of playing either behind or with Trae Young in Atlanta.

It remains unclear if San Antonio will use both lottery picks or make move. As always, we’ll see. But if they do make this pick, McNeeley is a nice option. He only shot 31.7% from 3-point range in his one year at UConn — but scouts are largely unconcerned and still view him as a strong-shooting wing at the next level. An ankle sprain cost him more than a month of his season, but McNeeley showed enough while on the court to convince evaluators he’s worthy of being selected in the lottery.

Demin is a backcourt player with tremendous size — but one who turned it over 2.9 times per game this season, which should be at least a little concerning for franchises viewing him as a ball-in-his-hands guard. The 3-point percentage is also an issue. So it’s easy to understand why the one-and-done fresham from Russia is a divisive prospect, but there’s still little chance he goes much lower than the middle of the first round.

Clifford is older than the type of prospects some front offices prefer to select with top-20 picks — but he checks a lot of other boxes. Good positional size? Yes. Competent shooter? Yes. Versatile defender? Yes. He could be the next nice NBA player to emerge from the Mountain West Conference.

Wolf moved from the Ivy League to the Big Ten and, statistically, arguably performed even better. The 7-footer has guard skills and is a better defender than some realize. He could add frontcourt versatility to a Minnesota franchise that’s led by Anthony Edwards and set up to compete in the West for the foreseeable future.

Can Newell keep the floor spaced as a legitimate 3-point threat? If so, he should go higher. If not, he should go lower. Either way, that’s the swing-skill for the one-and-done prospect who performed quite well as a freshman in an SEC filled with much older and stronger forwards.

Traore does enough good things with the ball in his hands to secure a spot in the first round— but his inefficiency, and lack of shooting, are non-starters for some front offices. At 18, there are still many years of development for the French native. Any franchise selecting him has to do so with that understanding.

Essengue is a French prospect with great positional size. As one of the youngest players available, he’s a long-term bet. But if the shot develops, and the defensive versatility becomes undeniable, the 18 year old could be a steal at this point in the draft for a Heat franchise seemingly at a crossroads after trading Jimmy Butler and getting swept out of the playoffs by a Cavs team that was subsequently eliminated by the Pacers in five games.

Beringer is a frontcourt prospect with a 7-4 wingspan who provides defensive versatility and the ability to rim-protect. Is he ready to contribute in the NBA next season? Probably not. But there’s a lot to like with this 18 year old who could be a building block for a Utah franchise still years away from competing for anything meaningful.

Coward committed to Duke before performing well at the combine, at which point he opted to remain in the draft. It looks like a wise decision for the 6-6 guard who shot 40% from 3-point range in six appearances for Washington State and was headed for an all-conference season until a shoulder injury sidelined him in late November.

Sorber seemed ahead of schedule for a one-and-done prospect before suffering a season-ending left-foot injury on Feb. 15. Regardless, he did enough in 24 games to show he’d either spend next season as a Big East Player of the Year candidate or as a rookie in the NBA. The foot-injury is concerning, if only because big men with foot injuries don’t have the best stories. But Sorber should still go in the first round of this draft and could provide frontcourt depth for an Indiana franchise in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year.

Saraf is another international prospect with nice positional size. Concerns about his shooting and athleticism should keep him out of the lottery — but there’s enough pick-and-roll playmaking ability already in place to ensure his name is called in this range — whether it’s to Oklahoma City at No. 24 or another franchise in this neighborhood of the draft.

Gonzalez hasn’t played or produced much for Real Madrid this season, which is mostly the byproduct of being a 19 year-old on a first-place team in a legitimate professional league. But the athleticism and high-motor that’s made him an intriguing prospect for years still exists and will likely be enough to get Gonzalez selected in the first round.

Riley didn’t get as much attention as some other freshmen — but he was a reliable double-digit scorer for an NCAA Tournament team from start to finish. At Illinois, the long-and-lean wing showed playmaking ability. But the jumper is still more streaky than reliable, and he also needs to add strength.

Raynaud improved statistically in four straight years at Stanford — going from somebody who averaged 4.5 points as a freshman to somebody who averaged 20.2 as a senior. His ability to stretch the floor and pass at his size are considered strengths and could be useful for a Brooklyn franchise that ranked 25th in 3-point shooting this season.

The combine proved that Fleming is a little taller than 6-8 (barefoot) with a wingspan a little better than 7-5. Those measurements are great for somebody who also shot 39% from 3 on 4.5 attempts per game as a 20 year-old, and that’s among the reasons Fleming should go in the lottery despite mostly operating off of the national radar in three seasons at Saint Joseph’s.

Clayton was the star of Florida’s national title run while averaging 22.3 points on 43.5% shooting from beyond the arc in those six NCAA Tournament games. There are concerns about his decision-making and approach to defense, but the Most Outstanding Player of the 2025 Final Four is such a skilled and unique shotmaker that he’s worthy of a serious look this deep in the first round by a Phoenix franchise that probably needs to hit the reset button.

Kalkbrenner is a four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year. He’s far from what anybody would call a modern NBA center. But if Zach Edey went in the top 10 of the 2024 NBA Draft, there’s no reason Kalkbrenner can’t go in the top 30 of the 2025 NBA Draft.