The first thing to understand about mock drafts, particularly those two plus months out. is that they’re entertainment. The most important mocks are the internal ones, each a state secret not privy to public examination. And the mocks, both the internal and external, change the closer we get to June 25-26, with some moving during the two-round draft! The top picks are pretty easy to predict. After about No. 7, it’s educated guesswork with some mocks better than others.
However…
In the first post-Final Four round-up of mock drafts, 12 of them, draftniks think the Brooklyn Nets will wind up with at least one point guard, maybe two, and three of them are predicting that Jeremiah Fears, the 6’4’ Oklahoma point guard, will be wearing a black-and-white cap at end of the night.
After Fears, three prospects often linked to the Nets in previous mocks get two votes each at No. 6: Khaman Maluach, the Duke big; his Duke teammate and wing Kon Knueppel; and Tre Johnson of Texas, another sharpshooter.
Overall, five mocks have the Nets taking Nolan Traore, a 6’4” point from France when the Milwaukee Bucks pick comes up at No. 18… and the Nets start to reap the rewards of their trade with the New York Knicks which won them seven picks: five firsts, a first round pick swap and a second. That’s the most mentions of any prospect.
In addition to Fears and Traore, draftniks have Brooklyn looking at a number of other point guards, most prominently the big Israeli PG Ben Saraf who plays for Ratiopharm in Germany. He’s linked to the Nets in three mocks. Kasparas Jakicionis of Illinois and Lithuania, Milos Uzan of Houston, Boogie Fland of Arkansas and Sergio De Larrea of Spain all get one draftnik vote.
The player tied with the most mentions after Traore is a 6’8” power forward from Pennsauken, N.J. and UAB, Yaxel Lendeborg, one of the draft’s risers. Four mocks have him going to the Nets in the 20’s. Israeli PG Ben Saraf who plays for Ratiopharm in Germany, gets three mentions, as do a number of prospects: UConn’s freshman sharpshooter Liam McNeeley, French raw big Noah Penda, Spanish forward Hugo Gonzales, Colorado State shooting guard Nique Clifford, and Carter Bryant Arizona’s defensive-minded wing
There are some caveats to note. While most of the mocks are of very recent vintage, posted in the 48 hours since Florida surprised the basketball world, a couple are a bit older. We note that. Also, in one case, we rely on a site’s Big Board, their top 100 prospects. At this point, with most spots spoken for, there’s going to be little difference.
So here ya go.
The gold standard for decades and the most traditional. Jonathan Givony who pioneered in-depth mocks while at Draft Express, and Jeremy Woo, who did mocks for Sports Illustrated for ESPN think the Nets have a “void” at the point and believe Fears, the second youngest player in the Draft, is ideal for them.
#6 – Jeremiah Fears, PG, 6’4”, Oklahoma
#18 – Nolan Traore, PG, 6’4” Saint Quentin (France)
#26- Adou Thiero, PF, 6’8”, Arkansas
#27 – Yaxel Lendeborg, PF/C, 6’9”, UAB
#36 – Bennett Stirtz, PG/SG, 6’4, Drake
Here’s their take on Fears and Traore fit with Brooklyn:
Fears emerged as a top freshman despite being one of the youngest players in college basketball (he turns 19 in October). His combination of size, speed, pace, shotmaking and shot creation gives him significant long-term upside, as he gets anywhere he wants on the floor, either to create opportunities for teammates while dishing on the move, to finish skillfully in the lane or to get to the free throw line…
Traore was once considered in the top echelon of this year’s draft, a potential top five pick, but he’s disappointed. Still, there remains a lot of potential, say Givony and Woo.
Traore has been up and down all season and will need to find another gear with his productivity and efficiency as NBA scouts turn their attention to international prospects.
Some might be surprised to see the Nets take another point guard after selecting Fears at No. 6 in this mock draft, but the Nets will likely need to take swings on upside and could be intrigued with Traore’s potential at this stage in the draft.
Sam Wasserman is quickly becoming one of the leading draftniks. His mock includes not just the key data but also player comparisons. For Fears, he says the comparisons are Jaden Ivey and Scoot Henderson.
#6 – Jeremiah Fears, PG, 6’4”, Oklahoma
#18 – Liam McNeeley, SG, 6’7”, UConn
#26 – Yaxel Lendeborg, PF/C, 6’9”, UAB
#27 – Rasheer Fleming, PF, 6’9”, St. Joseph’s
#36 – Milos Uzan, PG, 6’4”, Houston
Wasserman says that Fears may take some time to develop but he’s likely to worth it…
Extraordinary quickness and shiftiness to create, three-level shotmaking flashes and beautiful ball-screen passes are going to sway teams to remain patient with the three-point consistency and turnovers.
The main questions ask whether he’ll improve his shooting and decision-making, but for an 18-year-old with a heavy workload and elusiveness that aces the NBA eye test, he’s made enough pull-ups and setup passes for teams to bet on his development.
Kevin O’Connor’s draft analysis for The Ringer was a big — huge, voluminous, actually — event. He’s since moved on and is now with Yahoo! and his analysis is just as big — huge and voluminous.
#6 – Tre Johnson, SF, 6’6” Texas
#18 – Carter Bryant, SF, 6’6”, Arizona
#26 – Hugo Gonzalez, SF, 6’6”, Real Madrid (Spain)
#27 – Ben Saraf, PG, 6’6” Ratiopharm (Israel)
#35 – J.T. Toppin, PF, 6’9” Texas Tech
O’Connor thinks that Johnson would fit well with the Nets backcourt:
With D’Angelo Russell, De’Anthony Melton, and Cam Thomas all entering free agency, guard will be an area of need in the present and future in Brooklyn. Maybe Johnson is just Thomas 2.0 since he still needs to develop his point guard skills and shot selection. But he’s shown more playmaking upside than Thomas did in college, and he’s taller. Johnson is a clutch shot-maker who can catch fire from all over the floor,
Sam Vecenie’s mock is a little old, from March 19. Vecenie is on the record saying that he doesn’t think 2025 is a generational draft. His selections are also a bit unconventional but he has a good track record. He too likes point guards for the Nets, just different ones.
#5 – Kasparas Jakucionis, PG, 6’6”, Illinois (Lithuania)
#20 – Ben Saraf, PG, 6’6” Ratiopharm (Israel)
#26 – Noah Penda, PF, 6’10”, LeMans (France)
#27 – Miles Byrd, Wing, 6’6” wing, San Diego State
#35 – Sergio De Larrea, PG, 6’5” Valencia (Spain)
Jakucionis, another point guard, has been a draftnik favorite for Brooklyn. But as Vecenie writes, he has issues:
He averaged 15 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game, but he also gave up the ball 3.6 times per game, and the turnovers tended to compound in-game. He had seven turnovers in games against Wisconsin, Tennessee and Maryland. In his most recent two games against Iowa and Maryland, he had six. And yet, he also has serious passing ability. He can find passes from any angle and is extremely creative with the ball in his hands.
He likes Byrd for his defense.
Byrd is as active a defender as you’ll find in college basketball, a 6-6 wing with incredible hand-eye coordination. He averages 2.2 steals per game and gets several more deflections than that. On offense, Byrd is also a really sharp passer with strong feel for the game and has clear potential as a shooter.
Everybody’s post-game favorite doesn’t just track lottery odds. They also have a mock draft which is updated as events dictate … like every night. So things change.
#6 – Khaman Maluach, C, 7’2”, Duke (South Sudan)
#18 – Ben Saraf, PG, 6’6” Ratiopharm (Israel)
#26 – Yaxel Lendeborg, PF, 6’9” UAB
#27 – Noah Penda, PF, 6’10”, LeMans (France)
#36 – Adou Thiero, PF, 6’8”, Arkansas
Maluach had a tough weekend. First, his Duke team was upset by Houston, a game where he had no rebounds. Then the White House and State Department announced that the U.S. is revoking all visas, including student visas, for South Sudanese citizens. Still, he’s been mocked everywhere from No. 3 to 26 this season.
A pioneering draft site like Draft Express, it is often a bit unconventional but it’s as comprehensive as any you can find, often with multiple scouting reports on top players.
#6 – Asa Newell, PF, 6’11” Georgia
#17 – Rasheer Fleming, PF, 6’9”, St. Joseph’s
#26 – Nique Clifford, SG, 6’6”, Colorado State
#27 – Liam McNeeley, SG, 6’7”, UConn
#36 – Amari Williams, C/PF, 6’11”, Kentucky
Like a lot of draftniks, NBADraft.net’s Aran Smith likes Newell’s potential:
Skilled, bouncy post man who plays with a high level of energy and desire … Lefty with stretch four potential with “untapped” scoring ability … Smooth and fluid mechanics on his shooting motion and is showing signs of becoming a solid three point threat.
Jeff Zillgitt is another of the veteran draftniks and he’s helped by Lorenzo Reyes and James H. Williams. They portray their selections as a mock draft, but it’s written more like a Big Board, with names attached to draft position rather than teams.
#6 – Kon Knueppel, wing, 6’7”, Duke
#18 – Nolan Traore, PG, 6’4”, Saint Quentin (France)
#26 – Nique Clifford, SG, 6’6”, Colorado State
#27 – Alex Condon, C, 6’11” Florida
USA Today doesn’t project the second round. Last time we did a mock draft round-up, Knueppel was the draftniks favorite for the Nets, but only USA Today now links him to Brooklyn in this round-up but the Duke wing is likely to go high.
He can ignite an offense with his 3-point shot, thanks to an efficient motion, seemingly always ready to receive the ball in his shooting pocket. He can also lace shots from midrange, take care of the ball and is money on free throws.
The home team. SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell is our man for all seasons, including the draft season. SB Nation only does first round projections.
#6 – Khaman Maluach, C, 7’2”, Duke (South Sudan)
#18 – Nolan Traore, PG, 6’4”, Saint Quentin (France)
#26 – Thomas Haugh, PF/SF, 6’9”, Florida
#27 – Liam McNeeley, SG, 6’7”, UConn
O’Donnell likes Haugh who cut down the nets on Monday night for Florida.
Haugh wasn’t really on the NBA’s radar for the 2025 draft until he forced his way into the conversation during Florida’s national championship run. He has an easy translation to the league as a low-usage forward who can space the floor on offense, defend forwards, and add some thump on the offensive glass.
As for Maluach’s tough weekend, O’Donnell says keep calm, but …
I remain high on Maluach and won’t be dropping him on my personal board after a rough showing in the Final Four against Houston. There’s no doubt it was a disappointing performance, though. Maluach had a six-inch size advantage on Houston’s front court and failed to grab a single rebound in 22 minutes. A narrative is starting that Maluach doesn’t play with a high motor, and his final college game will only play into it.
J. Kyle Mann and Danny Chau have taken over The Ringer’s draft board from O’Connor and it remains comprehensive. Their latest mock is still a work-in-progress but they do have a first round big board, with a couple of surprises, starting with Carter Bryant, perhaps the perfect name for an NBA wing.
#6 – Carter Bryant, SF, 6’6”, Arizona
#18 – Nique Clifford, SG, 6’6”, Colorado State
#26 – Walter Clayton Jr, SG, 6’6”, Florida
#27 – Joan Beringer, PF, 6’11” Cedevita Olimpija (France)
Mann and Chau think Bryant could be a sleeper for whoever takes him because of his defensive potential.
The counting stats won’t make a very compelling case for Bryant as a first-round talent. He has one of the lowest usage rates of any player projected to go in the top 30, comparable to those of fellow freshman Khaman Maluach, who started playing basketball only five years ago. But Bryant would pass even the most rudimentary of eye tests: His Vitruvian frame, agility, and explosiveness would stand out in just about any game he’s in. The clincher? He’s only a freshman.
Bryant’s standout trait at this stage is his defensive playmaking. He lifts off the ground quickly and hangs in the air for as long as necessary. His leaping ability, coupled with his quick reaction speed, makes his blocks seem like acts of precognition.
Sam Amico is a national writer with Cleveland roots. With Hoops Wire, he’s in charge of draft coverage.
#6 – Tre Johnson, SF, 6’6” Texas
#18 – Nolan Traore, PG, 6’4” Saint Quentin (France)
#26 – Alex Karaban, PF, 6’8” UConn
#27 – Yaxel Lendeborg, PF/C, 6’9”, UAB
#36 – Bennett Stirtz, PG/SG, 6’4, Drake
Another of the second level mocks, NBA Draft Room matches a lot of the other drafts, particularly at the top with Fears.
#6 – Jeremiah Fears, PG, 6’4”, Oklahoma
#17 – Will Riley, SF, 6’8” Illinois
#26 – Thomas Sorber, C/PF, 6’10” Georgetown
#27 – Noah Penda, PF, 6’10”, LeMans (France)
#36 – Boogie Fland, PG, 6’2”, Arkansas
Fears gets the same level of praise as he does from the other draftniks.
Fears had a monster freshman season launching his draft stock into the mid lottery range. He’s dynamic with the ball in his hands and can get buckets in a hurry. He does a great job of penetrating into the lane and can score from three levels, although his 3pt shot is streaky.
CBS Sports provided three mock drafts, each by each three NBA writers: Kyle Boone, Adam Finkelstein and Gary Parrish. That’s different and it makes it difficult for us to use the format we used for the 11 mocks we surveyed. So for the purposes of our summary, we came up with a consensus at each Nets pick.
#6 – Kon Knueppel, wing, 6’7”, Duke
#18 – Nolan Traore, PG, 6’4”, Saint Quentin (France)
#26 – Carter Bryant, SF, 6’6”, Arizona
#27 – Hugo Gonzalez, SF, 6’6”, Real Madrid (Spain)
CBS does not project second round picks.
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“We have a very important summer, as you know,” Nets coach Jordi Fernández said before Tuesday’s game. “We have four firsts and one second. We’re not going to know where the lottery is going to fall, because that’s part of the odds and so on and so forth. You can only control what you can control, and right now, that is what we know for sure.”
Of course, Brooklyn may not have five picks by Draft Night. Or different picks. Remember back in December, they had six picks before trading a protected Miami second rounder to Golden State in the Dennis Schroder deal.