Before this list begins, I’d like to say I tracked both college teams and overseas teams. I watched hours and hours of film for players that didn’t make the honorable mentions of this list. This list is entirely mine, which should be noticeable by some of the perhaps audacious predictions here.
Unlike USA Today or some other publications, I strayed from using AI in this mock draft because I’d much rather do the work, watch the film and analyze. What’s an AI know about a hesi-tween into a contested midrange shot?
No. 1 Dallas Mavericks: Cooper Flagg (Forward)
When Larry Bird first took to the floor in Boston, a dove was released, after years of little success in the Garden. When Flagg takes the floor for Dallas, they should begin chiseling his statue. Despite his last Duke game ending in a missed shot, he’s the clear favorite. The defense will translate immediately, and the shooting to follow. His impact on this team should be immediate.
No. 2 San Antonio Spurs: Dylan Harper (Guard)
Another rim-attacking guard for San Antonio? Sure, but when given the opportunity when your pick jumps six spots, you’ve got to go after the highest talent. Self creation from outside shots is a struggle, but Harper shoots 39% from the 3-point line on catch-and-shoot 3’s.
No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers: Airious “Ace” Bailey (Forward)
Aside from the superstar name, Bailey has two major questions going into this draft. Efficiency and decision making when passing the ball are major what-ifs, as Bailey has struggled in college with it. He comes in a bit more of a “raw” prospect compared to Flagg and Harper, but his intangibles and physical swiss-army knife of a rookie is what makes him sought-after.
No. 4 Charlotte Hornets: VJ Edgecombe (Guard)
Edgecombe is an athletic defensive menace and can force stops and turnovers like nobody’s business, averaging 2.3 steals-per-game (spg) for Baylor last year. He’s a good slasher and can get to the line, and fits along better perimeter players and shooters like Lamelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Edgecombe needs to work on shot selection and footwork, his outside scoring probably being his most limiting factor as an athlete.
No. 5 Utah Jazz: Tre Johnson (Guard)
How does a 40% three-point shooter sound? Now how does it sound when you learn he shoots nearly seven of them per game? He nearly put up 20 points-per-game (ppg) as a true freshman, and can be an immediate impact on offense. He reads a defense well and can make the right passes when double-teamed. If I were to pick a favorite prospect, Johnson would be it. He’s like a taller Darius Garland with more athleticism.
No. 6 Washington Wizards: Kon Knueppel (Guard / Forward)
The Wizards had an efficiency problem (along with a few others) in the 2024-25 season. How does this get fixed? Draft the premiere 3-and-D player. He could be Cameron Johnson at his best – an important role-player on a championship level team, and can carry the load on offense, much as Johnson has done in the 2024-25 season with the Nets.
No. 7 New Orleans Pelicans: Jeremiah Fears (Guard)
Fears is young and on a team looking to take a shot on a potential star. The Pelicans enter the draft in odd territory, with an injury riddled roster that could scrape the bottom of the Western Conference Playoffs as it stands. His touch as a shooter can be questioned, but can bear offensive responsibility when necessary. Speed and a crisp handle feels like some of his slicker moves pair best with a Sade album.
No. 8 Brooklyn Nets: Kasparas Jakucionis (Guard)
Jakucionis just played his freshman year at Illinois after playing overseas as a teenager. His touch and playmaking doesn’t just come from his assist numbers (6.3 apg), but from a team-first style of play that may pair well with a superstar Brooklyn is looking to add this summer. Self-creation and continuing on his upward trajectory as a 3-point shooter are the biggest questions.
No. 9 Toronto Raptors: Khaman Maluach (Center)
The first center off the board, and he’s as traditional as they get. Slow footed and tall, he protects the rim at a high level despite not having a crazy block rate. He’s like Van Gogh, his best work is done in the paint. He can command a defense with potential to be a regular on the all-defensive first-team.
No. 10 Houston Rockets: Carter Bryant (Wing)
A defensive player that can shoot 3’s is all the pitch Houston needs. He needs to be looked at as an idea, his numbers don’t scream “lottery pick”. He shot 37% from the 3-point line. He can plug into any defensive situation, moments with him on the floor with Amen could make Houston one of the leagues best defenses.
No. 11 Portland Trailblazers: Noa Essengue (Forward)
Essengue is a young forward that fits into the guard-heavy Trailblazer rotation and adds to their size with a 6’8 frame. He’s a beast in transition and can get to the line with ease, averaging 5.6 free-throw-attempts (fta) per game. He’s uber-athletic and young, with potential to perhaps grow into his body.
No. 12 Chicago Bulls: Derik Queen (Center)
Talk about NBA ready. Queen is 6’9, 250 lbs with guard skills. He weirdly plays below his size, and is undersized for the center position. But so is Bam Adebyo. And Ben Wallace. While Queen is less of a back to the basket post-up player, he’s offensively skilled as a driver, constantly beats defenders and gets to his spots on the floor, most of them around the rim where he shoots around 68%.
No. 13 Atlanta Hawks: Egor Demin (Guard)
Demin is a 6’8 guard with good passing vision and solid on-ball defensive skills. He can control pace on the floor. The biggest issue is the 3-point shooting. He shot just above 27% on 4.7 attempts per-game, and his assist-to-turnover ratio isn’t too impressive in part because of his rough handle. In some ways he mirrors Josh Giddey as a prospect and early player who hadn’t quite found his shot. In many ways point guard who strictly have a feel for the game and good passing ability don’t have the greatest longevity, sort of like Dirk Diggler. They’ve got one thing going for them, and can wear out easily in the big leagues (but could always go European).
No. 14 San Antonio Spurs: Collin-Murray Boyles (Forward)
Rounding out the lottery is Boyles. This is a player everyone has mocked differently, as high as 3 to being a high second rounder. He’ll fall in between. Boyles is a 6’7 sophomore averaging nearly 17 ppg on 58% from the field, over 8 rebounds and a good defensive skillset that separates himself from contemporaries.
No. 15 Oklahoma City Thunder: Asa Newell (Forward)
If Newell turns out to be capable of being on the floor for OKC, not a single shot is going to be taken at the rim against them. Newell is a great rim-protector and athletic, and could schematically work as OKC’s stepping stone off of the Hartenstein contract (with the impending doom of the CBA).
No. 16 Orlando Magic: Rasheer Fleming (Forward)
Fleming and Newell are neck and neck as prospects, but I prefer Fleming here. He’s stronger and doesn’t need to have the ball in his hands to be effective on the floor. He maintains Orlando’s defensive mindset, and can without a doubt be a good floor-spacer (his 3-point shot CAN be consistent).
No. 17 Minnesota Timberwolves: Liam McNeeley (Forward)
McNeeley is a BIG question mark. He was touted as one of the best shooting prospects, but hasn’t shot or scored the ball efficiently this year. If he can be effective off-ball, he can be another plug-in 3-point shooter for this Minnesota offense. He’s a bit like Sam Hauser as a prospect IF the 3-pointers are falling.
No. 18 Washington Wizards: Will Riley (Forward)
This is a Washington Wizards sort of draft pick. Outside of 2024, they haven’t had the highest hit-rate, so this is a bit more of an “out there” pick. Riley is a good isolation scorer who got better as his Freshman year at Illinois went along. Despite being good in isolation, he isn’t that explosive and lacks a defensive mindset.
No. 19 Brooklyn Nets: Thomas Sorber (Center)
Sorber is a fun big man prospect. His measurables and defense are both good, a fair comparison being Jaren Jackson Jr. He put up nearly 15 points and 9 boards on a middle of the pack Georgetown team.
No. 20 Miami Heat: Nique Clifford (Wing)
Clifford is an older prospect (23), something Miami has valued in the past. He’s good off catch-and-shoot 3-pointers where he shot over 40% last season. He’s playable in most offenses and can flourish in a Miami scheme.
No. 21 Utah Jazz: Jase Richardson (Guard)
As a shorter guard, Richardson flourished at Michigan State. He’s a crisp player on offense and understands the flow of the game, at points able to control an entire offense. Two things sort of stand out watching his tape. His size is often a defensive issue, although this is nothing new for smaller guards. The other, bigger issue is his shot.
No. 22 Atlanta Hawks: Joan Beringer (Center)
Beringer is one of the more mysterious players this draft. There’s a lot of bigs with a great defensive game that lack the offensive firepower to be at the top of this draft. Beringer falls victim to this. He’s a versatile and young lob-threat and has shown promise in pick-and-roll situations with solid footwork. He doesn’t do all that much offensively outside of the paint, but as the Hawks may look to move off of Clint Capela (for what seems to be the 10th straight season), Beringer can fill that role and also shows more raw potential as an 18-year-old prospect.
No. 23 Indiana Pacers: Walter Clayton Jr. (Guard)
Clayton may be a slam-dunk for many teams. He’s shown his poise under pressure during March Madness. His combine netted positive results, and his high volume and shot quality of 3-pointers is going to turn heads. Taking over games is something he is capable of, and that is a quality that the Indiana Pacers value.
No. 24 Oklahoma City Thunder: Danny Wolf (Center)
Wolf passes the name test with ease. He’s nearly 7 feet tall with the passing skills of a small guard. He’s familiar to Kelly Olynyk defensively, as in he can’t quite work that side of the floor. He can rebound and (for now) marginally help space the floor, although his shooting is probably the biggest risk teams will be taking on him.
No. 25 Orlando Magic: Drake Powell (Wing)
There is something unabashedly special about Powell’s gameplay. I ask for anyone who has seen a North Carolina basketball game to remove the record and remove Powell’s statistics. Just watch him play. He had an incredible performance at the NBA Draft Combine based off of his athletic prowess alone. He’s had elite flashes of play on a team where he (likely) should have seen more possessions.
No. 26 Brooklyn Nets: Noah Penda (Wing)
Penda is a 6’8 wing from Fance, which has been an absolute gold mine for NBA players as of recent. His best trait is easily his defense, and in some ways he’s similar to Powell (although there is a gap in shooting skill), though Penda is more effective as an inside scorer. Despite the shooting being an iffy part of his game, he can be a connective piece for most teams because he’s also a formidable passer.
No. 27 Brooklyn Nets: Nolan Traore (Guard)
Traore is another piece in the NBA’s French New Wave. He’s played 2 years, and has made tweaky improvements to his game throughout the past season alone. The biggest upside is his youth. He can navigate screens in ways that teams may use to justify his sub-40% field goal percentage.
No. 28 Boston Celtics: Cedric Coward (Forward)
Coward is an older prospect as a senior out of Washington State coming off of a season-ending injury where he only played 6 games in what looked to be a career year. With that out of the way, he’s a career 39% 3-point shooter in college where he also looked to average 1.7 blocks-per-game (bpg) and 7 rpg. He’s a hustle player with a lot of all around skills to justify this pick.
No. 29 Phoenix Suns: Labaron Philon (Guard)
I’m a bit lower on Labaron because I’m not too sure how his skillset will translate, there are a few different avenues he can take. He’s a good defensive guard who can finish at the rim but has some difficulty finding consistent shots elsewhere, though he has a float game that rivals Root Beer.
No. 30 Los Angeles Clippers: Ben Saraf (Guard)
Saraf has been gaining draft stock but I’m not too high on him. He’s a solid passer but manages to turn the ball over at a higher than usual rate. The biggest plus on his draft resume is his age, there’s a lot of promise with how he’s able to develop.