2025 NBA Draft Combine winners: Raynaud, Lendeborg and Byrd
These 2025 NBA draft prospects are the biggest winners from the NBA Draft Combine
There appears to be very little mystery this year at the top of the 2025 NBA draft. The assumption is Duke‘s Cooper Flagg will be the No. 1 selection, even if the Dallas Mavericks were to make another shocking trade and deal the pick they won in last week’s NBA draft lottery. Artificial intelligence has picked up on that sense of certainty ahead of next month’s event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
While AI predictions for some prospects vary from the most influential NBA mock drafts, the projection for Flagg aligned with conventional thinking when USA TODAY Sports asked Microsoft Copilot to run a simulation of the 2025 NBA draft first round based on team needs, player rankings and draft order. The prospects selected after him, however, is where the AI and draft experts began to diverge
The simulation, for instance, was a little higher on Maryland’s Derik Queen than most mock drafts and a little lower on Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears. It had Georgia’s Asa Newell, Saint Joseph’s Rasheer Fleming and Israeli guard Ben Saraf as top-20 picks when most don’t and predicted others expecting to go in the first round to slide. It appears, at the very least, to be a better representation than earlier attempts to get AI predictions for this year’s NBA draft. Maybe the NBA draft combine helped clear things up (and led to more published mock drafts).
Here’s a breakdown of the 2025 NBA draft first-round picks made by Microsoft Copilot AI, as well as how to watch next month when the league’s teams gather in Brooklyn to make their selections:
NBA draft 2025: AI predictions for every first round pickDallas Mavericks: F Cooper Flagg, DukeSan Antonio Spurs: G Dylan Harper, RutgersPhiladelphia 76ers: G V.J. Edgecombe, BaylorCharlotte Hornets: F Ace Bailey, RutgersUtah Jazz: G Tre Johnson, TexasWashington Wizards: F Derik Queen, MarylandNew Orleans Pelicans: F Kon Kneuppel, DukeBrooklyn Nets: G Kasparas Jakucionis, IllinoisToronto Raptors: C Khaman Maluach, DukeHouston Rockets: G Jase Richardson, Michigan StatePortland Trail Blazers: G Jeremiah Fears, OklahomaChicago Bulls: F Asa Newell, GeorgiaAtlanta Hawks: F Noa Essengue, Ratiopharm UlmSan Antonio Spurs: F Liam McNeeley, UConnOklahoma City Thunder: F Connor Murray-Broyles, South CarolinaOrlando Magic: G Egor Demin, BYUMinnesota Timberwolves: G Ben Saraf, Raiopharm UlmWashington Wizards: Thomas Sorber, GeorgetownBrooklyn Nets: F Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’sMiami Heat: F Carter Bryant, ArizonaUtah Jazz: G Nolan Troare, Saint-QuentinAtlanta Hawks: F Yaxel Landeborg, UABIndiana Pacers: F Isaiah Evans, DukeOklahoma City Thunder: G Will Riley, IllinoisOrlando Magic: F Alex Toohey, GonzagaBrooklyn Nets: F Drake Powell, North CarolinaBrooklyn Nets: G/F Dink Pate, G League IgniteBoston Celtics: F/C Danny Wolf, MichiganPhoenix Suns: F Alex Karaban, UConnLos Angeles Clippers: G Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest
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When is the 2025 NBA draft
The 2025 NBA draft is scheduled to take place over two days, with the first round scheduled for Wednesday, June 25 beginning at 7 p.m. ET and the second round slated to happen on Thursday, June 26.