2025 NBA Draft Grades: Analysis for All 30 Teams

Atlanta Hawks: A

The specific player Atlanta drafted was almost secondary to the excellent trade they made. By moving down just 10 spots with the Pelicans, they acquired an unprotected 2026 first-round pick (the better of those from Milwaukee and New Orleans). This trade alone would have been highly favorable, even without receiving the No. 23 pick. Adding to this success, the Hawks selected Asa Newell, a prospect ranked 13th in my statistical projections.

It remains to be seen how quickly Newell will integrate into the rotation alongside the recently acquired Kristaps Porzingis. However, their potential pairing is promising, as Porzingis`s strengths appear to complement the areas where Newell, viewed as a forward/center hybrid, needs support.

Boston Celtics: C+

Hugo Gonzalez might have been a better fit for Boston as a “stash” prospect, developing overseas before joining the NBA. However, the Celtics leadership indicated plans to bring him over next season.

During the broadcast, Gonzalez was compared to Denver`s Christian Braun. A key difference is shooting: Braun hit 38% of his college 3-pointers, while Gonzalez shot 27% at Real Madrid.

Amari Williams is an intriguing prospect with potential in rebounding, rim protection, and facilitating. However, his career 2-point shooting (54%) is notably poor for a non-shooting center. Max Shulga, Boston`s final pick, was the highest-projecting player in my model due to his solid 39% career 3-point shooting.

Brooklyn Nets: C+

The sheer volume of the Nets` record-breaking five first-round selections is arguably more significant from a team-building perspective than the individual players drafted. This high volume is a reason I previously rated the trades that acquired these picks positively.

Brooklyn is making a substantial bet on developing a large group of teenagers, many of whom have similar skill sets. Demin and Traore, for instance, are both strong playmakers with size, but need to improve their shooting and scoring efficiency. While they can defend together, floor spacing might become an issue with several similar players on the court.

Drafting so many developing prospects could also aid the Nets` efforts to potentially land in the lottery again in 2026, the final year they control their own first-round pick before it conveys to the Houston Rockets in 2027.

Charlotte Hornets: B

While the jokes about the Hornets drafting from the Research Triangle area may abound, Kon Knueppel was second in my projections and appears to be a perfect fit to fill Charlotte`s need at shooting guard.

Although Tre Johnson also fit this description, Knueppel was a more efficient scorer at Duke and rated higher in my metrics when evaluated in a larger on-ball role in the Nike EYBL circuit.

Selecting Liam McNeeley, who fits a similar mold, was likely a best-available pick after he fell below his projected range in the early 20s. I am less enthusiastic about the Hornets taking Sion James, another Duke player, relatively high in the second round. James served strictly as a role player over five college seasons, never exceeding a 17.1% usage rate.

Following the trade of starting center Mark Williams, there could be an immediate opportunity for Ryan Kalkbrenner to contribute, provided his pick-and-roll defense is NBA-ready.

Chicago Bulls: A-

I`m intrigued to see how Noa Essengue will fit alongside 2024 lottery pick Matas Buzelis, another young combo forward. If they both develop sufficient shooting ability to play together at forward, or if Buzelis adds enough size to occasionally play center, they could provide Chicago with valuable length and athleticism.

Credit the Bulls for selecting the best player available and continuing to invest in young talent, despite their apparent reluctance to fully rebuild and acquire higher lottery picks.

Cleveland Cavaliers: B

The Cavaliers didn`t make a selection until late on the second night of the draft but managed to land an interesting prospect in Tyrese Proctor, who showed continued development after initial “one-and-done” hype. Proctor shot 40.5% from three last season and demonstrated potential as an on-ball defender, though his steal rate could improve. Saliou Niang, taken as a potential stash player, faces longer odds due to his shooting struggles: 26% career from three and 71% from the foul line.

Dallas Mavericks: B

One has to wonder how much discussion the Mavericks` front office actually had about this pick. From the moment Dallas unexpectedly secured the No. 1 overall selection in the lottery, it was clear Cooper Flagg would be the choice, and rightfully so.

From a process standpoint, the Mavericks don`t get credit for winning the lottery itself, only for executing the obvious and correct pick without mistakes.

Denver Nuggets: Incomplete

Expect to see the Nuggets frequently receive an `incomplete` grade in future drafts. They did not control any second-round picks until acquiring their 2032 second-rounder at the conclusion of this draft, and they still owe two protected first-round picks starting in 2027.

Detroit Pistons: B

Much like fellow former Tennessee standout Dalton Knecht, Chaz Lanier developed later in his college career, boosting his scoring from 4.7 points at North Florida in 2022-23 to 18 points per game in the SEC last season. He is a skilled shooter with good size (40% career from three) and provides the Pistons with depth at guard, offering some insurance if they are unable to re-sign free agents Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr.

Golden State Warriors: B

Alex Toohey`s shooting is still a work in progress, as he made 31% from three in the Australian NBL last season, but his defensive activity, reflected in his steal and block rates, is promising. I have long been a fan of Will Richard, who ranked in the top 30 of my projections due to his high 2-point shooting percentage.

Houston Rockets: Incomplete

The Houston Rockets used both of their draft picks this year to acquire Kevin Durant in a trade that cannot be officially completed until July 6th. As a result, despite their recent solid track record in the draft, they should be considered winners of the draft period through this significant trade.

Indiana Pacers: A

For the second consecutive year, the Pacers have made one of my favorite selections in the second round. Unlike 2024 second-rounder Johnny Furphy, who played sparingly as a rookie at age 20, Kam Jones, 23, has a greater potential to contribute immediately. Indiana could certainly benefit from additional guard depth, particularly with Tyrese Haliburton recovering from an Achilles rupture sustained during Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Taelon Peter, who spent most of his college career at Division II Arkansas Tech, is a fascinating gamble. He is a guard who averaged just 1.0 assist as a fifth-year senior at Liberty, but perhaps passing is less necessary when you shoot 76% on 2-pointers and 45% on 3-pointers? While it`s uncertain if this efficiency will translate, there is minimal risk for Indiana at the No. 54 pick.

LA Clippers: C-

As a second-round pick, I could see the value proposition for the late-blooming Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who is an excellent shot blocker and developed into a scoring threat after transferring to Penn State.

However, taking him in the first round is more difficult to justify, given that Niederhauser is a below-average defensive rebounder and recorded more than twice as many assists as turnovers. His overall profile bears some similarity to Daniel Oturu, whom the Clippers drafted 33rd overall in 2020.

Kobe Sanders also emerged later in college, not averaging double-figure scoring until his fourth year. My projections place more weight on earlier college seasons because excelling early has historically been a stronger predictor of NBA success.

Los Angeles Lakers: B+

Kudos to the Lakers for using cash considerations to move up from No. 55 to No. 36 after executing a couple of trades. Adou Thiero`s steal and block rates suggest defensive potential, provided he can develop a consistent outside shot to stay on the court. Thiero was a career 28% college 3-point shooter.

Memphis Grizzlies: C-

It wouldn`t quite feel like a Grizzlies draft without a trade-up, their fourth in the first round since 2019. Moving up two spots for Brandon Clarke proved successful, but giving up more value for Jake LaRavia and Ziaire Williams did not pan out.

In this instance, Memphis sent one of the unprotected Orlando first-round picks acquired in the Desmond Bane trade to move up five spots for Cedric Coward. This move represents questionable value, at best. This is not an indictment of Coward, who ranked 13th in the stats-only version of my projections. However, I would have preferred waiting to see if either Coward or Carter Bryant (selected 14th) was still available before trading up.

I did like the value the Grizzlies got with Javon Small, who is appropriately undersized but scored efficiently given his 28% usage rate as a senior at West Virginia. Jahmai Mashack, who peaked at 6.0 points per game as a senior at Tennessee, would have fit the “Grit n` Grind” era Grizzlies with his active defense.

Miami Heat: A-

Kasparas Jakucionis is not a perfect prospect. His steal and block rates are concerningly low, and he also struggled with turnovers during his single season at Illinois.

Despite these flaws, selecting him at No. 20 feels like an overcorrection by other teams for a player who was ranked inside the top 10 by many for much of the year. Miami took advantage with one of the draft`s better value picks.

Milwaukee Bucks: B

No prospect the Bucks could have drafted at the 47th pick was going to significantly alter Giannis Antetokounmpo`s future in Milwaukee. Bogoljub Markovic scored efficiently in his first full season in the Adriatic League, shooting 61% on 2-pointers and 37% on 3-pointers, although low steal and block rates raise questions about his defensive impact.

Minnesota Timberwolves: B-

The Timberwolves have a clear vision for how Joan Beringer, a low-usage center playing in Slovenia who excels as a rim protector, can fit into their system. It`s unrealistic to expect Beringer to become Rudy Gobert, who is a premier finisher with a significantly longer wingspan. However, as Gobert ages, Minnesota will need a replacement, and Beringer possesses the potential to fill that role.

In the second round, the Timberwolves reinforced this position by selecting the 7-foot-3 Rocco Zikarsky. These two players have remarkably similar projections, and it will be interesting to observe how Minnesota manages their development concurrently.

New Orleans Pelicans: F

It is possible that a trade like the one the Pelicans made to select Derik Queen at No. 13 could work out successfully. The Phoenix Suns famously gave up an unprotected future first-round pick in 2018 to move up six spots and never regretted landing Mikal Bridges.

However, New Orleans is placing a significant gamble on their evaluation that Queen, despite being less valuable than Fears (in their view), was still worth trading up for. The potential downside is also higher because the Pelicans` own 2026 pick is potentially part of the deal. At least Mikal Bridges was a prospect who rated sixth overall in my projections. Derik Queen was outside the top 30.

I appreciated New Orleans` decision to avoid feeling obligated to take Fears at No. 7, even though he was widely considered the best prospect available there. But in retrospect, the Pelicans would be in a better position having simply drafted Queen with their original pick (No. 18 before trades) than by acquiring both players at the cost they incurred.

Micah Peavy had a breakout season as a fifth-year senior at Georgetown, averaging 17.2 points and 2.3 steals. His jump to 40% 3-point shooting gives him a chance at a 3-and-D role, although he did not show the same improvement at the free-throw line (66%).

New York Knicks: C+

Mohamed Diawara has not yet developed into a significant impact player in his native France, having averaged just 5.8 points for Cholet last season. Stashing Diawara overseas for continued development might be a more sensible approach than having him occupy a roster spot immediately.

Oklahoma City Thunder: B

As with the Timberwolves` selection of Beringer, the vision here is clear. Thomas Sorber posted excellent defensive statistics at Georgetown and was a surprisingly strong passer for a freshman center, recording more assists than turnovers.

Squinting, one can envision him in the mold of Isaiah Hartenstein, who is likely to become less central to Oklahoma City`s plans as their core players become more expensive.

Lacking immediate roster spots for multiple first-round picks, the Thunder traded the No. 24 pick to Sacramento for a future pick. This deal lacks significant upside (Oklahoma City`s future pick is protected and cannot be higher than No. 17), but it aligns better with the timeline for the reigning champions.

Brooks Barnhizer is expected to be on a two-way contract, according to Givony. He was an inefficient scorer in college (.500 true shooting percentage) but racked up steals and blocks at Northwestern.

Orlando Magic: B+

There`s a nice bit of symmetry with Jase Richardson joining one of his father Jason Richardson`s four former NBA teams, and I also favor the value of this pick. Richardson was projected in the lottery before measuring slightly over 6 feet barefoot at the NBA Draft Combine. Such drastic shifts in perception always seem puzzling. Richardson still produced well at Michigan State.

Orlando doesn`t need Richardson to contribute immediately, but he has the potential to develop into a rotation player when the Magic start feeling the impact of giving up four first-rounders to acquire Desmond Bane.

Orlando then paid a significant price – picks No. 46 and No. 57, plus two future second-rounders – to trade up to select Noah Penda. Penda`s shooting is still developing; he shot under 70% from the free-throw line last season.

Philadelphia 76ers: B+

Although Kon Knueppel was slightly ahead in my projections, I likely would have selected VJ Edgecombe here as well. I appreciate his defensive foundation, evidenced by a very high steal rate at Baylor, and his athleticism suggests potential as a shot creator.

Knueppel might have fit more cleanly with Joel Embiid`s current status, but given Embiid`s health history, I`m not certain that should be the primary consideration for Philadelphia`s long-term timeline anymore.

A consensus first-team All-America selection last season, Johni Broome could provide immediate help to the Sixers. He brings more versatile skills to the center position compared to the backups (Andre Drummond and Adem Bona) who struggled when filling in for Embiid last season.

Phoenix Suns: B

A promising center from Duke fell to the Suns, a team in need of frontcourt help, who also strangely traded to acquire former Duke center Mark Williams in a separate deal. In this context, it`s worth considering whether Phoenix could have made some of the value-generating trades that teams drafting just behind them executed. However, with Khaman Maluach available as the top prospect on their board, standing pat made sense for the Suns.

Phoenix used future picks to move up to the top of the second round (No. 31) and to No. 41. Several teams were reportedly interested in selecting Saint Joseph’s forward Rasheer Fleming, who ranked 12th in my stats-only projections. Fleming provides the Suns with another quality shot blocker, this time with more shooting range. While Koby Brea adds another shooting guard to a team already crowded at that position, Phoenix could benefit significantly from his shooting prowess – he has the highest skill projection as a shooter in my database – particularly if Grayson Allen is traded.

Portland Trail Blazers: C-

Yang Hansen might develop into an All-Star and could potentially lead the Blazers into championship contention. What we *do* know is that other teams did not value Hansen as highly as Portland did, indicating the team is betting heavily on their ability to identify talent better than the rest of the league.

To the Blazers` credit, they did acquire an extra first-round pick by trading down. However, they would have been significantly better off executing a trade similar to what the Atlanta Hawks achieved, assuming such a deal was available to them.

Sacramento Kings: C

Having sent the No. 13 pick to Atlanta as part of the Kevin Huerter trade, the Kings utilized an extra first-round pick acquired from the De`Aaron Fox deal to get back into the first round. Sacramento mitigated some of the potential downside of this move by applying top-16 protection to the pick, which has only a one-year window to convey.

My model was less optimistic about Nique Clifford than many scouts because he didn`t emerge as a serious NBA prospect until his fifth year of college at age 23. Time will reveal how much of that was genuine skill improvement versus utilizing an experience advantage that won`t carry over to the NBA.

Scouts were also higher on Maxime Raynaud than my model, largely due to his subpar block rate for a center. However, my model missed on Quinten Post last year, and Raynaud possesses a similar skill set, having hit 67 3-pointers as a senior.

San Antonio Spurs: A

Dylan Harper was consistently projected as the consensus No. 2 pick, so aside from considering potential blockbuster trades, San Antonio`s decision at that spot was straightforward and settled early.

The Spurs deserve more credit for their other lottery pick, where they waited patiently for Carter Bryant to fall to them. I have a high opinion of Bryant`s potential as a 3-and-D player, making him an ideal fit on a team already rich in shot creation with Harper, De`Aaron Fox, and Victor Wembanyama.

Toronto Raptors: B

I believe Collin Murray-Boyles` unique game will translate to the NBA, though Toronto might not be the most ideal landing spot. If he is to succeed as a power forward, Murray-Boyles needs shooting around him. The Raptors currently have a non-shooting center in Jakob Poeltl and only adequate perimeter shooting.

If 2024 second-round pick Jonathan Mogbo develops a 3-point shot after shooting 24% as a rookie, the two undersized big men could form an interesting frontcourt pairing focused on high-impact defensive plays.

Alijah Martin is undersized for a shooting guard at 6-foot-2 but was productive in college. He ranked 26th in my stats-only projections.

Utah Jazz: B+

I`ve previously compared Ace Bailey to the paths of Boston Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum coming out of college – joining a team where they would need to refine their shot selection. This comparison feels especially relevant now that the same executives who drafted those wings (Austin and Danny Ainge) have brought Bailey to a Utah team that is still far from championship contention. The value proposition for Bailey, ranked fifth in my model, makes sense here, and I am not concerned that Bailey reportedly did not want to land in Utah.

However, the Jazz will need to carefully manage his development to help Bailey become a perimeter star, similar to how the Celtics cultivated Brown and Tatum. Adding Walter Clayton Jr., an NCAA champion and strong outside shooter, could assist in this process. Utah`s backcourt is currently crowded, but veterans Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton may not remain part of the team`s long-term plans, creating opportunity for Clayton.

At 24, John Tonje was the oldest player selected in the draft. He got to the free-throw line nearly seven times per game at Wisconsin as a sixth-year senior, a number worth viewing with caution. However, Tonje`s 91% free-throw shooting and 38% 3-point shooting should translate more effectively to the NBA level.

Washington Wizards: B-

Similar to the Nets, the Wizards are significantly committing to youth, adding two more teenagers to the four they acquired from the 2024 first round (including AJ Johnson, acquired at the trade deadline).

I was initially skeptical of Tre Johnson as a top-five prospect due to his poor defensive metrics and low 2-point percentage. However, selecting him outside that range, his potential as a shooter justifies the pick. Will Riley was drafted slightly ahead of where I had him projected and will also need to improve his defensive playmaking.

Jamir Watkins, who will turn 24 in July, brings more experience to the team. There is no doubt about Watkins` defensive potential, but he will need to improve his career 3-point shooting percentage of 32.5%.