NBA Future Watch: 2025 NBA Mock Draft – Part 2 – If you missed Part 1, check it out here. The 2025 NBA Draft presented by State Farm will take place on June 25-26, 2025 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., home of the Brooklyn Nets. The Draft will follow a two-night format.
16. Memphis
- Best Player Available: Egor Demin (SG/SF, BYU)
- Team Needs: SG, SF, PF
- Best Pick to Make: Kasparas Jakucionis (PG/SG, Illinois)
Jakucionis brings legitimate combo guard skills but also can improve the connectivity of a roster that must adjust to the hole that Desmond Bane leaves behind. With overseas experience, Jakucionis brings gravitas to a young roster in transition. Initial cards and stickers from Jakucionis are anticipated with interest.
17. Minnesota (from Detroit via New York, Oklahoma City, and Houston)
- Best Player Available: Demin
- Team Needs: PG
- Best Pick to Make: Demin
Every draft features at least one or two players who are in the wrong place at the wrong time and Demin might be the foremost example in the 2025 NBA Draft, with teams drafting for need keeping him from ending up where he could have gone – which is as much as eight picks higher. The Timberwolves would love to get their point guard of the future in this draft but likely won’t accomplish that without a trade-up. So, Demin’s exquisite value becomes a worthy substitute. One of the best all-around players in this draft class, Demin has a path to stardom with increased consistency. Demin’s first cards and stickers have yet to hit the market.
- Best Player Available: Asa Newell (PF, Georgia)
- Team Needs: PG, PF, SF
- Best Pick to Make: Newell
An athletic player capable of becoming a legitimate stretch four, Newell has the potential to really outperform his draft position if he develops strongly. Moreover, Newell is a good fit with the Washington roster. Newell’s cards and stickers thus far have come from Bowman (Chrome University and Chrome Sapphire University).
19. Brooklyn (from Milwaukee via New York, Detroit, Portland, and New Orleans)
- Best Player Available: Khaman Maluach (C, Duke)
- Team Needs: SF, C, PG, PF
- Best Pick to Make: Will Riley (SG/SF, Illinois)
Riley has a better offensive game than most other players at this phase of the draft. Other parts of Riley’s game are in development, but that just positions him to grow with a young roster. Riley’s initial cards and stickers will be items of interest when they hit the market.
20. Miami (from Golden State)
- Best Player Available: Maluach
- Team Needs: PG, C
- Best Pick to Make: Jase Richardson (PG/SG, Michigan State)
Richardson possesses combo guard skills that are needed to juice up the Miami roster. The court vision and IQ that Richardson brings will fit in perfectly with Heat Culture. Richardson has yet to have his cards and stickers on the market.
21. Utah (from Minnesota)
- Best Player Available: Maluach
- Team Needs: SG
- Best Pick to Make: Nique Clifford (SG, Colorado)
22. Atlanta (from LA Lakers via New Orleans)
- Best Player Available: Maluach
- Team Needs: C
- Best Pick to Make: Maluach
The Hawks may well go for strength in numbers in upgrading their pivot production and Maluach would fit nicely. Maluach possesses the raw tools to become a stretch five and would likely achieve stardom if he got there. Thus far, Maluach’s cards and stickers have come through Bowman (Chrome University and Chrome Sapphire University) and Panini Prizm Draft Picks.
- Best Player Available: Carter Bryant (SF, Arizona)
- Team Needs: C, SF, PF, SG
- Best Pick to Make: Bryant
While Bryant has work to do in developing his offensive game, he fits into the New Orleans roster perfectly as yet another athletic wing. Bryant’s impediments to playing time should be minimal. Panini Prizm Draft Picks distributes Bryant’s cards and stickers to date.
24. Oklahoma City (from LA Clippers)
- Best Player Available: Ben Saraf (PG, Israel)
- Team Needs: C
- Best Pick to Make: Danny Wolf (C, Michigan)
Wolf would be an excellent complement to Murray-Boyles if the Thunder were to utilize the same strategy as Atlanta and double down on an area of need. A stretch five with established playmaking skills, Wolf would deliver a strong skill set to a team that presently needs very little help. Wolf has yet to have his debut cards and stickers hit the market.
25. Orlando (from Denver)
- Best Player Available: Saraf
- Best Pick to Make: Walter Clayton (PG, Florida)
A combo guard with shooting ability, quarterbacking skills and a strong winning pedigree, Clayton is in position to help the Magic’s roster to coalesce as much as any player could. Collectors are awaiting Clayton’s initial cards and stickers with interest.
26. Brooklyn (from New York)
- Best Player Available: Saraf
- Team Needs: SF, C, PG, PF
- Best Pick to Make: Ryan Kalkbrenner (C, Creighton)
Kalkbrenner is a strong inside scorer with the chance to develop into more. On a Nets team in need of players who would at least be guaranteed rotation players, Kalkbrenner at minimum fits that bill. The first cards and stickers for Kalkbrenner emerged from Bowman Chrome University and Bowman’s Best University.
- Best Player Available: Saraf
- Team Needs: SF, C, PG, PF
- Best Pick to Make: Johni Broome (PF/C, Auburn)
Broome advanced greatly as a pro prospect at Auburn, establishing a very high floor at the pro level. Additionally, Broome will be ready on Day One to provide leadership to a young core that will be in crying need of it in Brooklyn. Collectors can find Broome’s cards and stickers from Panini Prizm Draft Picks, Bowman’s Best University and Bowman (Chrome University, Chrome Sapphire University and Now University).
28. Boston
- Best Player Available: Saraf
- Team Needs: C, PG, SG, SF
- Best Pick to Make: Saraf
With the Celtics likely to offload Jrue Holiday’s salary sooner rather than later, Saraf could step in right away on a rookie contract to furnish, at minimum, the playmaking and mid-range shooting that Boston would be losing. Continued physical development, along with consistency aspects on both sides of the ball, would mark Saraf as capable of much more than that. Saraf’s cards and stickers have yet to be released.
29. Phoenix (from Cleveland via Utah)
- Best Player Available: Hugo Gonzalez (SG, Spain)
- Team Needs: C, SF, PG
- Best Pick to Make: Noah Penda (SG/SF, France)
On a Phoenix roster that is still stuck between attempts at contention and the preeminence of player development – at least for right now – Penda helps in both areas. Combining youthful intensity with maturity and an unselfishness that endears him to teammates, Penda is a good fit for whatever the direction of the Suns in 2025-26 will be. Penda’s cards and stickers remain pending.
30. LA Clippers (from Oklahoma City)
- Best Player Available: Gonzalez
- Team Needs: PF
- Best Pick to Make: Bogoljub Markovic (PF, Serbia)
Markovic has advanced offensive skills for a player likely to be available in this spot. The tradeoffs include the need for greater consistency and defensive prowess, but Markovic has the potential to greatly outperform his draft slot. Collectors are anticipating the release of Markovic’s initial cards and stickers.
NBA Future Watch: 2025 NBA Mock Draft – Part 2 – More Resources
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