2025 NBA Mock Draft: Is Cooper Flagg A Lock For The Top Spot?

It’s time for yet another 2025 NBA Mock Draft

The 2024 NBA Draft may still be a recent memory for fans and analysts alike, yet the basketball world is already castꦜing its gaze tꦓoward the 2025 class. While the previous draft did not produce an abundance of immediate superstars, preliminary evaluations suggest that the upcoming pool of talent could be significantly more impactful.

To engage in speculation and assessment of potential, we initiate a preliminary exploration of the⛦ 2025 NBA Draft through a mock draft 🦹exercise. However, it is imperative to acknowledge the inherent unpredictability surrounding the definitive draft order. As the regular season remains uncharted territory, its outcomes will substantially influence final standings and, consequently, the lottery odds for each team.

To c♓onstruct a foundation for our mock draft, we will utilize the current NBA Championship odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook as a proxy for team strength. This methodology, while imperfect, offers a starting point for projecting potential draft positions. It is crucial to remember that the NBA Draft Lottery, with its element of chance, possesses the power to dramatically alter these projections. The lottery system ensures that even teams with the poorest records retain a possibility▨ of securing the coveted top overall selection.

With a comprehensive understand𓄧ing of the complexities involved, we can now proceed with our mock draft exercise, recognizing its 💯speculative nature and the potential for modifications as the 2023-2024 season unfolds.

Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

How Does the NBA Draft Lottery Work

Following the conclusion of the season, the NBA uses a lottery system to decide the first 14 picks in the draft order🥂.

Before we look at the draft order, here’s how the NBA Draft Lottery system works:

  • Eligible Teams: The 14 teams that do not qualify for the NBA playoffs are eligible to participate in the draft lottery. This includes teams that make the Play-In Tournament but don’t advance past the Play-In Tournament.
  • NBA Draft Lottery Odds: The teams with the worst records have higher chances of winning a top pick. The teams with the three worst records have the highest chance – a 14% chance – while the odds incrementally decrease for teams with better records among the non-playoff teams.
  • Ping Pong Balls: Fourteen ping-pong balls numbered 1 through 14 will be placed in a lottery machine. There are 1,001 possible combinations when four balls are drawn out of 14. Before the lottery, 1,000 of those 1,001 combinations are assigned to the 14 participating lottery teams. Those three with the highest odds will be given 140 combinations each – aka the most combinations.
  • Lottery Drawing: Finally, drawings are conducted for the first four picks of the NBA Draft. The remaining non-playoff teams are then ordered based on their regular-season records, with the team with the worst record picking fifth, followed by the team with the next worst record, and so on.
  • Also, the NBA shares the footage of the lottery drawing after each draft. You can watch the 2023 procedure .

    2025 NBA Mock Draft
    Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

    2025 NBA Mock Draft

    1. Detroit Pistons: Cooper Flagg – F – Duke – 17 Years Old
    2. Washington Wizards: Ace Bailey – G/F – Rutgers – 17 Years Old
    3. Charlotte Hornets: Dylan Harper – G – Rutgers – 17 Years Old
    4. Portland Trail Blazers: VJ Edgecombe – G – Baylor – 18 Years Old
    5. Brooklyn Nets: Liam McNeeley – G/F – UConn – 18 Years Old
    6. Toronto Raptors: Nolan Traore – G – France – 18 Years Old
    7. Utah Jazz: Hugo Gonzalez – F – Spain – 18 Years Old
    8. Chicago Bulls: Khaman Maluach – C – Duke – 17 Years Old
    9. San Antonio Spurs: Tre Johnson – G – Texas – 18 Years old
    10. San Antonio Spurs (via ATL): Kwame Evans – F – Oregon – 19 Years Old
    11. Houston Rockets: Noa Essengue – F – Germany – 17 Years Old
    12. Orlando Magic: Jalil Bethea – G – Miami – 18 Years Old
    13. Atlanta Hawks (via SAC): Hunter Sallis – G – Wake Forest – 21 Years Old
    14. New Orleans Pelicans: Michael Ruzic – F – Spain – 17 Years Old
    15. Indiana Pacers: Drake Powell – G/F – North Carolina – 18 Years old
    16. Memphis Grizzlies: Derrion Reid – F – Alabama – 18 Years Old
    17. Oklahoma City Thunder (via MIA): Alex Karaban – F – UConn – 21 Years Old
    18. Utah Jazz (via CLE): Egor Demin – G – BYU – 18 Years Old
    19. Oklahoma City Thunder (via LAC): Carter Bryant – F – Arizona – 18 Years Old
    20. Houston Rockets (via PHX): Kanaan Carlyle – G – Indiana – 19 Years Old
    21. Golden State Warriors: Kasparas Jakucionis – G – Illinois – 18 Years Old
    22. New Orleans Pelicans (via LAL): Elliott Cadeau – G – North Carolina – 19 Years Old
    23. Philadelphia 76ers: Tyrese Proctor – G – Duke – 20 Years Old
    24. Dallas Mavericks: Ian Jackson – G – North Carolina – 19 Years Old
    25. Brooklyn Nets (via MIL): Donovan Freeman – F – Syracuse – 18 Years Old
    26. Utah Jazz (via MIN): Kon Knueppel – G/F – Duke – 18 Years Old
    27. Brooklyn Nets (via NYK): Collin Murray-Boyles – F/C – South Carolina – 19 Years Old
    28. Oklahoma City Thunder: Rocco Zikarsky – C – Australia – 17 Years Old
    29. Orlando Magic (via DEN): Adou Thiero – F – Arkansas – 20 Years Old
    30. Boston Celtics: KJ Lewis – G – Arizona – 19 Years Old
    Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

    written by

    Matt is from the Chicagoland area and has been working in Chicago sports since 2015 with stops at WGN Radio, the Chicago Blackhawks, Stadium, and NBC Sports Chicago pri▨or to landing at Beꦐtsperts. Matt covers just about everything for Betsperts and Bleacher Nation but focuses on the NHL and college football.

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