By Jonathan Givony, Jeremy Woo | ESPN, 2025-06-28 20:00:00
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
2025年NBA选秀大会尘埃落定，库珀·弗拉格 (Cooper Flagg) (第1顺位被达拉斯独行侠选中) 和迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) (第2顺位被圣安东尼奥马刺选中) 成为了这轮充满变数的首轮选秀的焦点人物。
埃斯·贝利 (Ace Bailey) 在第5顺位被犹他爵士选中，这支球队并非他计划中的落脚点之一，但这可能是一个绝佳的归宿。新奥尔良鹈鹕进行了一次大胆操作，将杰里迈亚·菲尔斯 (Jeremiah Fears) (第7顺位) 与德里克·奎因 (Derik Queen) (第13顺位) 凑在一起，为此运作了宝贵的选秀权资产。波特兰开拓者做出了首轮最令人惊讶的选择，他们选中了杨瀚森 (Yang Hansen) (在我们最终的百大球员榜上排名第35位)。而拥有五个首轮签的布鲁克林篮网，则全部保留并选中了这五名球员，以开启他们的年轻化进程。
那么，最佳性价比的选择是谁？哪支球队的选秀班级最好？哪些球员有望入选最佳新秀阵容一阵？我们花费数年时间研究了2025届的这些新秀，以下是我们看好的操作、令我们惊讶的操作，我们还会分享一些长期预测。
让我们通过回答15个问题来深入分析本次选秀的结果。
跳转至主题：
最喜欢的新秀选择 | 理想的落脚点 | 最佳性价比
最大惊喜 | 最佳选秀班级 | 选秀日交易
意外下滑的球员 | 最佳新秀候选人 | 最佳新秀阵容球员
发展联盟得分手 | 落选黑马
您在本次选秀中，最喜欢哪一笔选择？
吉沃尼 (Givony) ： 迈阿密热火在第20顺位选中了卡斯帕拉斯·亚库西奥尼斯 (Kasparas Jakucionis)。 热火不仅得到了我榜单上的第10名球员，还得到了一位填补阵容空缺、完美契合他们球队文化和打法的球员。身高6英尺6英寸，体重205磅的亚库西奥尼斯拥有控球和组织能力，能够为后场提供急需的投篮创造，同时他的身材也足够高大，可以与全明星组合后卫泰勒·希罗 (Tyler Herro) 在无球状态下配合。
随着戴维昂·米切尔 (Davion Mitchell)（受限制自由球员）在季后赛表现强劲，这三人肯定能在某些时候同时出场，这得益于亚库西奥尼斯的身材、力量和外线投篮能力——这种位置多样性对于现代NBA来说是理想的。
周四，迈阿密热火管理层在他们的选秀室享用了波兰饺子（一种东欧主食）之后，成功签下了俄罗斯中锋弗拉德·戈尔丁 (Vlad Goldin)，他在ESPN百大球员榜的落选自由球员中排名第二（总榜排名第49）。他加入了热火近年来不断壮大的国际球员阵容，其中包括立陶宛和俄罗斯球员。热火阵容中还有瑞典的佩莱·拉尔森 (Pelle Larsson) 和塞尔维亚的尼古拉·约维奇 (Nikola Jovic)。
伍 (Woo) ： 菲尼克斯太阳在第10顺位选中了卡曼·马鲁阿奇 (Khaman Maluach)。 我无法告诉您太阳下赛季会表现如何。但我可以说，他们在解决上赛季的一些问题上做得很好，特别是通过选中马鲁阿奇，他正是菲尼克斯急需的那种护框型内线巨塔。
我认为太阳上赛季几乎没有防守体系，这种说法一点也不夸张，而马鲁阿奇（与新援马克·威廉姆斯 (Mark Williams) 协同）应该能帮助改变这种局面。他应该能很好地辅助太阳以持球为主的外线组合。
哪位球员的落脚点最理想，能最大化发挥他的天赋？
吉沃尼 (Givony) ： 贝利在第5顺位被犹他爵士选中。 尽管围绕贝利首选选秀落脚点（华盛顿？）以及他经纪人据称在选秀前对一支前五顺位球队发出的可能不向训练营报到的威胁存在争议，但看到这种情况友好解决并不令人惊讶，这很可能在很大程度上是因为贝利由于NBA劳资协议和此举引发的公关反弹而缺乏谈判筹码。
当贝利周六抵达犹他时，他会发现自己能来到一个拥有充足机会、缺少明星球员、优秀的教练组和充满激情的球迷群体的环境是多么幸运，他应该很快就会意识到这里是他达到全明星潜力的完美之地。
伍 (Woo) ： 埃戈尔·德明 (Egor Demin) 在第8顺位被布鲁克林篮网选中。 我对德明未来的看法比一些人似乎更乐观——他这种高大组织者的潜力总会受到高度重视，我理解篮网为何相信他在选秀大会早期值得冒这个险。能去一个立刻就能获得大量持球回合出场机会的球队，与篮网选秀班级中的其他有天赋的组织者搭档，并磨练他的投篮能力，这是非常理想的。
他的新秀赛季可能会是一个严峻的考验，但他无私的打法与篮网队明确想要的风格相符。能来到这样一个像一张白纸般的境地对德明来说可能意义重大，而不是被迫在一个阵容更深度、可能限制他施展才华的球队中争取上场时间。
最佳性价比选择是哪笔？
吉沃尼 (Givony) ： 夏洛特黄蜂在第29顺位选中了利亚姆·麦克尼利 (Liam McNeeley)。 我仍然很惊讶麦克尼利（在我方百大球员榜上排名第17位）竟然跌到了首轮末尾。在他的职业生涯大部分时间里，他都以投篮能力著称，但本赛季在康涅狄格大学，他的三分命中率仅有32%。他进行了几次试训，在私人环境下投篮效果不如NBA球队预期。
我曾在许多不同场合看到麦克尼利投篮手感火热，并且坚信他能在NBA级别的空间下，扮演比他在康涅狄格大学时更小的进攻角色，从而茁壮成长。此外，他凭借他的身材（穿鞋身高6英尺8英寸）、强硬、球商和整体技术水平，能为球队带来更多。找到这种类型的球员并不容易，所以我相信黄蜂队最终会因为这次选择而捡到宝。
伍 (Woo) ： 亚库西奥尼斯被热火选中。 迈阿密队受益于他们前面的一些意外选择，选中了一位被一些人（包括我）视为前十顺位潜力球员的选手——他同时也能满足热火队对组织型后卫的需求。他最终比我们预期的更具争议性，但我猜测对于热火队来说，这次选择会比那些错过他的球队“保值”得更好。
哪笔选择最让您感到惊讶？
吉沃尼 (Givony) ： 德明被篮网选中。 很多人很难理解为什么我们全年都将德明保持在前十，尤其是在他大十二联盟比赛中表现挣扎的时候。尽管如此，看到他被选在卡曼·马鲁阿奇和亚库西奥尼斯之前，我还是有点惊讶，因为我在我们的百大球员榜上把他们排在德明前面。我们听说篮网希望通过这次选秀得到一名首发控球后卫，而他们现在有三名该位置的候选人：德明、诺兰·特劳雷 (Nolan Traore) 和本·萨拉夫 (Ben Saraf)（也许还有丹尼·沃尔夫 (Danny Wolf)）。
我非常喜欢德明将被赋予充分发挥潜力的机会，在一个超乎寻常的角色中（类似于杨百翰大学），他将能够在犯错中成长，同时身边也有组织者。理想情况下，这组球员的投篮能力应该再强一些，但这是篮网可以长期解决的问题，可能在明年充满天赋的选秀大年中再获得一个高顺位选秀权，届时AJ·迪班特萨 (A.J. Dybantsa)、卡梅隆·布泽尔 (Cameron Boozer) 或内特·埃门特 (Nate Ament) 看起来都是绝佳的选择。
伍 (Woo) ： 杨瀚森在第16顺位被波特兰开拓者选中。 我的反应与其说是震惊，不如说是好奇。杨瀚森作为一名年轻内线，拥有有趣的技能组合，值得有人冒险尝试。我很喜欢他在联合试训中的表现，但此前没有任何预期他会进入前20顺位，这是对他在中国低水平联赛的进攻天赋能否最终转化的一个巨大赌注。
唯一与杨瀚森广泛联系的球队是篮网，他们在开拓者之后拥有四个首轮签。我理解波特兰为何在那个位置选中他，这可以看作是对选秀策略的概括性声明：如果你喜欢某个球员，就直接选中他，不要冒险。交易向下可能存在挑战，但即使有这个理由，杨瀚森会以如此高的顺位被选中，这种想法从未在任何情况下出现在我脑海中。
您最喜欢哪支球队的整体选秀班级？
吉沃尼 (Givony) ： 夏洛特黄蜂。 我上面已经写过麦克尼利了，但我也非常喜欢康恩·克努佩尔 (Kon Knueppel)（第4顺位）和瑞安·卡尔克布伦纳 (Ryan Kalkbrenner)（第34顺位）的加入。克努佩尔的球商、无私的打法、力量和强硬应该会让他很容易与队友配合，特别是与拉梅洛·鲍尔 (LaMelo Ball) 和布兰登·米勒 (Brandon Miller) 搭档，他可以很好地对他们进行互补。我整个赛季都是克努佩尔的忠实粉丝，看到他进入前五顺位并不惊讶。
至于卡尔克布伦纳，黄蜂队得到了一名即插即用的内线，他看起来已经准备好立即以一份廉价的新秀合同打轮换时间了。夏洛特在将马克·威廉姆斯交易出去以获得选中麦克尼利的选秀权和一个2029年首轮签后，需要一名具备NBA水准的球员，我认为那也是一个很棒的运作。
伍 (Woo) ： 圣安东尼奥马刺。 侥幸得到哈珀是一回事，但马刺没有屈服于任何交易他的诱惑，也没有因此加快他们的竞争窗口期，这是正确的。我理解契合度方面的担忧，如果德阿隆·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 没有已经加入，情况会更简单，但让哈珀与维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 和斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 更好地融合的想法非常有意义。
总的来说，我们喜欢将一种即刻夺冠的紧迫感赋予每一个有幸拥有超巨水准天赋的球队，但我们必须记住文班亚马才 21岁 。在我看来，圣安东尼奥根本没有必要做任何事情，只需选择这些球员，然后观察他们如何共同成长。再加上第14顺位的新秀卡特·布莱恩特 (Carter Bryant)，他应该会随着时间的推移，通过投篮和外线防守来辅助那些更多持球的队友，马刺的势头可能会非常良好。
您最不喜欢哪支球队的整体选秀班级？
吉沃尼 (Givony) ：没有哪支球队特别突出，不过我本来很希望看到休斯顿火箭和丹佛掘金在任何一轮中都能参与进来，但可以理解为什么这两支球队现在都优先考虑他们的季后赛窗口期。
伍 (Woo) ： 新奥尔良鹈鹕。 这与其说是因为他们选中的球员天赋问题，不如说是因为鹈鹕通过近期一系列交易带来了风险和契合度问题。菲尔斯确实很有天赋，但他能否在乔丹·普尔 (Jordan Poole) 已经加入的情况下，在一个可能拥挤的后场中最大限度地发挥天赋，这是一个令人担忧的问题。
我很难想象奎因如何能在赢球背景下与锡安·威廉姆森 (Zion Williamson) 同时在场——他们都不能在外线投篮或在高水平上护框，他们最终可能会互相妨碍。我担心这两位乐透区新秀能否在这种情况下发挥出他们的才能。
当然，我理解新的管理层会锁定他们喜欢的球员，在球队打上他们的烙印，然后以后再考虑其他事情。如果鹈鹕没有为了达成交易而出售他们明年的选秀权，这一切会更让人接受——此举给他们现有团队带来了压力，要求他们集体向前迈出巨大一步。
您最喜欢哪笔选秀日交易？
吉沃尼 (Givony) ： 亚特兰大老鹰交易向下，最终在第23顺位选中了阿萨·纽维尔 (Asa Newell)。 伍已经回顾了鹈鹕队与奎因的交易，但新老鹰管理层（由奥西·萨利赫 (Onsi Saleh) 领导）值得称赞。老鹰队仅仅为了在本次选秀中向下交易10个顺位，就获得了我预计会是2026年NBA选秀中的第8顺位选秀权。在我个人榜单上，我将奎因排在纽维尔前面23个位置，所以关于价值肯定有争议的空间。
但公平地说，新奥尔良的交易过程值得质疑，他们在选秀前如此明确地表达了对奎因的兴趣，以至于损害了其谈判筹码。这导致他们放弃了2026年可能很高顺位的选秀权，而这个选秀权本应该为新奥尔良带来比现在多得多的收益。
伍 (Woo) ： 爵士队交易向上，在第18顺位选中了小沃尔特·克莱顿 (Walter Clayton Jr.) 我承认我在本赛季并不是一个很大的克莱顿支持者，但随着我对他的评估越多，我越开始看好他的投篮能力，认为他是在一个控卫稀缺的选秀班级中一个有趣的选择。爵士队为此付出的代价并不大，尽管他可能需要为上场时间而战，但克莱顿有很大的机会成为一名有价值的贡献者。
您最不喜欢哪笔选秀日交易？
吉沃尼 (Givony) ： 孟菲斯灰熊与波特兰开拓者交易向上五个顺位 ，从第16顺位升至第11顺位，为此放弃了奥兰多魔术在2028年的一个无保护首轮签以及两个次轮签（2027年来自亚特兰大，2028年来自奥兰多）。这感觉是相当大的代价，仅仅是为了向上移动五个顺位，即使有很多传闻说俄克拉荷马城雷霆（第15顺位）也试图向上交易选中塞德里克·考沃德 (Cedric Coward)。我个人不太看好考沃德会在那么高的顺位被选中，所以我们将不得不拭目以待事情的进展。
我本来希望看到波特兰队再向下交易5到10个顺位去选中杨瀚森，或许在此过程中还能获得更多资产，但看起来除了前15顺位之外，交易市场相当疲软，首轮后半段的交易变动很小。
伍 (Woo) ： 新奥尔良为了奎因而抵押未来。 考虑到所有情况，无论您多么相信这位马里兰大学的中锋（或者无论您认为谁应该成为第13顺位的人选），为了在本次选秀中向上移动10个顺位而交易掉一个2026年首轮签，对我来说很难合理化。这更多是关于交易过程，而非球员本身。
五年后，我们都会疑惑为什么____在选秀中顺位下滑了？
吉沃尼 (Givony) ： 雨果·冈萨雷斯 (Hugo Gonzalez) 在第28顺位被波士顿凯尔特人选中。 我在他个人榜单上将他排在第15位，比他被选中的顺位高出13位。他最初被预测为前十顺位新秀，但他的顺位为何下滑不难理解，因为他在阵容强大的皇家马德里队中很难获得上场时间。如果冈萨雷斯为乌尔姆兰蒂奥帕姆队效力，去杨百翰大学（在德明签约前曾大力招募他），或在澳大利亚NBL未来之星计划中度过一个赛季……在我看来，他会是一个明确的乐透区选秀权。
在本赛季之前，他在国际篮联青年比赛和青年俱乐部比赛中作为国际篮球顶级新秀之一，建立了无可挑剔的履历。
我也喜欢他与波士顿的契合度，凭借他在防守端带来的狂热强度，他肯定会成为球迷的最爱。我听说波士顿正在告诉经纪人，他们计划以新秀合同80%的薪资签下通过这个选秀权选中的任何新秀，但由于冈萨雷斯与皇家马德里的高额买断费（140万美元），这并不可行，因为冈萨雷斯已经需要自掏腰包支付很大一部分。
伍 (Woo) ： 威尔·莱利 (Will Riley) 在第21顺位被华盛顿奇才选中。 我可能比任何人都更近距离地观察过他，因为我上赛季多次现场观看了伊利诺伊大学的比赛。我非常看好莱利的天赋，并且认为他有机会在奇才队中崭露头角，这支球队会给他们的年轻天才很多机会。他需要努力进行身体发展才能实现这一点——莱利身高6英尺8英寸，体重180磅——但是有多少真正具备体型和进攻天赋的侧翼球员因为过于瘦弱而无法在NBA立足呢？
莱利并不缺乏实际比赛经验，我认为他会随着时间的推移让一些人感到惊讶。
现在就预测：谁将赢得NBA年度最佳新秀？
吉沃尼 (Givony) ： 弗拉格。 他是这一届中最优秀的球员，并且将被要求立即在独行侠队中扮演重要角色，因为他们目前阵容中投篮创造能力非常有限，需要他从第一天起就成为一名明星。他们需要他基本上在残酷的西部联盟中支撑球队，等待凯里·欧文 (Kyrie Irving) 从膝伤中复出。
伍 (Woo) ： 除了弗拉格之外的任何人？嗯，不。 这并不是要贬低本次选秀中的任何球员，但我认为这不是一个特别大胆的预测。他将迎来一个绝佳的机会立刻脱颖而出，我预计我们会看到他迅速适应NBA。
现在就预测：哪五名球员将入选NBA最佳新秀阵容一阵？
吉沃尼 (Givony) ： 弗拉格、哈珀、贝利、克努佩尔、特雷·约翰逊 (Tre Johnson)（奇才）。
伍 (Woo) ： 弗拉格、哈珀、约翰逊、克努佩尔 ——主要是为了不选完全相同的球员，我会选择爵士队的另一位新秀， 小克莱顿 。
哪位球员最有可能在2025-26赛季点燃发展联盟？
吉沃尼 (Givony) ： 贾文·斯莫尔 (Javon Small)，孟菲斯灰熊第48顺位选中。 作为天赋满满的大十二联盟的一阵球员，斯莫尔凭借稳定的投篮创造和投篮能力，以及在攻防两端都带来的极大强硬，将一支人员不整的西弗吉尼亚大学队带到了NCAA锦标赛席位的边缘，这些特质通常很适合发展联盟。
他在转换进攻中将难以对付，并且应该能在那个联盟的开放环境中茁壮成长，很可能会大量得分，同时在攻防两端做出赢球贡献。如果他未来几年能成为孟菲斯灰熊的另一个小斯科蒂·皮蓬 (Scotty Pippen Jr.) 式的瑰宝，我不会感到惊讶。
伍 (Woo) ： 瑞安·内姆布哈德 (Ryan Nembhard)，落选球员。 内姆布哈德将与独行侠队签下一份双向合同，这里的注意事项是，我能看到他由于独行侠队控球后卫深度不足，而被迅速提升到阵容名单并在NBA发挥作用。我喜欢内姆布哈德组织进攻和带动队友的能力，并相信他可以超越他的身材限制（6英尺，180磅）。无论何时被下放，他都将是发展联盟中顶尖的后卫之一。
您最感兴趣关注哪位落选球员？
吉沃尼 (Givony) ： 洛杉矶湖人队的埃里克·迪克森 (Eric Dixon)。 这位前维拉诺瓦大学后卫是本赛季大学篮球的头号得分手，场均23分，三分命中率达到41%。他不仅仅是一名定点射手，他还能命中艰难的侧撤步和单打急停跳投，并能强力冲击防守者以制造犯规。他身高6英尺8英寸，拥有260磅的强壮体格，使他成为一名像格尔雄·亚布塞莱 (Guerschon Yabusele) 那样真正的内外线错位球员。24岁的迪克森需要证明他能在防守端站稳脚跟，但除了拉开空间的能力之外，他还具备真正的强硬和身体素质。我非常喜欢湖人队的这笔引援。
我听说湖人队篮球运营总裁罗伯·佩林卡 (Rob Pelinka) 在迪克森与球队试训后与他共度了一段时间。据称，佩林卡向迪克森讲述了科比·布莱恩特 (Kobe Bryant) 参观梵蒂冈西斯廷教堂的故事，当时教堂专门为他们清场。佩林卡说，科比注意到的第一件事是光线不足，以及米开朗基罗 (Michelangelo) 不得不大部分工作在烛光下完成，这展示了他对细节的关注以及在艰难条件下掌握技艺所需的专注。科比将此与他在篮球场上的工作联系起来，想象米开朗基罗当时的心态，即如何在条件不理想的情况下，精进技艺并创造世界闻名的杰作。
伍 (Woo) ： 洛杉矶快船队的约翰·普拉基达斯 (John Poulakidas)。 这位前耶鲁大学后卫是我在赛季中逐渐喜欢上的一位潜力黑马。普拉基达斯（6英尺6英寸，205磅）拥有侧翼球员的优秀身体比例，他已经是一位非常出色的射手，如果他能提升防守贡献，他就有可能通过非传统方式进入球队阵容（据报道他将与快船队签下一份附录10合同）。具备NBA身材的优质三分射手通常比任何其他角色类型都能更快地得到机会。
对这一届选秀班级做出一个五年后的预测：
吉沃尼 (Givony) ： 琼·贝林格 (Joan Beringer)（第17顺位被明尼苏达森林狼选中）将在五年后成为最佳防守阵容候选人。 他获得了向四届NBA最佳防守球员、同胞法国人鲁迪·戈贝尔 (Rudy Gobert) 每天训练学习的难得机会。贝林格在过去一年中长高了一英寸半，直到2021年夏天的一次后期生长爆发让他不再适合足球运动之前，他从未接触过篮球。
在他职业篮球的第一个赛季中，他被证明是亚得里亚海联赛的头号盖帽手，作为蹲守型防守者和护框手，展现出卓越的本能和敏捷性，这让他在这方面拥有巨大的长期发展潜力。
伍 (Woo) ： 篮网队的选秀表现将超出预期。 布鲁克林队试图做什么有一个清晰的愿景：他们低价买入了诺兰·特劳雷 (Nolan Traore)（第19顺位）和德雷克·鲍威尔 (Drake Powell)（第22顺位），这两位球员都经历了一个表现不佳的赛季，并且他们囤积了拥有高球商且身材高于平均水平的组织者，包括德明、本·萨拉夫 (Ben Saraf)（第26顺位）和沃尔夫（第27顺位）。显然，篮网队希望打造一支无私、乐于分享球的球队。我并不像有些人那样担心这些球员在发展过程中会互相妨碍。
所有这些球员都需要提高他们的外线投篮——这是一个公允的批评和重要的变数。不过，当您将那些喜欢传球的球员聚集在一起时，我更不担心技能重叠。让他们所有人都一起开始职业生涯，建立化学反应，并打出独特的风格，这应该会促进更容易的出手。篮网队似乎为所有球员都提供了上场时间，因为他们准备下赛季再次参与乐透抽签——而且我认为这些球员中至少有几个会超出预期。
您对本次选秀最主要的总体启示是什么？
吉沃尼 (Givony) ： 大学篮球回来了，并且短期内不会离开。 在去年选秀大会的前两名新秀分别来自法国（扎卡里·里萨谢 (Zaccharie Risacher)）和澳大利亚（亚历克斯·萨尔 (Alex Sarr)）之后，今年前十顺位中没有非大学国际球员被选中，首轮也只有六名被选中。这些都是历史新低的数据，但明年可能会进一步下降，因为我们目前只预测有四名非大学国际球员会在首轮和次轮被选中，这很可能是我们一段时间内看到的最低数字。
大学中与NIL（形象权收益）相关的高额报酬的吸引力导致许多球员选择留在学校，也吸引了更多国际球员来到美国，类似于我们看到的德明和亚库西奥尼斯的情况。时间会证明众议院和解方案中的收入分成限制是否会减少我们现在看到的高额NIL薪水，这可能会导致一些国际球员留在本国并通过传统的欧洲篮球路径发展。
伍 (Woo) ： 共识只是一个概念。 我们看到的所有首轮惊喜，都是球队完全信任自己的选秀榜单和评估过程的产物。无论是孟菲斯灰熊确保抢到考沃德，新奥尔良鹈鹕大举投资奎因，波特兰开拓者以比任何人预期都高的顺位选中杨瀚森，还是篮网队认为保留所有五个首轮签有价值，选秀总是仁者见仁智者见智，这就是为什么模拟选秀在某个时候会脱轨。
这次选秀是一个有趣的提醒，有多少球队愿意坚定地选择，放弃公众对价值的看法。
点击查看原文：2025 NBA draft: Value picks, risky moves, ROY predictions
2025 NBA draft: Value picks, risky moves, ROY predictions
The 2025 NBA draft is a wrap, with Cooper Flagg (No. 1 to the Dallas Mavericks) and Dylan Harper (No. 2 to the San Antonio Spurs) the headliners of what turned out to be a first round full of twists.
Ace Bailey came off the board at No. 5 to the Utah Jazz, a team that wasn’t one of his planned destinations, but could be an excellent landing spot. The New Orleans Pelicans made an aggressive play to pair Jeremiah Fears (No. 7) with Derik Queen (No. 13), moving valuable draft capital to make it happen. The Portland Trail Blazers made the most surprising pick of the first round by selecting Yang Hansen (ranked No. 35 in our final Top 100 big board). And the Brooklyn Nets, who controlled five first-round picks, drafted all five to jump-start a youth movement.
What was the best value pick? Which team drafted the best class? And which players could be named first-team All-Rookie? We have spent years studying the prospects in the 2025 class, and here are the moves we liked, the moves that surprised us and we’ll share a few long-term predictions.
Let’s dig into the fallout of this draft by answering 15 questions.
Jump to a topic:
Favorite pick | Ideal situation | Best value
Biggest surprise | Class pick | In-draft trades
Surprise faller | ROY candidates | All-Rookie players
G-league hitter | Undrafted underdog
What was your favorite pick of the entire draft?
Givony: Kasparas Jakucionis to the Miami Heat at No. 20. Not only did the Heat get the No. 10 player on my big board, they also got a player who fills a roster void and fits their culture and style of play perfectly. Jakucionis (6-foot-6, 205 pounds) has the ballhandling and playmaking ability to offer much-needed shot creation in the backcourt, but he also is big enough to operate off the ball alongside All-Star combo guard Tyler Herro.
With Davion Mitchell (restricted free agent) coming off a strong playoff showing, the three could certainly play in the same lineup at times, thanks to Jakucionis’ size, strength and perimeter shooting prowess – positional versatility that is ideal for the modern NBA.
In their draft room and after eating perogies (an Eastern European staple) on Thursday, the Miami Heat front office secured Russian center Vlad Goldin, the No. 2-ranked undrafted free agent prospect on the ESPN Top 100 big board (No. 49). He adds to the Heat’s growing roster of international performer in recent years, including Lithuanian and Russian players. The Heat also have Sweden’s Pelle Larsson and Serbia’s Nikola Jovic on their roster.
Woo: Khaman Maluach to the Phoenix Suns at No. 10. I can’t tell you whether the Suns will be any good next season. But I can say they did a good job of addressing some of last season’s problems, particularly by drafting Maluach, who is the exact type of jumbo paint protector Phoenix was sorely missing.
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say the Suns had zero defensive identity last season, and Maluach (in tandem with new addition Mark Williams) should help change that tone. He should be able to thrive complementing the Suns’ ball dominant perimeter group.
Which player landed in the ideal situation to maximize his talent?
Givony: Bailey to the Utah Jazz at No. 5. Despite the drama around Bailey’s preferred draft destination (Washington?) and his agent’s alleged threat to a top-five team before the draft to potentially not report to camp, it wasn’t surprising to see this situation amicably resolved, likely in no small part due to Bailey’s lack of leverage because of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement and the public relations backlash this move generated.
When Bailey arrives in Utah on Saturday and sees how fortunate he is to land in a situation with an ample opportunity, a lack of star power, an outstanding coaching staff and a highly passionate fan base, he should quickly realize he is in the perfect place to reach All-Star potential.
Woo: Egor Demin to the Brooklyn Nets at No. 8. I’m more optimistic on Demin’s future than some seem to be – there will always be a premium placed on prospects in his mold as a jumbo playmaker, and I understand why the Nets believed he was worth the dive that early in the draft. Going to a team where he’ll get a chance to play right away with plenty of on-ball reps, pair with the other talented passers in Brooklyn’s draft class and also hone his shooting is ideal.
His rookie season could be something of a crucible, but his unselfish style of play falls in line with how the Nets clearly want their team to look. Landing in a blank slate situation like this could be huge for Demin, as opposed to having to fight for minutes on a deeper roster that might have limited the opportunity to spread his wings.
What was the best value pick?
Givony: Liam McNeeley to the Charlotte Hornets at No. 29. I’m still surprised McNeeley (ranked No. 17 on our top 100 big board) fell to the end of the first round. Known for his shooting prowess for most of his career, McNeeley hit only 32% of his 3s at UConn this season. He had several workouts where he struggled to shoot as effectively in private settings as NBA teams had hoped.
I’ve seen McNeeley shoot lights-out in many different settings and firmly believe he will thrive with NBA spacing in a smaller offensive role than he was asked to shoulder at UConn. He also brings more to the table with his size (6-foot-8 in shoes), toughness, feel for the game and overall skill level. It’s not easy to find this type of player, so I believe the Hornets will end up getting a steal with this pick.
Woo: Jakucionis to the Heat. Miami benefited from some of the unexpected decisions ahead of it by drafting a player who some (me included) viewed as a top-10 prospect – and one who also fits the Heat’s need for a playmaking guard. He was ultimately a little more polarizing than we expected, but my guess is this one will age better for the Heat than it will for the teams that passed on him.
Which pick most surprised you?
Givony: Demin to the Nets. A lot of people had a hard time understanding why we kept Demin in our top 10 all year, especially as he was struggling badly in Big 12 play. Still, I was a little surprised to see him selected ahead of Khaman Maluach and Jakucionis, who I had in front of him on our Top 100 big board. We had heard the Nets wanted to come out of this draft with a starting point guard, and they now have three candidates for that position: Demin, Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf (and maybe Danny Wolf too).
I love the fact Demin will be empowered to reach his full potential in an outsized role (similar to BYU), where he’ll be able to play through mistakes, but will also have playmakers alongside him. Ideally, there would be a little more shooting to be found in this group, but that’s something the Nets can work through long term, potentially with another high pick in next year’s loaded draft, where A.J. Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer or Nate Ament all look like outstanding fits.
Woo: Yang Hansen to the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 16. My reaction was closer to fascination than shock. Yang has an intriguing skill set for a teenage big who was going to be worth someone rolling the dice on. I liked what I saw from him at the combine, but there was no expectation that he would wind up inside the top 20, and it’s a big gamble on his offensive talent ultimately translating from a low level in China.
The only team that was widely tied to Yang was the Nets, who held four picks behind the Trail Blazers in the first round. I understand why Portland took him where it did, as a blanket statement on draft strategy. If you love a guy, just take him, don’t risk it. Trading back was probably a challenge, but even with that rationale, the thought of Yang going that high never crossed my mind in any scenario.
Which team has your favorite class as a whole?
Givony: Charlotte Hornets. I already wrote about McNeeley above, but I also like the additions of Kon Knueppel (No. 4) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (No. 34) quite a bit. Knueppel’s feel for the game, selfless style of play, strength and toughness should make him easy to play with, especially alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, who he could complement quite well. I was a huge fan of Knueppel all season and was not surprised to see him go in the top five.
With Kalkbrenner, the Hornets got a plug-and-play big who looks ready to play rotation minutes right away on a cheap rookie-scale deal. Charlotte needed someone NBA-ready after trading Mark Williams for the pick that got them McNeeley and a 2029 first-rounder, which I thought was a great move as well.
Woo: San Antonio Spurs. Lucking into Harper was one thing, but the Spurs were right not to lean into any temptation to trade him and fast-track their competitive window. I understand the fit concerns, and it would be simpler were De’Aaron Fox not in the mix already, but the idea of letting Harper jell with Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle makes a lot of sense.
Generally speaking, we love to assign a sense of immediate title urgency to every team fortunate enough to employ superstar-caliber talent but one has to remember Wembanyama is 21 years old. In my mind, there was never any need for San Antonio to do anything but select and see how these players grow together. Factor in No. 14 pick Carter Bryant, who should complement his more ball dominant teammates with shooting and perimeter defense over time, and the Spurs could have an excellent thing going.
Which team has your least favorite class as a whole?
Givony: There isn’t one team that stands out, though I would have loved to have seen the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets jump into the action in either round, but it’s understandable why both teams are prioritizing their playoff windows right now.
Woo: New Orleans Pelicans. This is less about the talent of players they drafted and more about how the Pelicans invited risk and fit concerns with their string of recent transactions. Fears is a real talent, but him maximizing it in what could be a crowded backcourt with Jordan Poole now in the mix is a concern.
And I struggle to see how Queen can share the floor with Zion Williamson in a winning context – neither can shoot from the perimeter or protect the paint at a high level, and they might ultimately get in each other’s way. I’m concerned about the chances either lottery pick gets to use their talents in the situation.
Of course, I understand a new front office targeting the guys they like, putting their stamp on the team and figuring out other things later. It would all be a little more palatable had the Pelicans not sold off their own draft pick next year to make it work – a move that places pressure on their current group to take a huge collective step forward.
What was your favorite in-draft trade?
Givony: The Atlanta Hawks trading down to ultimately draft Asa Newell at No. 23. Woo recapped the New Orleans side of the Queen deal, but a shoutout to the new Hawks front office (led by Onsi Saleh) is in order. The Hawks secured what I project to be the No. 8 pick in the 2026 NBA draft, just for moving down 10 spots in this draft. I had Queen rated 23 spots ahead of Newell on my personal big board, so there’s certainly room to quibble about value.
But it’s fair to question the process New Orleans went through, clearly telegraphing its interest in Queen so strongly in the lead-up to the draft that it hurt its negotiating leverage. It led to giving up a potentially high draft pick in 2026, which should have netted New Orleans a lot more than what it did.
Woo: The Jazz trading up to draft Walter Clayton Jr. at No. 18 I admittedly was not a huge Clayton proponent during the season, but the more I evaluated him, the more I started to buy his shotmaking talent as an intriguing bet in a draft class that was pretty light on point guards. The Jazz didn’t have to pay much to do it, and while he might have to fight for minutes, there’s a reasonable chance Clayton becomes a valuable contributor.
What was your least favorite in-draft trade?
Givony: Memphis trading up five spots with Portland from No. 16 to No. 11, giving up an unprotected first-round pick from the Orlando Magic in 2028 and two second-round picks (2027 via Atlanta and 2028 from Orlando). That feels like an awfully big haul to move up just five spots, even if there were a lot of rumblings that the Oklahoma City Thunder (picking No. 15) were also trying to move up for Cedric Coward. I wasn’t especially sold on Coward being picked that high, so we’ll have to see how this plays out.
I would have liked to have seen Portland move down another five-to-10 picks for Yang, and perhaps pick up more assets in the process, but it seems the trade market softened quite a bit outside the top 15, with minimal movement in the second half of the first round.
Woo: New Orleans mortgaging the future for Queen. Considering all the circumstances, no matter how badly you believe in the Maryland center (or no matter who you think should have been the 13th pick instead), trading away a 2026 first-round pick to move up 10 spots in this draft was hard for me to rationalize. It’s less about the player and more about the process.
In five years, we’re all going to wonder why ____ fell in the draft?
Givony: Hugo Gonzalez to the Boston Celtics at No. 28. I had him rated as the No. 15 player on my personal big board, 13 spots ahead of where he was drafted. He started the process as a projected top-10 pick, but it’s not hard to understand why his stock fell, as he struggled to get on the floor for a loaded Real Madrid team. Had Gonzalez played for Ratiopharm Ulm, went to BYU (which recruited him heavily prior to signing Demin), or spent a season with the NBL Next Stars program in Australia … he would have been a clear lottery pick in my view.
He built an impeccable résumé as one of the top prospects in international basketball in FIBA youth competitions and junior club competition prior to this season.
I also love his fit in Boston, where he’s certain to emerge as a fan favorite due to the frenetic intensity level he brings defensively. I was told Boston was telling agents it planned to sign whichever rookie it took with this pick for 80% of the rookie scale, but due to Gonzalez’s significant buyout with Real Madrid ($1.4 million), that won’t be viable, as Gonzalez will already need to cover a significant portion of that out of his pocket.
Woo: Will Riley to the Washington Wizards at No. 21. I probably saw more of him up close than anyone, as I saw Illinois live many times last season. I’m a big believer in Riley’s talent and think there’s a chance he rises to the top on a Wizards team that is going to give a lot of opportunities to their young talent. He’s going to have to work hard at his physical development to make it happen – Riley is 6-foot-8, 180 pounds – but how many wings with legitimate size and offensive talent have ever been too skinny to make it in the NBA?
Riley isn’t lacking for actual game, and I think he’ll surprise some people over time.
Call it now: Who will win NBA Rookie of the Year?
Givony: Flagg. He is the best player in this class and will be asked to play a significant role for the Mavs immediately, as they have very little shot creation on their roster currently and will need him to be a star from day one. They’ll need him to essentially keep them afloat in the brutal Western Conference as they wait for Kyrie Irving’s return from a knee injury.
Woo: Anyone other than Flagg? Um, no. That’s not to discredit any player in this draft, but I don’t think this is a particularly bold call. He’s walking into an excellent opportunity to stand out right away, and I suspect we’ll see him figure the NBA out on the fly, and rather quickly.
Call it now: Which five players will be named to the NBA All-Rookie first team?
Givony: Flagg, Harper, Bailey, Knueppel, Tre Johnson (Wizards).
Woo: Flagg, Harper, Johnson, Knueppel – and primarily so we don’t pick the exact same players, I’ll go with the other Jazz rookie, Clayton Jr.
Which player is most likely to light up the G League in 2025-26?
Givony: Javon Small, No. 48 pick by Memphis. A first-team all-conference player in the loaded Big 12, Small carried an undermanned West Virginia team to the cusp of a NCAA tournament berth with steady shot creation and shotmaking while bringing major toughness on both ends of the floor, things that typically translate well to the G League.
He’ll be a handful to deal with in transition and should thrive in the wide-open nature of that league, likely putting up points in bunches while making winning plays on both ends of the floor. I would not be surprised to see him emerge as another Scotty Pippen Jr.-type gem for Memphis in the coming years.
Woo: Ryan Nembhard, undrafted. Nembhard will sign a two-way deal with the Mavericks, and the caveat here is that I could see him getting fast-tracked to a roster spot and NBA utility purely due to the Mavs’ lack of point guard depth. I love Nembhard’s feel for playmaking and involving teammates and believe he can transcend his size limitations (6-foot, 180 pounds). He’ll be among the top guards in the G League whenever he’s assigned there.
Which undrafted player are you most interested to follow?
Givony: Eric Dixon with the Los Angeles Lakers. The former Villanova guard was the No. 1 scorer in college basketball this season, averaging 23 points and shooting 41% from 3. He’s not just a spot-up shooter though, he can hit tough side-step and iso pull-ups, and attacks closeouts to draw fouls at a strong rate. He stands 6-foot-8 with a powerful 260-pound frame, making him a true inside-out mismatch in the Guerschon Yabusele mold. Dixon, 24, will need to prove he can hold his own defensively, but he’s got some real toughness and physicality on top of his ability to stretch the floor. I like this addition quite a bit for the Lakers.
I heard Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka spent time with Dixon after his predraft workout with the team. Apparently, Pelinka told Dixon the story of Kobe Bryant’s visit to the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, which was cleared out for them. Pelinka said the first thing Bryant noticed was the lack of lighting and how Michelangelo was forced to do much of his work by candlelight, which demonstrated his attention to detail and the focus required to master his craft under tough conditions. Bryant related this to his work on the basketball court, imagining what Michelangelo’s mindset might have been like at the time, in terms of perfecting his craft and creating a world-renowned masterpiece, despite less-than-ideal circumstances.
Woo: John Poulakidas with the LA Clippers. The former Yale guard was one of the deep sleepers I grew to like over the course of the season. Poulakidas (6-foot-6, 205 pounds) has strong proportions for a wing, he’s a very good shooter already, and if he can step up his defensive contributions, there’s a path for him to make it onto a roster through the backdoor (he’s reportedly signing an exhibit-10 with the Clippers). Quality 3-point marksmen with NBA size often get to skip the line more so than any other role archetype.
Make one prediction about this class for five years from now:
Givony: Joan Beringer (No. 17 to the Minnesota Timberwolves) will be an All-Defensive team candidate in five years. He’s getting a rare opportunity to learn from four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert in practice every day. Beringer, who grew an inch and a half over the past year, had never touched a basketball until summer 2021, as he was focused on soccer until a late growth spurt allowed him to outgrow the sport.
He proved to be the top shot blocker in the Adriatic League during his first season of professional basketball, demonstrating exceptional instincts and agility as a drop defender and rim protector, giving him huge potential to grow into long term on that end of the floor.
Woo: The Nets’ draft ages better than expected. There’s a clear vision for what Brooklyn was trying to do: It bought low on Nolan Traore (No. 19) and Drake Powell (No. 22) coming off of down seasons and it loaded up on high-IQ passers with above-average size with Demin, Ben Saraf (No. 26) and Wolf (No. 27). Clearly, the Nets want to build an unselfish team that shares the ball. I’m not as concerned about these guys getting in each other’s way developmentally as some people seem to be.
All of these players need to improve their perimeter shooting – which is a fair critique and major variable. Still, I worry less about skill set overlap when you’re bringing together guys who love to pass. Letting them all start their careers together, build chemistry and play a distinct style should facilitate easier looks all around. The Nets appear to have minutes for everybody as they prepare to spin the lottery wheel again next season – and I think at least a few of these players will outkick expectations.
What is your top overarching takeaway from this draft?
Givony: College basketball is back and not going away anytime soon. After the top two picks in last year’s draft came from France (Zaccharie Risacher) and via Australia (Alex Sarr), there were zero non-collegiate international players selected in the top 10 this year, and only six chosen in the first round. These are historically low numbers, but they could decrease even further next year, as we currently only project four non-collegiate international players to be picked in the first and second rounds, which will likely be the lowest we’ve seen in some time.
The appeal of large NIL-related paydays in college has led many players to remain in school and has attracted more international players to the U.S., similar to what we saw with Demin and Jakucionis. Time will tell if revenue-sharing restrictions from the House settlement reduces the high NIL salaries we’re seeing now, which might cause some international players to stay home and develop through the traditional European basketball path.
Woo: Consensus is just a concept. Nearly all the first-round surprises we saw were by-products of teams simply trusting their boards and evaluation process above all else. Whether it was Memphis ensuring it snagged Coward, New Orleans going in big for Queen, Portland taking Yang higher than anyone expected or the Nets seeing value in making all five first-round picks, the draft is always in the eye of the beholder, and that’s why mock drafts tend to go off the rails at a certain point.
This draft was an entertaining reminder of how many teams are willing to select with conviction and forgo whatever the public’s notion of value might be.
By Jonathan Givony, Jeremy Woo | ESPN, via ESPN