The Picks Are In: NBA Mock Draft Projections for All 30 First-Round Selections ...Middle East

With the thrilling Finals over, the NBA Draft is grabbing the spotlight. Here are our final mock draft selections for the entire first round.

With the NBA Finals going a full seven games, the offseason is now coming at warp speed.

The NBA Draft starts Wednesday night. For some who that have been focused on the playoffs, that’s not much time to get acquainted with the prospects who will hear their name called on Wednesday (first round) or Thursday night (second round).

To help with that, Opta Analyst has updated our mock draft of all 30 first-round picks and outlined the reasons every team might go in a particular direction.

Our first mock draft came immediately after the NBA Lottery, and a lot has happened since then, with multiple picks changing hands. There’s still time for more roster and pick shuffling, but we’re a lot closer to knowing the real order of the draft and needs of each team.

Here is Opta Analyst’s final 2025 NBA mock draft:

1. Dallas Mavericks: Cooper Flagg, Duke

There won’t be much drama with the No. 1 pick. The Mavericks won the right to take Flagg, who could alter their course as a franchise if he hits his ceiling.

Leading into the draft, his NBA comparisons include Karl-Anthony Towns, Zion Williamson and Jalen Suggs

2. San Antonio Spurs: Dylan Harper, Rutgers

Harper may be an odd fit with De’Aaron Fox, but he has skills that clearly translate to the NBA. The Spurs will likely find them too tantalizing to pass up.

3. Philadelphia 76ers: V.J Edgecombe, Baylor

We had Edgecombe mocked here after the lottery, and that pick seems to be gaining steam with Rutgers star Ace Bailey canceling his workout for the 76ers.

Daryl Morey, their president of basketball operations, could still pick Bailey, but most analytics think he’s a risk as well (including our model, which has him ranked 31st). Tre Johnson could make sense as well, but Edgecombe is the best combination of floor and ceiling left after the first two picks.

4. Charlotte Hornets: Tre Johnson, Texas

The ideal scenario for the Hornets would have Edgecombe falling to this pick, as he’d look great between LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller.

If the Baylor guard is gone, the Hornets could opt for a sharpshooter like Johnson. There are plenty of defensive concerns, but his shooting and ability to create his own shot would be a welcome addition to the Hornets offense.

5. Utah Jazz: Kon Knueppel, Duke

Knueppel was the second star at Duke and is more than a movement shooter. He’s tough, crafty with the ball and competes on defense.

The Jazz have swung for the fences with a lot of recent picks but need more consistent shooting to spread the floor. The 6-foot-5 (barefoot) swingman offers that with more upside.

6. Washington Wizards: Ace Bailey, Rutgers

An Ace Bailey slide would only go so far, as one of the teams picking in the top eight in the draft won’t be able to resist his upside.

The Wizards could afford to give Bailey some runway as they continue their rebuild, and that might be the best situation for him to maximize his skill set long-term.

7. New Orleans Pelicans: Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma

The Pelicans could go in a lot of different directions, but getting a potential point guard of the future would make a lot of sense, so they could go with the speedy Sooner.

Fears is a quick-twitch point guard who is currently all gas and no brakes. He needs to learn to slow down at times, but that can be taught – his speed can’t.

He didn’t shoot well from beyond the arc, though he was elite at the foul line (suggesting shooting upside).

8. Brooklyn Nets: Carter Bryant, Arizona

Bryant’s stock seems to be rising as a project with an NBA body and enough traits to be a good long-term bet.

This spot may be too high for him, but a team like the Nets with multiple picks in the first round can take on a chance on him early in the draft.

9. Toronto Raptors: Khaman Maluach, Duke

Jakob Poeltl only has one more guaranteed season on his contract with a player option for 2026-27, so the Raptors could use a big man to fill a backup role next season to grow into a starter’s spot.

The big man from Duke fits that mold as a player who is a bit of a project at center, but he could pay off by going to a team with a good player development staff.

He’s enormous, has good defensive instincts and moves really well for his size. He has the upside of being a defensive anchor and a complementary piece on offense.

10. Phoenix Suns: Thomas Sorber, Georgetown

The Suns are reportedly acquiring this pick from the Rockets as part of the Kevin Durant trade and desperately need a big man.

This may be seen as too high for Sorber, but he’s an analytics darling (including our model, which ranks him as the third-best player in the class) and would fit in well as a complementary piece in Phoenix who can pass, finish in the pick-and-roll and give a much-needed defensive presence down low.

11. Portland Trail Blazers: Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois

The Trail Blazers could use more size, shooting and playmaking in their young core and Jakucionis checks all three boxes.

Don’t let Jakucionis’ 3-point numbers fool you (31.8% in 2024-25) – he can shoot. The big guard’s problem was shot selection, and he will hopefully rectify that as he matures.

12. Chicago Bulls, Derik Queen, Maryland

Fit issues could lead Queen to slip a bit to the Bulls, who would be happy to grab him.

The 6-10 Queen got in better shape as the season went on, and it allowed him to show off his skills. He has excellent hands, a great first step and soft touch in the post. His shot started to look better at the end of the season as well.

Nikola Vucevic isn’t a part of the Bulls’ future, so getting a big man who could be a building block would make sense.

13. Atlanta Hawks: Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina

Teams have often struck out looking for the next Draymond Green, but the 6-7 Murray-Boyles has the toughness and basketball IQ to play a similar role for a smart team if he’s deployed correctly and continues to develop.

The Hawks would love his physicality and versatility and could use another power forward in the rotation right away.

14. San Antonio Spurs: Danny Wolf, Michigan

Depending on how the rest of the Spurs’ offseason goes, Wolf could plug in as a backup center right away and play with Victor Wembanyama for stretches due to Wemby’s defensive versatility.

Wolf is the kind of playmaker in the front court the Spurs would love, and he’d give them another scoring weapon due to his face-up ability.

15. Oklahoma City Thunder: Jase Richardson, Michigan State

It will be tough for a rookie to crack the NBA champion Thunder’s deep rotation, but they could use some more backcourt players who can get to the rim.

Jase, the son of former NBA player Jason Richardson, could make sense as a versatile (if undersized) offensive player who has on- and off-ball chops. He still needs development, but he looked much better toward the end of the season.

16. Memphis Grizzlies: Cedric Coward, Washington State

Coward was the best-kept secret early in the draft process, but those secrets don’t last in the modern NBA.

He only played six games this past season, but a team is going to bet on his traits: He’s a long-armed, knockdown shooting wing who’s gradually started to show a more advanced understanding of the game.

The Grizzlies need more options on the wing after trading Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic. Coward makes sense as one of those players.

17. Minnesota Timberwolves: Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’s

This may seem high for Fleming, but he’s the kind of player any team could use, as a big shooter who projects to be good enough defensively to not get played off the floor.

The Timberwolves are looking for someone who can play in a playoff-caliber rotation right away. That’s not easy to find this late in the NBA Draft, but Fleming could fit the bill.

18. Washington Wizards: Egor Demin, BYU

If Bailey falls to the sixth pick, the Wizards could use some playmaking at No. 18. Demin had a disappointing season at BYU, but he’s still a big guard (6-8) who is an excellent passer.

19. Brooklyn Nets: Nolan Traore, Saint-Quentin

With four first-round picks, the Nets have the ability to roll the dice on Traore. He can’t shoot at all yet, but the athleticism and playmaking make him a tantalizing prospect.

20. Miami Heat: Liam McNeeley, UConn

Another knockdown shooter never hurts, especially when he has size like the 6-6 McNeeley.

His season at UConn didn’t go the way most anticipated, but McNeeley is clearly a better shooter than he showed (86.6% on free throws, he shot the 3 well in high school), and he flashed some ability to make teams pay for closing in on him too aggressively.

21. Utah Jazz: Asa Newell, Georgia

The Jazz will take the best player available, and that could be Newell in their eyes because he’s an excellent scorer with a good motor. He improved as a shooter as the season progressed.

22. Atlanta Hawks: Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton

With Clint Capela set to leave the Hawks, the team is in need of a backup center, and Kalkbrenner would give them some physicality off the bench.

23. New Orleans Pelicans: Joan Beringer, Cedevita Olimpija

The Pelicans need some big depth and the French center would make sense. He’s incredibly fluid and still learning the game but has a lot of upside.

24. Oklahoma City Thunder: Noa Essengue, Ratiopharm Ulm

Essengue might go a lot higher than this because of his upside. A lot of his game is still theoretical at this point, but he has size and athleticism, and is a relentless cutter.

25. Orlando Magic: Walter Clayton Jr., Florida

The trade for Desmond Bane is a great start, but the Magic need a ton of shooting. Clayton Jr. could be a fit to play a reserve role as a rookie.

26. Brooklyn Nets: Ben Saraf, Ratiopharm Ulm

Saraf is another big wing with great processing skills. If his shot comes along, he could be a steal this late in the draft.

27. Brooklyn Nets; Will Riley, Illinois

The Nets likely won’t use all their picks, but if they do, doubling down on wings is never a bad idea.

Riley needs to be a more consistent shooter and get in better shape, but he displayed upside in his best games, including secondary playmaking that would really help the Nets.

28. Boston Celtics: Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Penn State

Niederhauser is a great athlete and performed better in college than his surface numbers would indicate. Our model ranks him as a top-15 prospect in the draft.

29. Phoenix Suns: Adou Thiero, Arkansas

Thiero missed time at the end of the season that could’ve improved his NBA Draft stock, but he’s an explosive athlete with defensive upside.

30. Los Angeles Clippers: Johni Broome, Auburn

The Clippers would like someone who could play right away and the Auburn superstar could be that player. He won’t be the same player in the NBA that he was in college, but he has the talent to be a rotation player.

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The Picks Are In: NBA Mock Draft Projections for All 30 First-Round Selections Opta Analyst.

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