Environment is an important factor for the development of NBA prospects. Here are some players from the 2025 NBA Draft who landed in ideal situations.
When it comes to the NBA Draft, it’s easy to think that teams should always take the best player available in the abstract. Talent usually wins out in the end.
But there are obvious practical limitations to this theory. Teams shouldn’t draft centers in five straight years. Nor should they take five consecutive players with limited playmaking ability.
Somewhere along the line, fit has to matter. It matters for the development of the team and the draft picks themselves. Players who land in situations where their strengths are welcomed and weaknesses can develop over time typically fare better than players asked to do too much early in their careers.
So we’ve put together some of the best player and team pairings in the 2025 NBA Draft. It doesn’t mean all of these players will work out, but they have better odds of doing so than if they were picked by a different team.
Tre Johnson, Washington Wizards
Wizards fans may have been disappointed when the Utah Jazz selected Ace Bailey with the fifth pick. But they could come around quickly on Johnson, who will inject some offense into the team with the worst offensive rating in the NBA last season.
Johnson will instantly become one of the best shooters on the team. Only the Orlando Magic had a worse 3-point percentage in 2024-25 than the Wizards. He’s capable of shooting both off the dribble and off the catch, and can wear many hats around the other developing pieces in Washington.
Newly acquired CJ McCollum and Johnson are going to bleed a lot of points defensively, but the chances of McCollum being a key part of the next great Wizards team are slim. The Wizards needed more shooting and ball handling to help the Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr develop offensively and they got just that in Johnson.
Cedric Coward, Memphis Grizzlies
Coward was everyone’s favorite sleeper in the 2025 NBA Draft to the point where he was no longer a sleeper.
He played just six games at Washington State this past season before suffering an injury, but he looked like a player on the rise and has the size and shooting ability of the typical 3-and-D wing in the NBA.
The Grizzlies were clearly enamored with him, paying a hefty prize to move up and take him with the 11th overall pick. They surrendered the No. 16 pick, a first-round pick via Orlando in 2028 and two second-rounders.
The price was steep, but the Grizzlies have never been shy about trying to get the players they want in the draft and it’s easy to see the vision with Coward. They clearly want to surround Ja Morant with size and shooting. Coward can pair with Jaylen Wells long-term to create the wing tandem of the future as the team moves on from Desmond Bane.
Coward doesn’t project to have Bane’s playmaking, but Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. should handle the bending of the defense moving forward. If Coward hits, he’ll be starting by next season and can help the Grizzlies transition back to being a competitive team in the Western Conference.
Thomas Sorber, Oklahoma City Thunder
For some prospects, the right fit is getting an opportunity to showcase their skills right away. For others, it’s being on a team that can afford to bring them along slowly.
Sorber falls in the latter camp. His lone season of college basketball was cut short in February by a foot injury that could possibly extend into the NBA Summer League.
Fortunately, the Georgetown center is going to a situation where the team will have no issues slow-playing his rookie season. The Thunder are already incredibly deep, and any player picked at No. 15 would’ve had a hard time cracking the rotation early in the year.
But Sorber can provide depth early on and develop into a piece the Thunder need moving forward. They have an option for Isaiah Hartenstein at $28.5 million ahead of the 2026-27 season and could be looking to reduce spending with Chet Holmgren due for a big raise. Jaylin Williams is an unrestricted free agent as well, so there’s a chance the Thunder will be down two centers prior to next season.
If this season goes well, Sorber could step into a big role as a sophomore. He’s an excellent defender and projects to do all the things OKC wants out of its big men on offense, as he’s a great passer and willing roller to the rim with good touch. Winning on the margins won the Thunder a championship and drafting Sorber could move them closer to another one.
Jase Richardson, Orlando Magic
The Magic’s need for shooting this offseason may have been the biggest need for any team in the NBA. So they traded several assets for Desmond Bane – but that wasn’t enough. After all, the Magic shot a league-worst 31.8% on 3-pointers. The 29th-ranked Wizards shot 33.5%.
We’ll see what happens in free agency, but it’s possible Richardson steps into next season as the best shooter among the team’s bench guards. Anthony Black’s shot regressed last year, and Jett Howard hasn’t worked out so far. Richardson shot 41.2% on 3s in his lone college season.
But it’s not just about the shooting. The Magic traded Cole Anthony as part of the Bane deal, leaving them thin in bench players that can score off the bounce. Richardson has great deceleration and is able to get opponents off balance. He won’t provide the same kind of instant offense Anthony did out of the gate, but he adds a bit of juice to a bench that is currently thin on perimeter players.
So why was he available for the Magic to select with the 25th pick? Because he inherited his father’s basketball skills but not his height.
Jason Richardson was listed at 6-foot-6, but Jase measured at under 6-1 without shoes. He does have a 6-6 wingspan, but teams were clearly concerned about his viability as an undersized combo guard.
But if any team is equipped to deal with Richardson’s potential size issues, it’s the Magic. They’re an elite defensive team with a 6-7 guard in Black as one of the other bench options. If Richardson reaches his potential offensively, the Magic will gladly take the tradeoff of having to cover for him on defense.
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