The excitement of the 2024 NBA Draft may have subsided, but that doesn’t stop the NBA world from looking ahead. While many considered the 2024 draft class to be lacking in top prospects, there’s a buzz surrounding the potential of the 2025 draft. With anticipation building, let’s take a stab at a mock draft for the 2025 NBA Draft.
It’s important to remember that the official draft order hasn’t been determined yet. To create this mock draft, we’ll be using the current NBA Championship odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook. However, it’s crucial to remember that the NBA utilizes a Draft Lottery system, meaning the final team standings don’t directly translate to the draft order. Now, let’s delve into the specifics of how the NBA Draft Lottery functions.
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 here.
Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
2025 NBA Mock Draft
Detroit Pistons: Cooper Flagg – F – Duke – 17 Years Old
Washington Wizards: Dylan Harper – G – Rutgers – 17 Years Old
Charlotte Hornets: Ace Bailey – G/F – Rutgers – 17 Years Old
Portland Trail Blazers: Nolan Traore – G – France – 18 Years Old
Brooklyn Nets: VJ Edgecombe – G – Baylor – 18 Years Old
Toronto Raptors: Liam McNeeley – G/F – UConn – 18 Years Old
Utah Jazz: Khaman Maluach – Duke – 17 Years Old
Chicago Bulls: Tre Johnson – G – Texas – 18 Years old
San Antonio Spurs: Hugo Gonzalez – F – Spain – 18 Years Old
San Antonio Spurs (via ATL): Jalil Bethea – G – Miami – 18 Years Old
Houston Rockets: Egor Demin – G – BYU – 18 Years Old
Orlando Magic: Noa Essengue – F – Germany – 17 Years Old
Atlanta Hawks (via SAC): Drake Powell – G/F – North Carolina – 18 Years old
New Orleans Pelicans: Michael Ruzic – F – Spain – 17 Years Old
Indiana Pacers: Hunter Sallis – G – Wake Forest – 21 Years Old
Memphis Grizzlies: Carter Bryant – F – Arizona – 18 Years Old
Oklahoma City Thunder (via MIA): Kanaan Carlyle – G – Indiana – 19 Years Old
Utah Jazz (via CLE): Kwame Evans – F – Oregon – 19 Years Old
Oklahoma City Thunder (via LAC): Derrion Reid – F – Alabama – 18 Years Old
Houston Rockets (via PHX): Donovan Freeman – F – Syracuse – 18 Years Old
Golden State Warriors: Kon Knueppel – G/F – Duke – 18 Years Old
New Orleans Pelicans (via LAL): Elliott Cadeau – G – North Carolina – 19 Years Old
Philadelphia 76ers: Alex Karaban – F – UConn – 21 Years Old
Dallas Mavericks: Kasparas Jakucionis – G – Illinois – 18 Years Old
Brooklyn Nets (via MIL): Ian Jackson – G – North Carolina – 19 Years Old
Utah Jazz (via MIN): Tyrese Proctor – G – Duke – 20 Years Old
Brooklyn Nets (via NYK): Adou Thiero – F – Arkansas – 20 Years Old
Oklahoma City Thunder: Collin Murray-Boyles – F/C – South Carolina – 19 Years Old
Orlando Magic (via DEN): Rocco Zikarsky – C – Australia – 17 Years Old
Boston Celtics: KJ Lewis – G – Arizona – 19 Years Old
