With five picks, including four in the first, the Nets will have more picks in the 2025 NBA Draft than anyone. So what’s the issue.
So this is what the fuss is all about: the 2025 NBA Draft. The Brooklyn Nets and their fans are have been debating this draft ever since June 24 of last year when they worked two deals with the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets that got them, as of now, the 6th, 19th, 24th, 26th and 36th picks … instead of the 12th and 24th.
With all the draft capital, particularly that lottery pick, the Nets were expected to tank but Jordi Ferndandez has changed that script and with a third of the season left, they’re a game and a half out of the play-in tournament. (In case you’re wondering: if the Nets finish 10th and continue playing beyond April 13, they’ll stay in the May 12 lottery if they lose their first game, but if they win that game, welp, their pick drops to No. 15.)
Put aside all the lottery and debate for now and take a look at the latest mock drafts, all of which base their selections on where things stand at the time of the mock, including the lottery pick.
There’s little commonality in any of the mocks, with Kon Knueppel the leader with three selections but in draft slots ranging from #6 to No. 24. Kasparas Jakucionis, Thomas Sorber, Will Riley and Darrion Williams all made than one mock.
A survey of Twitter shows that the Nets scouts have seen most of the prospects named in the mocks, with Sean Marks having personally scouted the Rutgers duo of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey at least four times.
Here ya go. All six mocks are the most recent by the draftniks.
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First ESPN, drawn up by draft gurus Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, which has the Nets interested in a Duke forward. No not that one. Givony has said he believes the draft is the best he’s ever seen and he’s been doing it for two decades.
#6 – Kon Knueppel, wing, 6’7”, Duke
#20 – Will Riley, wing, 6’8”, Illinois
#23 – Carter Bryant, wing, 6’8”, Arizona
#24 – Thomas Sorber, center, 6’10”, Georgetown
#36 – Alex Toohey, small forward, 6’8”, Sydney (Australia)
Givony and Woo have Knueppel higher than most. Here’s their argument for him:
Knueppel has played a significant role in Duke’s 20-3 season, shouldering shot-creation duties while hitting 40% of his 3-pointers and holding his own defensively. He’s an underrated passer, ranked as the third-best pick-and-roll player in this draft by Synergy Sports. He brings a unique combination of competitiveness, feel for the game and versatility that would make him a seamless fit on any NBA roster. Struggling against long-armed athletes at times in nonconference play, Knueppel’s ability to maintain his efficiency in Duke’s biggest games in March will play a role in where he gets drafted.
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic/New York Times is a lone voice in the wilderness in assessing this Draft’s talent. Givony pooh-poohs the belief that this is the best draft in a generation, thinking instead that it’s kinda average. His is the oldest mock, from about a month back.
#7 – Egon Demin, PG, 6’9”, Brigham Young
#18 – Noah Penda, PF, 6’10”, France
#25 – Khamen Malauch, C, 7’2”, Duke
#27 – Bogoljub Markovic, PF, 6’11”, Serbia
#37 – Darrion Williams, wing, 6’6”, Texas Tech
Vecenie likes Demin who has fell a bit in recent weeks as his speed has been questioned, but The Athletic writer thinks his advantages as a point guard are big.
The passing is so good with Demin that I can’t get him outside of the top 10. He’s a serious talent and immensely gifted with the ball in his hands. There’s not a better passer in all of college basketball, and he’s legitimately massive. And yet, there’s still a lot to prove here as he continues to get back from his injury and starts to play more consistently difficult competition in the Big 12, as he learned last weekend against Houston.
Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report thinks that while the top of the draft appears set with Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey and V.J. Edgecombe it gets a little trickier after that with both “tricky upside bets” and “safer skill sets” available.
#6 – Kasparas Jakucionis, PG, 6’6”, Illinois
#19 – Hugo Gonzalez, wing, 6’7”, Real Madrid
#24 – Boogie Fland, PG, 6’2”, Arkansas
#26 – Will Riley, wing, 6’8”, Illinois
#36 – Dink Pate, PG, 6’8”, Mexico City (G League)
Like Demin, there are questions about Jakucionis athleticism, Wasserman writes:
After a strong start showing scouts creativity, clever movement, flashy shotmaking, playmaking IQ and crafty finishing, the concerns with Kasparas Jakucionis’ quickness, explosion and ball security were exposed over the past few weeks. He struggled trying to get uncontested shots for himself against Rutgers and Nebraska, he fouled out in nine minutes against Michigan State and now averages 3.7 turnovers per game.
Tankathon’s anonymous draftniks update their mock daily but without much comment on the overall strength of the draft. However, they do note that the Nets lead the NBA Draft power rankings based on current draft position. It will change on May 12.
#7 – Kon Knueppel, wing, 6’7”, Duke
#19 – Thomas Sorber, center, 6’10”, Georgetown
#24 – Sergio de Larrea, PG, 6’6”, Valencia (Spain)
#26 – Adou Thiero, PF, 6’8”, Arkansas
#37 – Darrion Williams, wing, 6’6”, Texas Tech
Like ESPN, Tankathon likes Knueppel. Enough said.
Aron Smith, who’s run NBADraft.net, has always been an outlier and 2025 continues the tradition. He likes a number of players who others relegated to the second round … and vice versa.
#6 – Boogie Fland, PG, 6’2”, Arkansas
#22 – Derik Queen, PF, 6’10”, Maryland
#24 – Kon Knueppel, wing, 6’7”, Duke
#29 – Nique Clifford SG, 6’6” Colorado State
NBADraft.net didn’t extend his mock beyond the first round. While other mocks have Fland in late first or second, Smith puts him in the high lottery. He also notes that Fland is a New Yorker, from the Bronx.
Fland is a flashy and scrappy lead guard from the Bronx. He’s next in line in the Coach Cal point guard production line. He’s still mastering the art of playing the position and balancing creating offense for himself and others. The lack of physicality is one slight concern and an intriguing debate has emerged between Fland and fellow freshman point guard Jeremiah Fears. We still believe Fland is the better long term prospect, due to his high school body of work and overall skill set and potential. But the fact that Fears has been so good defensively and surprised on offense has closed the gap. Fland has good length in his own right, and just needs to add more strength to improve upon his ability to play physical.
NBA Draft Room also is anonymous. It’s top pick is not a stretch based on the consensus on Jakucionis. After that, its choices are unconventional, but as this compilation shows, that’s common.
#6 – Kasparas Jakucionis, PG, 6’6”, Illinois
#20 – Rasheer Fleming, PF, 6’9”, St. Joseph’s
#25 – Johni Broome, PF, 6’10”, Auburn
#26 – Colin Murray-Boyles, PF, 6’7”, South Carolina
NBA Draft Room also didn’t extend till through the second round. It has fewer doubts about Jakucionis as others.
A floor general with size, great passing ability and a nice outside shot, Kasparas has been on a tear early in his freshman season, although has cooled off a bit lately. He does it all, impacts both ends and is a fearless leader on the court. His ceiling is probably top 5 and his draft range is ~5-12 at this point.
At the moment, we hear the Nets plan to keep all their picks, but that can change. Picks can be combined, traded in big trades and small. And never eliminate the possibility that Sean Marks & co. could add picks.