The 2025 NBA Draft was WILD

Well, the days have finally come and gone. It’s a little melancholic to watch these players we’ve grown so attached to finally end up in the NBA and shake hands with the commissioner before moving on to their new teams. Some of those new player-team matches were… interesting, to say the least.

The first round of the NBA draft in particular yielded a lot of surprises, and I want to talk about it. But first – my biggest grievance with the NBA continues to be how they present their product. This isn’t specific to the draft either – the NBA has become straight up lazy (we want the real Finals logos back on the court).

How are we in [current year], and the NBA still can’t figure out how to put the correct hats on their prospects? Yeah, yeah, “oh well the pick is in a pending trade”, which is an excuse I laugh at, since the NHL and NFL don’t have this problem at all and manage to give the right hats to the draftees even if the trade still hasn’t technically been approved by the league. It’s just a small quality of life change that would both improve the broadcast and make it more accessible to casual viewers. Even I find it hard to keep track of who’s going where when Adam Silver comes out and reports on a trade that happened 8 picks ago. Billion dollar corporation, by the way, can’t figure out hats.

Anyway, the draft itself:

The night started off relatively tame, with Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe, and Kon Knueppel all going in the order that was widely expected. Adam Silver was met with an embarrassingly wimpy smattering of boos (David Stern is rolling in his grave). The real first domino of the night was Ace Bailey‘s destination. For most of the year, Ace was seen as the third musketeer in this draft class behind Cooper and Harper. Once the lottery happened, his camp started to pull some strings, allegedly trying to force his way to Washington, New Orleans, or Brooklyn. It was widely reported that Ace denied workouts with Philly, Charlotte, and Utah, and explicitly told one of those teams he would not report if drafted to them.

Ace Bailey did not travel to Utah yesterday, while his draftmate Walter Clayton Jr. did. Hmm… Noticing…

Regardless, Ace has no leverage, and it’s hard to imagine Danny Ainge giving in and letting an 18 year old essentially force his hand. He’ll end up playing in Utah.

Washington and New Orleans both had great subsequent picks with Tre Johnson and Jeremiah Fears, respectively. I was hoping both could have seen a potential slide to the Raptors at number 9, but alas-

THE BROOKLYN NETS SELECT EGOR DEMIN???

The first insane curveball of the night came from Joe Tsai and the Nets, who were apparently so high on Egor Demin that they selected him at 8th overall out of fear that he wouldn’t have been available with one of their other six first round picks. I wrote about Egor as a guy the Raptors could have been looking at as a trade-down target, since they worked out the BYU guard prior to the draft. I had Egor at 22 on my final big board due to his efficiency concerns, upright playstyle, and poor defensive profile. Apparently those red flags weren’t enough to dissuade the Nets, taking Egor several picks above where he was projected by scouts and analysts.

The Toronto Raptors select Collin Murray-Boyles

After the initial shock of the Egor pick had worn off, I felt a sinking feeling in my chest. While I had been expecting French forward Noa Essengue to be the most likely selection for Toronto, I only made this prediction with the expectation that Khaman Maluach would be selected at some point prior. Maluach was without a doubt, the most fan-favourite-y prospect of the entire cycle. Wherever you went, Raptors faithful typically had Maluach on their shortlists for their preference to be drafted here. I was always against that choice.

Maluach possesses great physical gifts, yes, but beyond that he’s wholly unimpressive as a basketball player. “Potential”, was the common counterargument I saw… Potential for what? Maluach has no offensive abilities. He doesn’t dribble, pass, or shoot the ball, and his defence is a mystery box reliant on his tools which he still can’t use all that effectively. He moves well up the floor but regularly gets cooked defending on the perimeter and gets lost on rotations, his defensive IQ and production well below that of other defensive-minded bigs. He got played off the floor in March Madness, and posted 0 rebounds in Duke’s elimination game.

He’s young, but he hasn’t shown enough to be hit with the “but his potential” excuse when all he projects to be is a lob threat on offence and maybe a good defender in a few years if he learns the game. That’s not the kind of player you use a top 10 pick on, and I can’t emphasize that enough for the people who were hoping to get a centre here. These reasons are why I was a little nervous when Toronto was on the clock, because even I started to believe the insane amount of smoke connecting Maluach to the Raptors.

Toronto pivots left, defying the annoying, overused (and a little untrue if you look at the draft record) “Masai loves his African prospects” trope that has somehow permeated basketball spaces, and selects Collin Murray-Boyles from South Carolina.

Jubilation… followed by confusion?

A long, versatile, defensive minded forward with an all-around game (that’s more Masai’s type, really). A player I initially had at 17th on my board coming into the night, but after some reflection bumped him to 12th where I feel much more comfortable ranking him as a prospect.

I didn’t write about CMB this cycle, Samson did, and Samson LOVES him. I also really like him. Stats real quick below, but the stats match the eye test:

Despite being a smaller forward, CMB projects to be an outstanding defender due to his combination of strength, aggressive hustle, and defensive IQ. His 2.9% steal rate and 4.7% block rate are incredible and proof as to what kind of defensive production he can give you. He has outstanding touch at the rim and is one of the class’ best drivers and finishers. While being a playmaker defensively, CMB is also a respectable playmaker on the offensive end. He’s admitted to watching a lot of Draymond Green, and while that type of outcome would be in the far 99th percentile of CMB’s career, the shades are obvious when watching CMB’s film.

Those shades also carry over to his jumpshot, unfortunately, which is the biggest red flag in CMB’s game. There are just fundamentally a lot of things wrong with his form which leads him to rather low percentages. He doesn’t have the volume to inspire a lot of confidence that this is just a short-term issue either. He’s simply not a shooter and it’s difficult to project him becoming an effective one unless he straightens out a lot of mechanical problems in his form (Samson breaks it down pretty effectively in his piece above).

I think the reactions by Raptors fans to the CMB pick are a little disappointing. The Raptors are definitely not in a position to draft for fit over talent (Bobby Webster said as much in the post-draft conference), and CMB definitely has the argument to be best player available at 9th here. I understand it’s easy to fall in love with players like Maluach during the process due to the young age combined with the impressive physical measurements, but at the same time I feel like many Raptors fans were misled as to what kind of player he actually is. The Raptors are not in a rush to find their backup centre either – they won’t be contending next season and it’s a position they can continue to evaluate going forward so long as Jakob Poeltl remains on the roster.

Also, it’s fine to have issues with a draft prospect for basketball reasons or if you don’t like them as a player, but are we serious with the fan reaction to CMB saying “fuck” after being picked? To a point where people were calling him ungrateful and saying we shouldn’t have drafted him on social media? In what was clearly a moment of jubilation and disbelief for a young man who just realized his dream was coming true? Brian Windhorst nailed it on the head when he called Raptors fans sensitive on the broadcast after that. I would love it if we could go one season without having a massive victim complex.

Is CMB who I would have taken at the 9th pick? Admittedly, no. I liked Asa Newell, Thomas Sorber, Derik Queen, and Kasparas Jakucionis here with CMB probably rounding out that top 5. But I understand the value that players like CMB provide to a point where I don’t object to his selection. I am quite concerned about his fit on the roster. I think his playstyle reflects that of Scottie Barnes, and it’s difficult to see a path to playing starter minutes so long as CMB is a below average shooter given the spacing issues that would create. I do like his versatility as a small-ball 5, but obviously that’s quite situational and not a solution for his position in the NBA. He’s definitely a forward. Ultimately I do see a short-term super 6th man type of role for him in Toronto and I think that he can give Darko a lot of experimentation with lineups in the near future. That excites me.

At the end of the day, I’m pleased with this pick and you all should be as well.

Maluach and Essengue did both end up getting picked 10th and 12th, respectively. The Suns also acquired Mark Williams, creating an interesting frontcourt situation of two physically imposing behemoths. I can imagine both of them will feast on lobs from Devin Booker.

Cedric Coward was another fan favourite who was picked 11th by Memphis in a trade-up. Rumours were the Grizzlies wanted to select Coward at 16 but knew he wouldn’t be there. Really like that fit.

Derik Queen to New Orleans is fine value, but feels a little odd defensively unless the Pels plan to play him beside Yves Missi. Maybe we’re in for a Zion Williamson trade in the near future to make room for that twin-towers lineup, but I can’t see which teams would bite on that dangerous contract.

Carter Bryant in San Antonio pisses me off because I know they’re going to turn him into a star.

I really like the fit of Thomas Sorber to Oklahoma City. A strong screener and ball-mover is exactly what Shai needs out of a big and OKC gets one on the cheap as they attempt to get a back to back title next season.

I’m still recovering from this next one.

THE PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS SELECT YANG HANSEN???

Now, I was really intrigued by Yang as a mid second round guy. I felt as though he could have been a target at 39. Yang possesses a unique blend of ball handling and playmaking ability which inevitably draw comparisons to Alperen Sengun and Nikola Jokic. He’s obviously nowhere near either of those players, but it’s enough where teams were interested in him. Clearly nobody knew how interested the Portland Trail Blazers were though. This also has the potential to bring Donovan Clingan’s future in Portland into question (PLEASE MASAI?), since Yang most definitely isn’t mobile enough to play the 4. Yang doesn’t play that well against physicality and he’s not athletic, so it’s difficult to see how he stays on the floor against NBA competition. I wish him well, since this pick will either be looked back on as genius or one of the biggest whiffs in draft history due to how much of a reach it was.

Joan Beringer to the T-Wolves is kinda fun. He can learn from fellow countryman and other massive rim-deterrent, Rudy Gobert. He isn’t much offensively at this point, but the T-Wolves clearly view him as a long term project.

My Florida Gator Walter Clayton Jr. going to the Jazz is cool, I just hope he has a clear path to playing time since he should clearly be the best point guard on the roster and the Jazz have somewhat of a logjam in their backcourt right now. Shot-making and shooting, he was one of my dream trade-down targets for the Raptors if they let go of 9.

The Nets continue their weird streak with Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf, and Danny Wolf. I have no idea how the Nets can afford to roster all of these picks but I guess they’re going to try. They clearly have an emphasis on ball movement and creation, something that every one of their picks besides Powell do exceedingly well. Still an odd plan to come away with three point guards and a centre who also plays point guard, but maybe it’ll at least be a fun watch.

Canadian Will Riley goes to the Wizards, nice. The Wiz wing rotation is a bit deep now with Tre Johnson, Kyshawn, Bilal, and Kispert, but Will Riley can give them a bit more on-ball creation.

Kasparas Jakucionis, Asa Newell, and Jase Richardson were all lottery talents on my board. All went in the 20’s. Congrats to the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, and Orlando Magic on those steals.

I also quite liked Hugo Gonzalez in the pre-draft process, and was a bit surprised to see Boston target him, since I thought they might want someone a bit more NBA ready. Hugo had a limited role at Real Madrid, but he played his ass off when he got minutes and is one of the better defenders in the class. He doesn’t have much of a shot but his touch and floater game are both well developed. Interested to see how Boston brings him along with Jayson Tatum likely injured next season.

I genuinely think the Charlotte Hornets had the best draft in the league. Kon Knueppel and Liam McNeeley in the first round, with Sion James and Ryan Kalkbrenner in the second? Yeah it’s a little bit of a wing-heavy haul, but all these players are first round talents. Absolute gamers who will contribute from day one and play winning basketball, while fitting seamlessly with Lamelo Ball and Brandon Miller. A much needed tonal shift from the Hornets after several years of bad picks.

Coty Wiles’ guy Yanic Konan Niederhauser from Penn State goes 30th to the Clippers. I was surprised to see him break top 30, but he clearly had a meteoric rise due to his workouts and impressive combine numbers. I don’t love YKN’s decision making, but he’s a great option for an athletic rim runner and I don’t hate the pick here for the Clippers, who need some oomph.

It sucks liking so many of these players and growing attached to them through the draft process, I wish they could all play for the Raptors! But now I (and hopefully all of you, if you’ve been following along with this year’s draft series) can watch all these young players grow and develop around the league, and that’s ultimately the most rewarding part of being a draft fan; witnessing the crazy moments on draft night to the crazy moments that will inevitably follow these players throughout their basketball careers and shape the future of the NBA.

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