2025 NBA Draft Thread

[Vincent Van Goat]

I like him. I like how he mentioned Donovan Mitchell lol, I figured they were related or something when I first looked into him

 

[nick.]

I like him. I like how he mentioned Donovan Mitchell lol, I figured they were related or something when I first looked into him

I thought they were cousins or something

Same last name, similar first name, & wears #45

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

Same size same build and kinda play similar in certain ways lol

 

[B Sox]

Yep and this is the worry. Playing in the perfect system too. Still like him a lot, but give me Green.

 

[pmatic]

Franz Wagner's draft stock is going up after tonight. Not missing a beat against FSU's length and athleticism.

 

[VARNELL HILL]

Franz Wagner's draft stock is going up after tonight. Not missing a beat against FSU's length and athleticism.

I've seen him as high as 7 on some mocks

 

[pmatic]

I've seen him as high as 7 on some mocks

Ah, interesting. I figured he was in the 10-14 range.

 

[3god]

Wasnt this supposed to be a great draft? Looking like a bunch of busts to me.

 

[VARNELL HILL]

IIRC KOC had him @ 9 and compared him to Odom/Gallinari

I was hating on him because I don't like his brother but he's the goods

 

[Arthur Shelby]

IIRC KOC had him @ 9 and compared him to Odom/Gallinari

I was hating on him because I don't like his brother but he's the goods

100% His brother is why I was downplaying him being any good

 

[3god]

If Cade Cunningham is the top prospect in a draft, you know it’s lacking high level star power.

 

[ny mavurs]

Mobley should be the #1 pick but we know how today’s NBA is

Mobley is anchoring a defensive clinic on these tournament teams

 

[HOU$TON]

 

[ballinsam23]

Mobley can easily go #1 and I wouldn’t question it.

 

[nick.]

Mobley can easily go #1 and I wouldn’t question it.

If you take the big over the wing, you better be damn sure he'll be a star

 

[B Sox]

100% His brother is why I was downplaying him being any good

Mo was nice his junior year at Michigan when they lost in the championship game. Good inside out game. Honestly pretty similar to Franz now

 

[ballinsam23]

If you take the big over the wing, you better be damn sure he'll be a star

Who was the last can’t miss big prospect? AD? Embiid shouldn’t went #1 too if it wasn’t for his injury.

 

[addict4sneakers]

Who was the last can’t miss big prospect? AD? Embiid shouldn’t went #1 too if it wasn’t for his injury.

zion

 

[ballinsam23]

Thing with Mobley is can he be the go to player on a winning team like Duncan? Or is he that glue guy that does it all and contributes to winning like a Bam, prime Horford, Gasol, etc.

 

[youngthundercat]

Stupid tweet

 

[pmatic]

Thing with Mobley is can he be the go to player on a winning team like Duncan? Or is he that glue guy that does it all and contributes to winning like a Bam, prime Horford, Gasol, etc.

I think he can be a #2. Not sure he has it in him to be a high usage #1 type.

 

[ineedacape]

Mobley def has bigger upside than wiseman

 

[pmatic]

Prospect of the Week: Scottie Barnes, SF, Florida State, Fr.
(Note: This section won’t necessarily profile the best prospect of the week. Just the one that I’ve been watching).

What do you do with a prospect who can do everything except score? Barnes is 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, has the handle and court vision of a guard and can comfortably check small guards on the perimeter, even picking up Michigan’s 5-11 speedster Mike Smith full-court in Sunday’s season-ending loss to the Wolverines.

All those skills have Barnes slated as a likely lottery pick, but the scoring piece of the puzzle remains a question. Barnes shot 27.5 percent from 3 on just 40 shots, and 62.1 percent from the line. While his form doesn’t look broken, opponents were more than happy to give him room to fire away. This weakness, of course, could easily become a strength in time – if he ever does find the range, his size and handle guarantee a plethora of off-the-dribble 3 opportunities.

However, Barnes also struggled to do damage inside the arc. For all his skills, a quick first step isn’t one of them, so he has trouble zipping past defenders into the teeth of the defense. Barnes also lacks polish at times as a finisher; while he has the length and size to evade a big man’s shot contest, he doesn’t always have the clean footwork needed to generate open finishing lanes, nor the touch and explosiveness around the basket to consistently complete plays on the move.

He shot 56.5 percent inside the arc, so we’re nit-picking a bit, but at the highest levels, it’s not clear what he can do to present a consistent scoring threat. That, in turn, would take some of the steam out of his clear skill as a passer.

Overall, Sunday’s showcase game was a mixed bag. He shot 4-of-11 from the field, had a bad pick-6 turnover, and his ball pressure on likely fellow first-round Franz Wagner was often ineffective. On the other hand, he was one of the few people able to generate positive plays for Florida State in other ways, including several incisive passes and an impressive dunk on Michigan’s 7-foot-1 Hunter Dickinson.

Taking it back to the big picture, draft history says to look longest at the non-scoring numbers, and that’s where Barnes grades out the strongest. The analytics projections on him should be quite strong due to his age (19), unusually high steal and assist rates for a prospect of this size (3.4 swipes per 100, 9.4 dimes), and his solid rebounding and 2-point shooting. He actually had a better PER as a freshman (21.4) than projected top overall pick Cade Cunningham.

The eye test lands in the same place. Between his size-length profile, his nimble feet and his clear interest in guarding people, teams will know they’re getting a plug-and-play, switchable NBA defender at the very least in Barnes. To what extent the offense comes around is the lingering question, however, and it’s likely the one that pushes him out of the draft’s highest tiers and into the 7-to-15 range on draft night.

 

[dacomeup]

Mobley def has bigger upside than wiseman

Obviously

 

[WASHED KING]

Mobley def has bigger upside than wiseman

Easily.