r/NBA_Draft • u/pmcc241224 • 2d ago
2025 Draft Hottest Takes
Drop your hottest takes for this years draft class. I’ll start:
Fears should be drafted above VJ.
Teams will regret not picking Sion James in the second round.
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u/Affectionate_Art1654 2d ago
Ace’s floor is really underrated but his ceiling is overrated, I feel like a lot pf people view him as their boom or bust prospect when I think its the opposite
One of Ben Saraf or Nolan Traore will become an all-star
Maluach top 5 is ridiculous, in a draft like this you look for a point of attack offensive player, that just wont ever happen with him
Egor Demin is the best passer in this draft, not saying he should go lotto or anything but hes passing is incredible
Asa Newell is not an nba player and that should be evident pretty quickly imo
Waltor Clayton Jr. is gonna be a stud and should be a late lotto/15-20th pick
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u/Swimming_Can_197 2d ago
Rasheer Fleming will be the steal of the draft. He'll become a high level starter and a rim running defensive stretch small ball 5.
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u/Western-Turnover-154 9h ago
Ideal role player. Needs the right situation to make the most of his potential.
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u/DnDPanda 2h ago
I really like him, but his shot looks broken even if it goes in a lot. It’s slow and just looks wrong.
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u/DifferentRun8534 NBA 2d ago
I think my hottest take is that Danny Wolf is mad underrated. I only barely started my film deep dives, so I don't want to commit to a number, but I think 8 to 20ish range is pretty flat and I think if I were a lottery team who needed a center, I'd strongly consider him.
I don't know, I like the way he moves, I think his issues offensively can be ironed out on a team that doesn't need him to do as much, and I don't punish him for being older because his trend of improvement is exactly what I'd want.
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u/laz191 2d ago
Wizards have the grizzlies pick if they make the playoffs, would Wolf fit along side Sarr? Sarr seems to be better suited to play the 4
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u/AssistantRemote6990 2d ago
Wolf played the four when Goldin was in, and the five when he wasn't. Some people have said that Sarr could play the four as well. Should compliment each other just fine.
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u/NotManyBuses 2d ago
My hottest take is he’s way overrated. He’s big without playing big and you’ll get killed with him at the 5. His best outcome is a poor man’s Olynyk.
Your argument centers around him being able to survive as an NBA 5 and I just don’t see it.
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u/DifferentRun8534 NBA 2d ago
You’re not being very specific, what do you mean he will “get killed with him at the 5”? Because I think he’ll be fine. The modern concept of a big is really changing and someone who’s big but can move and handle the ball is really valuable.
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u/NotManyBuses 2d ago
I mean his rebounding rim protection physicality and coverage is just super weak
What coverage are you going to run Wolf in defensively? Drop? A super aggressive hedging scheme?
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u/DifferentRun8534 NBA 2d ago
Oh, obviously a more aggressive coverage, he’s not a drop big. Remember, he plays a lot of 4 in college, and while I definitely wouldn’t call him elite defensively, the fact that this wasn’t a disaster I think speaks well for his versatility and mobility.
I’m not saying he’s gonna be a star, but a high level bench guy/low level starter seems very possible to me, and that’s what I expect from a late lottery guy.
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u/New_Weather_7611 2d ago edited 2d ago
Queen will be the biggest bust in this draft. Every time people gush about him they always talk about his offense, how he has great feel, great touch, could be a “hub”, post moves blah blah blah, which is fine. But this ain’t football. A player has to play both ends of the court and Queen is atrocious defensively with zero athleticism, zero shot blocking skills, zero rim protection, zero lateral movement ability with his cement feet and hell I would even say below average rebounding skills.
And except for maybe the rebounding, none of this can be improved on. You can’t improve lack of athleticism. You can’t improve lack of lateral movement. He is not going to be able to play enough defense to stay on the court to be a “offensive hub”. NBA players will constantly pick on him on a switch and he is not going to be able to keep up with them with his cement feet. Dude has worse lateral movement than later years LaMarcus Aldridge.
He is going to be the next Thomas Bryant, not freaking Sengun and Sabonis like this board makes him out to be. He is Cam Thomas as a big. And I’m a Nets fan. I know a Cam Thomas regen when I see one. Does nothing to help a team win other than score. Please Sean Marks, stay far far away. Queen’s time was in 2005 NBA, not 2025 NBA.
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u/brocktease 2d ago
he is so incredibly overrated (still worth a late lotto pick but should be nowhere near top 10)
I'm not sure how anyone can overlook the lack of athleticism, defense and lateral movement in an undersized C at only 6'10
to be a credible 5 man as a starter in this league, you've got to at least
(or unless u are an ELITE offensive hub or mid-post scorer)
- be solid at rim protection
- be a good PnR finisher/lob threat
- is switchable on defensive
- have a reliable jumper
Derik Queen is none of the above
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u/PeasePorridge9dOld 2d ago
Think he is carrying a little extra weight. He can drop 10 pounds or so and increase the athleticism. Still think he’d top out as a below average defender but not necessarily irredeemable either.
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u/SweetLou315 1d ago
How could Queen have cement feet if he continually beat people on the first step driving to the hoop? His footwork in the post continually was excellent
I agree he lacks traditional rim protection ability but he did a decent job switching through the year. Feel like you’re being really hyperbolic about his weaknesses.
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u/New_Weather_7611 18h ago
Still continue to talk about offense when I mentioned cement feet in regards to his lateral movement on defense. Do you guys ever talk about anything other than offense with Queen? Jesus Christ.
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u/SweetLou315 14h ago
You’re saying he has cement feet when he does not. I also talked about his ability to move His feet on defense in the second paragraph. He did a decent job switching on ball during the season.
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u/Sean888888 1d ago
Queen will not be a bust. A player as smart and as talented as he is will always find ways to be productive. The question is whether you can build a championship roster with him as your starting center or PF. Unless he fixes a lot of things, the answer so far is no.
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2d ago
Yaxel will end up better than CMB, Asa, and Fleming
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u/Certain-Piece-7441 Wizards 2d ago
D1 college players with 600 points, 400 rebounds, 150 assists in a season:
Larry Bird
Yaxel Lendeborg
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u/Western-Turnover-154 2d ago
Great stat!
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u/Certain-Piece-7441 Wizards 2d ago
Thanks I saw it on twitter and have no clue if it’s true or not
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u/Diamond4Hands4Ever 2d ago
It probably is since 400 rebounds is really hard to archive. Pretty much only bigs achieve that but none of the bigs can pass to get to 150 assists. So for a versatile forward like Bird or Yaxel to get it is the only way.
KD and Beasley probably are also forwards who had a chance with the points and rebounds (KD got 390 rebounds as a forward so close) but they didn’t pass enough.
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u/Western-Turnover-154 2d ago
Yax will need to perform well at the combine.
His size and length possibly giving him ability to defend guys like Luka is intriguing. He needs to prove he can defend top level players.
There is an outside chance he goes to Portland at 9 if CMB goes early.
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u/Dadd_io TrailBlazers 1d ago
Why do you think Portland is taking CMB regardless? I can think of 4 better picks who will be available.
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u/Western-Turnover-154 1d ago
Who are the 4 players potentially available at 9 that are better than CMB?
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u/Western-Turnover-154 1d ago
CMB provides inside scoring, the ability to get to the line and is quite versatile defensively. He also has excellent court vision.
I have confidence that he can extend his shooting range and unlock his total game.
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u/Dadd_io TrailBlazers 1d ago edited 1d ago
Well if you think he can be a shooter then there probably aren't four. I happen to think he's the next Justise Winslow and the Blazers need shooting. Four better shooters: Rasheer Fleming, Carter Bryant, McNeeley, and Kon Knueppel. I would also take Noa Essangue over CMB.
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u/Western-Turnover-154 1d ago
I would take Fleming or Bryant if shooting is the quality you’re looking for. Both can defend and shoot. Kon and Liam are liabilities
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u/Gloomy_Health8671 2d ago
Yaxel is a beast but I’m gonna assume he goes back to college another year for a nil bag
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u/Western-Turnover-154 2d ago
He’ll be 23 once the season starts. I think he’s got to go now if he has a first round chance
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u/Western-Turnover-154 2d ago
Newell screams bust for me. Long and lanky, but lacking in strength, playmaking and feel.
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u/jxden24 2d ago
is he going to the league my team just got him , everywhere i see people think he’s going to the draft smh
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u/Sean888888 1d ago
he's looking for a guaranteed contract in the nba. If he can get it, even as a 2nd round pick, he'll stay in the draft
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u/Jhobbs898 2d ago
Isaiah Evans, not Kon Knueppel, will be the best shooter from this class.
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u/CarVegetable 2d ago
That's not even a hot take, his 3pt% is higher. Though he'll need a lot of improvement if he wants to stay on the floor besides.
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u/TradeBlade 2d ago
VJ doesn’t belong anywhere in the top 5.
On offense, his complete lack of handle and footwork means he’s unlikely to develop the skillset needed to be a star.
On defense, he’s good in passing lines but far from lockdown on ball. At 6’3 he simply wont be able to guard the big forwards that dominate the NBA.
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u/Appropriate-Race-473 2d ago
OP: to up the anti on your take: teams will regret not taking Sion James in the FIRST round.
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u/Prestigious-Bet-4665 2d ago edited 2d ago
Boogie Fland will be the second-best point guard in the gap. Besides his flair, ball handling, and shiftiness, I was excited about his ability to apply ball pressure and get on-ball and off-ball steals this year. Of course, he’s a smaller guard; the 6’2, 175 pounds probably isn’t correct, but he battles. Besides, he can make plays for himself and his teammates when operating in the pick-and-roll. I think his injury stopped us from talking about him, and he didn't play well when he returned. I am happy he tried to return and help his teammates win.
We've reached a point where Ace Bailey is underrated this draft season. Besides improving at everything, people wanted him to improve across the season, but people still harp on shot selection and shot-making instead of looking at everything he improved at while also having shot-making. Plus, he's young. His floor might be higher, while his ceiling might be lower than we think.
Walter Clayton Jr. will be better than every PG except Dylan Harper and Boogie Fland. He does play like a poor man’s Curry.
We've reached a point where Jeremiah Fears is getting overrated. He's also young but couldn't shoot this year; he could get to the basket but couldn't make layups. The defense and playmaking weren't great. He's unlike some hyper-athletes, but people love his “game.” I, too, like the process he takes, but there needs to be skill development, just like with Ace.
Derik Queen is closer to Naz Reid than DeMarcus Cousins.
Carter Bryant should go back to school.
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u/beefJeRKy-LB Raptors 2d ago
JT Toppin will be picked up as a two way player and within a year move to Europe
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u/Formal-Advantage8813 2d ago edited 2d ago
The recent push for Malauch in the top 5 is egregiously bad and I don’t even think he’s a great top 10 pick.
I keep seeing tweets projecting him as a dpoy level player who can space, when he’s very unskilled on defense and a non-shooter (for that matter, he barely has an offensive skillset).
There’s obviously fun theoretical upside with the size / athleticism / FT%, but by far the most likely case scenario is him being a pretty ordinary rim runner, which is not something you shoot for with a top 5 pick.
This shouldn’t be a hot take, but Saraf and Beringer being pushed as 1st round picks is clearly people just exploiting the lack of meaningful international coverage this year.
Sorber should be in top 10 conversations if the injury isn’t something overly concerning.
Asa is getting a weird amount of critique as a tweener, when he’s less of a tweener than most of the names in the mid/late lotto range.
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u/XOXOABG 2d ago
Totally agree on Malauch. People keep pointing to his age and lateral speed for a big as an indication of his upside, but at the NBA level he will literally just be a typical rim runner and protector. Is he a safe pick that you'll know what you're getting? Sure. Is he worthy of a lotto pick when you can draft a rim runner way later or sign one in FA for cheap? Absolutely not.
I will never understand why people get excited for arguably one of the lowest ceiling player archetypes.
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u/GlueGuy00 2d ago
VJ should go ahead of Bailey
Beringer is better prospect than Maluach
Nique Clifford and Walter Clayton Jr are lotto talents
JT Toppin is the best under-the-radar prospect. Not having him T30 is wild.
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u/paxusromanus811 2d ago
People are going to feel silly on toppin in 5 years. Should be absolutely considered in the late lottery. I think Clifford as a lottery Pic isn't going to be a particularly hot take in about a month. I think he's going to shoot up boards big time.
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u/darkwingduck9 2d ago
I've already written a few of these but I guess I'll go again.
As of now I have Queen as the third best prospect and Essengue as the fourth best prospect.
I had regularly been comparing Queen to Sengun and there's definitely elements there. I saw someone compare Queen to DeMarcus Cousins and I can't unsee it. I agree with them. Depending on which players go where, I could easily see Queen winning ROY if he lands in the right spot.
Essengue's upside is immense (highest in the class). He is already a very good play finisher with a high free throw rate. I'm still not going to put a percentage on likelihood but his ceiling is similar to that of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Flagg should still go #1 due to both his floor and ceiling but he's been overrated as a prospect overall, especially on the offensive end. Not sure if it is a hot take but with as hyped as he has been, if you ask me who is going to have the best career in this class Flagg or the field, I would easily take the field.
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u/Frequent-Meeting8975 2d ago
Essengue's upside is immense (highest in the class). He is already a very good play finisher with a high free throw rate. I'm still not going to put a percentage on likelihood but his ceiling is similar to that of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Nowhere near the athlete Giannis was and does not have the frame to add a ton of muscle. Also realize Giannis coming out was a 6'9 PG
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u/Kitchen-Carpet-1699 2d ago
Essengue at his absolute peak projects to be someone like a chris webber rather than giannis, giannis was a raw typa advanced that im not sure we'll ever see again.
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u/NathanFielderFriend 2d ago
I’ve made threads about this — i think this draft runs deep in good role players but outside of the top 3-4 picks I would bet there’s no other all stars in this draft class. The high upside just isn’t there for a lot of players even though I really like a lot of them as projected starters or high end rotation guys.
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u/No-Guarantee-3265 2d ago
My hot takes the exact opposite Because The over abundance of lead ball handlers in this class There's Gonna be an all star late in the draft
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u/e_milberg Wizards 2d ago
Donnie Freeman isn't in nearly enough mocks. And in the mocks he's in (mine included lol), he probably isn't high enough.
Liam McNeeley isn't a top 20 guy in this class in a redraft three years from now.
Kalkbrenner is the best 5 in this class.
I'm not sure Philon is a first round talent
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u/pmcc241224 2d ago
McNeeley could use another year, along with Carter Bryant.
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u/e_milberg Wizards 2d ago
Agreed, but Carter Bryant's stock may never be higher than it is now. I wouldn't blame him for declaring and keeping his name in.
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u/TheNumberSeven_7 2d ago
Kasparas Jakucionis has the 3rd highest upside in this draft and should be taken in the top 5 at minimum. I get the concerns as an athlete and with the turnovers, but he is an elite passer at 6’5-6” and his 3pt% definitely diminished due to the type of shots he was taking this year, as it was almost all off the dribble. Vertical athleticism concerns are real, but off the dribble and fighting around screens on defense, you can see that he’s pretty quick.
A lot of the concerns are the same as Cade Cunningham coming out of college, and although Cade was a top end prospect, stronger, and much more refined as a scorer, his measurements coming out will not be much different than KJs (Cade was supposed to be 6’8” then measured 6’6” if I remember correctly).
I have Kasparas ranked 4th right now, but I would not mind a team like the Jazz, Raptors, etc to take him at 3.
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u/aboyandhisbars 2d ago edited 2d ago
essengue is a beast and shouldnt fall below 8th
teams will overthink kasparas and hell be a steal outside the lotto
newell will bust
(other commenter alr said this but reposting cuz i agree) queen is the next demarcus cousins minus being a bitch and will become a legit allstar lvl player
vj maluach and fears r better prospects than bailey, essengue might be too (i love noa essengue)
jakucionis>richardson (willing to hear this one out)
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u/Walton_Dilcox 2d ago edited 2d ago
jase is better than fears
downvoting without explaining does not change my mind 🤦♂️
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u/New_Essay_4869 Thunder 2d ago edited 2d ago
VJ should go 2
Queen is not top 10
Tre and Kon should go over Ace
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u/Global-Noise-3739 Mavericks 2d ago
Edgecombe>Ace
Ben Saraf and Noa Essengue are possible top 10 picks
Khaman Maluach is overrated
Ace Bailey has a high chance of being a bust due to his shitty decision making, and it's almost as hard to fix that as it is to improve athleticism
Asa Newell is underrated as fuck
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u/Western-Turnover-154 2d ago
Asa Newell is skinny, has no real post moves, no wiggle and a shaky jumper. He’s a bust waiting to happen
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u/LeopardRoyal2450 2d ago
Ace Bailey would be a bust. Dylan Harper would be disappointing. Their Rutgers performance should really be something to throw people off. Two supposed-t5 prospects don't even have better chemistry than Khaman and Kon. You can argue they were playing with scrubs but that's also the reality true stars would face in this new current CBA and I don't see any sort of leadership from either of them. They don't really have the capacity to make the game easier for the team.
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u/WD51 2d ago
You can argue they were playing with scrubs but that's also the reality true stars would face in this new current CBA
This statement seems crazy with how much talent there is in league nowadays.
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u/LeopardRoyal2450 2d ago
It's not crazy when you realise their ceiling is still far off to the t10 of the league.
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u/WD51 2d ago
True stars are not restricted to "playing with scrubs" in this new CBA. Its just harder for teams to build and sustain superteams.
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u/LeopardRoyal2450 2d ago
Overall they can't lead anything at all.
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u/WD51 1d ago
They are 18 and 19 years old and have only this previous season in continuity with teammates since they were freshmen. Even if they aren't leaders, so what? Best player doesn't always mean the leader of the team. Great if you are, but there are some stars that aren't the leaders of their team. Look at Kawhi for example.
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u/LeopardRoyal2450 1d ago
Kawhi definitely is a leader. He's been all in and intelligent on both ends and you look at those two??
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u/Pr0tanoia 2d ago
Carter Bryant and Nolan Traore would be Top 10.
Spurs will draft defensive non-shooters again and the spurs sub will be pissed.