Tiered Big Board 2025

[CFAN38]

This is my first tiered big board and at this point I am fairly confident my top 27 stays the same. I still have to hash out who I like at the end of the draft but included my gut reaction picks for tiers 8-10.

In this class the guys I am the most confident in as NBA players are

Flagg, Harper, Edgecombe, Knueppel, Jakucionis, Sorber, Raynaud, Clifford, Kalkbrenner, and Clayton.

This list represents the guys who are feel are safe bets to be productive in the NBA. Maybe not as high ceiling outcomes but at their floors they stick in the league and help teams win. These thoughts will likely push me to move Kalkbrenner and Clayton up in my final board but right now I tried to balance out ceiling and floor.






Tier   RK   Player   POS   Team
1   1   Cooper Flagg   4/3   Duke
            
2   2   Dylan Harper   1/2   Rutgers
            
3   3   Ace Bailey   4/3   Rutgers
   4   VJ Edgecombe   2/2   Baylor
   5   Tre Johnson   3/2   Texas
   6   Kon Knueppel   3/4   Duke
   7   Kasparas Jakucionis   1/2   Illinios
            
4   8   Collin Murray-Boyles   4/4   S Carolina
   9   Noa Essengue   4/3   France
   10   Carter Bryant   4/3   Arizona
   11   Jeremiah Fears   1/1   Oklahoma
   12   Khaman Maluach   5/5   
   13   Thomas Sorber   5/4   
   14   Maxime Raynaud   5/5   
   15   Egor Demin   3/1   BYU
   16   Derik Queen   5/4   
            
   17   Nolan Traore   1/1   France
   18   Cedric Coward      
   19   Joan Beringer   5/5   
   20   Asa Newell    4/4   
   21   Liam McNeeley   3/3   Uconn
   22   Drake Powell   3/2   
   23   Nique Clifford   3/2   Colorado St
   24   Rasheer Fleming   4/5   St Joe
            
7   25   Danny Wolf   5/4   
   26   Ryan Kalkbrenner   5/5   
   27   Neoklis Avdalas      
            
8   28   Jase Richardson   2/1   Mighigan St
   29   Walter Clayton Jr   1/2   Florida
   30   Hugo Gonz?lez   3/3   Spain
   31   Adou Thiero   4/3   Arkansas
   32   Will Riley   3/2   Illinois
            
9   34   Chaz Lanier   2/3   Tennessee
   35   Kam Jones   2/1   Marquetter
   36   Koby Brea   2/3   Kentucky
   37   Alex Toohey   3/4   Australia
            
10   38   Will Richard   2/3   Florida
   39   Johni Broome   5/4   Auburn
   40   Eric Dixon   5/4   Villanova
   41   Tyrese Proctor   2/1   
   42   Yanic Niederhauser   5/5   
   43   Javon Small   1/1   
   44   RJ Luis    3/2   St Johns
   45   Micah Peavy   3/4   Georgetown
   46   Jamir Watkins   2/3   Florida St
   47   Alijah Martin   2/1   Florida
   48   Hunter Sallis   2/3   Wake Forest
   49   Brice Williams   3/2   Nebraska
   50   Grant Nelson   4/5   Alabama
   51   Vladislav Goldin   5/5   Michigan
   52   Kobe Sanders   3/4   Nevada
   53   Ryan Nemnhard   1/1   Gonzaga

[CFAN38]

Notes:

Good

Raynaud is my guy in this draft I see him as worth a lottery pick


Chaz Lanier he could be a steal in the 2nd round as a guy who can really shoot and provide wing depth.

Eric Dixon the man can shoot the ball and the value of a shooting big cant be understated. He has his flaws but I can see him sticking and helping a playoff team

Kalkbrenner my hot take is that he will be better than Maluach for their first 2 NBA seasons. Ceiling might not be high but he is an NBA ready rotational big man who teammates will love as a log target.

Fleming a smart team will rebrand him as a center ala Kevon Looney. As a 5 he brings alot to the table.

McNeely screams bust but I really have come around to the idea that he was over cast as a primary at Uconn. That coupled with his ankle injury made for a disappointing freshman year. Going full white guy comp I can see a path where he is 75% prime Gordan Hayward and a really productive starter on a good team

Bad

Queen listening to his interviews and seeing his combine athletic numbers I really think maturity could be an issue. A team drafting him may need to be ready for a long developmental process.

Wolf I like him and could easily put a positive spin on him as a prospect but my fear is that he is very fit dependent. If a team trys to run him as a traditional 5 he will disappoint and in his draft range I dont know what teams allow him the runway to play as a secondary creator.

Richardson size is just a killer for a team looking to make noise in the playoffs. I look at how small PP looks on the court at 200lbs and Jase is only 178!   

[tazzmaniac]

Bogoljub Marković not in your top 53.  Why?  Thin frame? 

[Who]

Derik Queen = comp = Mareese Speights?

[Who]

The middle of that first round sucks.

There is some good big man talent but nothing at guard or at forward. That guy Carter Bryant looks the only player PG-PF that you could have some trust in. Then the high risk high reward option of Nolan Traore. Nothing you can depend on.

With how dodgy the middle of this draft is, I am surprised a proven performer like Walter Clayton Jr isn't being talked about as a higher pick. I feel like he should be a top 20 pick.

[hwangjini_1]

Notes:

Good

Raynaud is my guy in this draft I see him as worth a lottery pick


Chaz Lanier he could be a steal in the 2nd round as a guy who can really shoot and provide wing depth.

Eric Dixon the man can shoot the ball and the value of a shooting big cant be understated. He has his flaws but I can see him sticking and helping a playoff team

Kalkbrenner my hot take is that he will be better than Maluach for their first 2 NBA seasons. Ceiling might not be high but he is an NBA ready rotational big man who teammates will love as a log target.

Fleming a smart team will rebrand him as a center ala Kevon Looney. As a 5 he brings alot to the table.

McNeely screams bust but I really have come around to the idea that he was over cast as a primary at Uconn. That coupled with his ankle injury made for a disappointing freshman year. Going full white guy comp I can see a path where he is 75% prime Gordan Hayward and a really productive starter on a good team

Bad

Queen listening to his interviews and seeing his combine athletic numbers I really think maturity could be an issue. A team drafting him may need to be ready for a long developmental process.

Wolf I like him and could easily put a positive spin on him as a prospect but my fear is that he is very fit dependent. If a team trys to run him as a traditional 5 he will disappoint and in his draft range I dont know what teams allow him the runway to play as a secondary creator.

Richardson size is just a killer for a team looking to make noise in the playoffs. I look at how small PP looks on the court at 200lbs and Jase is only 178!

thanks and you raise some really good points.

On wolf, yes, fit will be key. But i would love to see wolf on the celtics. his passing, size, and shooting are skills that would fit right in.

On Lanier, he can certainly shoot. i only watched one highlight reel and tennessee had him taking catch-and-shots almost exclusively. as a celtic rotation wing he would make sense in the second round. and being older (23 yo) hopefully he could fit in quickly.

[CFAN38]

Bogoljub Marković not in your top 53.  Why?  Thin frame?

The euros are always my weakness. I have a few I need to add to the board

[CFAN38]

Notes:

Good

Raynaud is my guy in this draft I see him as worth a lottery pick


Chaz Lanier he could be a steal in the 2nd round as a guy who can really shoot and provide wing depth.

Eric Dixon the man can shoot the ball and the value of a shooting big cant be understated. He has his flaws but I can see him sticking and helping a playoff team

Kalkbrenner my hot take is that he will be better than Maluach for their first 2 NBA seasons. Ceiling might not be high but he is an NBA ready rotational big man who teammates will love as a log target.

Fleming a smart team will rebrand him as a center ala Kevon Looney. As a 5 he brings alot to the table.

McNeely screams bust but I really have come around to the idea that he was over cast as a primary at Uconn. That coupled with his ankle injury made for a disappointing freshman year. Going full white guy comp I can see a path where he is 75% prime Gordan Hayward and a really productive starter on a good team

Bad

Queen listening to his interviews and seeing his combine athletic numbers I really think maturity could be an issue. A team drafting him may need to be ready for a long developmental process.

Wolf I like him and could easily put a positive spin on him as a prospect but my fear is that he is very fit dependent. If a team trys to run him as a traditional 5 he will disappoint and in his draft range I dont know what teams allow him the runway to play as a secondary creator.

Richardson size is just a killer for a team looking to make noise in the playoffs. I look at how small PP looks on the court at 200lbs and Jase is only 178!

thanks and you raise some really good points.

On wolf, yes, fit will be key. But i would love to see wolf on the celtics. his passing, size, and shooting are skills that would fit right in.

On Lanier, he can certainly shoot. i only watched one highlight reel and tennessee had him taking catch-and-shots almost exclusively. as a celtic rotation wing he would make sense in the second round. and being older (23 yo) hopefully he could fit in quickly.

Wolf is one of the guys who I am all over the place on. Ultimately I?m comfortable ranking Sorber and Raynaud ahead of him ass over all prospects and fits for the Celtics. Wolf vs Kalkbrenner on the other hand is a tough debate for me. Wolfs 3pt shooting is really the swing skill here, without a ton of 3pt attempts or a great FT% I worry if the shot is real. Minus a 3pt shot Wolf becomes a lot less appealing as a more conventional big man. Kalbrenner might shoot but even if he never hits an NBA 3 I trust his rim protection, screening, and elite rim finishing makes him a solid rotational big.

[CFAN38]

So looking at my board I just noticed that in my struggles to place him I excluded one of my favorites in this class Noah Penda.... I also screwed up my tier numbering.


With all that said I have liked Penda as an option at the end of the first for the past couple months. The measurments I had found on him had him at 6'6 225lbs with a 6'11ws. On offense he reminds me a lot of a Boris Diaw / K Anderson type of forward who isn't a great athlete but is a great connective passer that will make his teamates better by making quick correct reads. His swing skill on on offense is his 3pt shot. He shot 30% from 3 on 3 attempts and 69% from the foul line. On the defensive side of the ball he really stands out as a player who moves his feet really well and has very quick hands. All of that had me viewing Penda as a nice bet in the late first.

Now it has come out that he measured 6'7.25" 242lbs with a 6'11.5" wing span. This is only slightly better than expected but interesting changes how I review him positionally. Where I originally pegged him as a thicker wing maybe in the Dillon Brooks / Issac Okoro type mold now with these measurements he is 3/4" and only a couple of lbs smaller than combine Al Horford!

All that said he will be a top 20 pick for me when I update my board.   

[lbgreen33]

Jase Richardson, is interesting to me. I like his game, has a ton of potential. I liked his dad as a player, that sometimes translates. Anyway, I think he would be a good fit for the Celtics, depending on who we keep this offseason. Brad also likes the guards!

[CFAN38]

Jase Richardson, is interesting to me. I like his game, has a ton of potential. I liked his dad as a player, that sometimes translates. Anyway, I think he would be a good fit for the Celtics, depending on who we keep this offseason. Brad also likes the guards!

Jase is a real wild card for me. I personally do not like the value of drafting a small guard in the first round unless they are a clear cut all star level prospect. When the Cs drafted PP I wasn't a fan of the pick however I have since amendment my small guard take to include an * for shorter guards with strong frames. PP like Brunson is able to compensate for a lack of height/length with strength.

For Jase I really worry about the size he is the same height as PP with a 2" longer wingspan but weighted in at 178lbs. PP was 205lbs at the combine. Add to that the fact that Jase was more of a SG in college and I have been lower on him than than most mocks.


Now I have reached a point where I think I maybe a little to low on Jase but more importantly I think he will go higher in the draft than many expect. Looking at last years draft Sheppard and Dillingham both are smaller guards who by either height, weight, or length can be reviewed as similarly limited to Jase. In what I don't think will hold up great in a redraft a few years from now Reed went #3 and Rob went #8 via a trade. I'm not sold that either of them are vastly superior to Jase as prospects. This is a solid indicator that some NBA teams will have a lottery level grade on Jase. He also in a way may benefit from the UK guard factor. Obviously he isn't a UK player but what we have seen from guards like Maxey and Quickley is that talented college guard platoon systems can water down prospects stats. Like Maxey and Quickley Jase would have likely had more impressive stats had he been a higher usage primary ball-handler on a different team. Instead he played for a great coach in a program that had multiple guards.

My bottom line is I will not have him in my top 20 but I do see a path to him being a productive NBA player (maybe Colin Sexton like PG/SG?). I also think that if enough teams liked Dillingham that the Wolves felt they needed to trade all the way up to #8  get him there must have been other late lottery teams high on him. The Grizz where at #9, Jazz #10 and Bulls #11 maybe one of those teams would have taken Dillingham dictating where the T-Wolves had to make the trade. That could prove to be a litmus test of Jase's value.       

[Who]

For Jase I really worry about the size he is the same height as PP with a 2" longer wingspan but weighted in at 178lbs. PP was 205lbs at the combine. Add to that the fact that Jase was more of a SG in college and I have been lower on him than than most mocks.   

I am in the same boat. I was in the same boat? I don't know.

His advanced stats are interesting. 62.4% TS% with 49% FG an 41% 3PTA. His offensive plus minus and defensive plus minus were 6.5 and 5.1 for an 11.6 BPM. That is impressive. Led the Big Ten in plus minus and ranked 9th in the NCAA. As a freshman. That BPM is in line with what Reed Sheppard was getting at Kentucky last year. Low turnover numbers. Lot of high IQ signals there. Two way impact.

I was down on him due to his size. 6-2 180lbs. A SG? But it sounds like he only played SG because of that roster Michigan had. He played PG before that. He can play PG. I was thinking he played SG because he had no PG skills and was forced to play SG. And as a SG I had no interest in a guy that small. You would have to be a super-talent to overcome that and 12ppg ain't a super-talent. But the guy is a PG who only played SG due to that roster in Michigan. That is interesting.

I wasn't even considering him as a first round level draft pick as a 6-2 180lb SG but at PG? I can buy that. Only 25mpg with 12ppg. Good shooting numbers. He didn't show much playmaking (1.9apg) but had a solid 2.4:1.0 AST:TOV ratio. 

He is more interesting as a prospect than I thought at first look. I wrote him off and still write him off as a SG. But he could be an interesting PG. Good defensive plus minus. Good shot selection and efficiency numbers. The playmaking is an open question but a track record of PG before college is interesting.

---------------

I saw Sports Illustrated just dropped him to a late 1st rounder in their latest mock draft.