NBA mock draft 2025: AI draft predictions for all 30 first-round picks

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There appears to be very little mystery this year at the top of the 2025 NBA draft. The assumption is Duke‘s Cooper Flagg will be the No. 1 selection, even if the Dallas Mavericks were to make another shocking trade and deal the pick they won in last week’s NBA draft lottery. Artificial intelligence has picked up on that sense of certainty ahead of next month’s event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

While AI predictions for some prospects vary from the most influential NBA mock drafts, the projection for Flagg aligned with conventional thinking when USA TODAY Sports asked Microsoft Copilot to run a simulation of the 2025 NBA draft first round based on team needs, player rankings and draft order. The prospects selected after him, however, is where the AI and draft experts began to diverge

The simulation, for instance, was a little higher on Maryland’s Derik Queen than most mock drafts and a little lower on Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears. It had Georgia’s Asa Newell, Saint Joseph’s Rasheer Fleming and Israeli guard Ben Saraf as top-20 picks when most don’t and predicted others expecting to go in the first round to slide. It appears, at the very least, to be a better representation than earlier attempts to get AI predictions for this year’s NBA draft. Maybe the NBA draft combine helped clear things up (and led to more published mock drafts).

Here’s a breakdown of the 2025 NBA draft first-round picks made by Microsoft Copilot AI, as well as how to watch next month when the league’s teams gather in Brooklyn to make their selections:

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NBA draft 2025: AI predictions for every first round pick

1. Dallas Mavericks: F Cooper Flagg, Duke
2. San Antonio Spurs: G Dylan Harper, Rutgers
3. Philadelphia 76ers: G V.J. Edgecombe, Baylor
4. Charlotte Hornets: F Ace Bailey, Rutgers
5. Utah Jazz: G Tre Johnson, Texas
6. Washington Wizards: F Derik Queen, Maryland
7. New Orleans Pelicans: F Kon Kneuppel, Duke
8. Brooklyn Nets: G Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois
9. Toronto Raptors: C Khaman Maluach, Duke
10. Houston Rockets: G Jase Richardson, Michigan State
11. Portland Trail Blazers: G Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma
12. Chicago Bulls: F Asa Newell, Georgia
13. Atlanta Hawks: F Noa Essengue, Ratiopharm Ulm
14. San Antonio Spurs: F Liam McNeeley, UConn
15. Oklahoma City Thunder: F Connor Murray-Broyles, South Carolina
16. Orlando Magic: G Egor Demin, BYU
17. Minnesota Timberwolves: G Ben Saraf, Raiopharm Ulm
18. Washington Wizards: Thomas Sorber, Georgetown
19. Brooklyn Nets: F Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’s
20. Miami Heat: F Carter Bryant, Arizona
21. Utah Jazz: G Nolan Troare, Saint-Quentin
22. Atlanta Hawks: F Yaxel Landeborg, UAB
23. Indiana Pacers: F Isaiah Evans, Duke
24. Oklahoma City Thunder: G Will Riley, Illinois
25. Orlando Magic: F Alex Toohey, Gonzaga
26. Brooklyn Nets: F Drake Powell, North Carolina
27. Brooklyn Nets: G/F Dink Pate, G League Ignite
28. Boston Celtics: F/C Danny Wolf, Michigan
29. Phoenix Suns: F Alex Karaban, UConn
30. Los Angeles Clippers: G Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest

When is the 2025 NBA draft

The 2025 NBA draft is scheduled to take place over two days, with the first round scheduled for Wednesday, June 25 beginning at 7 p.m. ET and the second round slated to happen on Thursday, June 26.

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