The 2025 NBA Draft is rapidly approaching. With that, the list of prospects has put themselves into better focus, and, unsurprisingly, that’s come with some draft boards getting shaken up.
CBS Sports recently put out its latest NBA mock draft. In it, they made some major changes from their previous looks at this year’s draft. That, notably, is going to start around pick three. After all, the first two picks, barring a trade or some kind of massive change, seem firmly set in stone. Still, everything after that point, is pretty interesting.
Here’s a look at the entire first round of the NBA Draft, mocked up by CBS. That includes several big names internationally, as well as from the college ranks, who are worth keeping an eye on.
There’s no debate with the first overall pick in the NBA Draft. Cooper Flagg, the star out of Duke, is a clear favorite to get taken with this selection. He enters the NBA after a phenomenal freshman season at Duke where he would lead the Blue Devils all the way to the Final Four.
Flagg is expected to go into an interesting situation. The Mavericks received a lot of pushback following their decision to trade franchise star Luka Doncic midseason. Now, after coming out the big winners in the NBA Draft lottery, the Mavericks have a chance to land their next cornerstone.
There is some intrigue with the second pick in the NBA Draft. After all, the Spurs could make the decision to trade the pick, which would again shake things up. However, if they choose to stay second overall, then Dylan Harper appears to be the logical choice.
A point guard who starred for Rutgers last season, Harper will hopefully become a key piece to build around superstar Victor Wembanyama. Combined, those two are likely going to become a force to be reckoned with in the NBA within the coming seasons.
The third overall pick is where things get really intriguing this year. There are a few different choices that are very much on the table here. For now, though, CBS Sports is predicting VJ Edgecombe goes to Philadelphia third overall.
Philadelphia is coming off an incredibly frustrating season. That led to the 76ers landing a top-three pick in the NBA Draft lottery. Now, they’re going to need to find a way to make sure they don’t miss with this pick so that they can bounce back and contend in the Eastern Conference in the near future.
Next up in the NBA Draft is going to be the Charlotte Hornets. There, CBS is mocking them to land Tre Johnson, who had a breakout season last year as a freshman at Texas. The hope is that he can then make the quick transition to the NBA and help turn around a struggling Hornets team.
One of Johnson’s greatest strengths is his shot making ability. A trait that’s now prized in the NBA, he could be drafted on that alone. However, he’s also regarded as someone who is more than capable of continuing to develop further, making him one of the best prospects available.
5. Utah Jazz – Ace Bailey, SF, Rutgers
CBS is mocking that Rutgers will be the first college team with multiple players selected in this year’s NBA Draft. It will leave the Utah Jazz with an interesting, albeit polarizing prospect to take in the top five, Ace Bailey. A high-upside player, there are those who believe Bailey can develop into a star. There are also those who fear he has a long way to go.
There is some risk that would come with this pick, but CBS believes that it’s worth it for Utah given their current makeup. In particular, how the Jazz have good depth in the front court while lacking the superstar talent. Depending on how he develops, he could make them a contender again.
There are many who consider the Washington Wizards a loser of the NBA Draft lottery. After an abysmal season, the Wizards fell to sixth overall. They’re missing out on the obviously generational players then, and looking for someone who fits their needs and they have several So, they also can go for talent and that could be Derik Queen.
A big man from Maryland, Queen offers good offensive firepower from his position. He also has some questions on the defensive end that he does need to answer. However, if he can blend seamlessly into the frontcourt, Washington could take a nice step forward.
Similarly to Washington, New Orleans fell further in the NBA Draft lottery than it would have liked to. Still, there are plenty of talented players available at this point. So, CBS has the Pelicans taking point guard Kasparas Jakucionis.
The name of the game for Jakucionis is going to be versatility. He can do some of everything. That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement, particularly shooting the ball and avoiding turnovers. Still, with time, he should become a productive NBA player.
8. Brooklyn Nets – Kon Knueppel, SF, Duke
Cooper Flagg wasn’t the only star freshman at Duke last season. Kon Knueppel was also a major reason for their success and made himself a likely lottery pick in this year’s NBA Draft. CBS has him coming in eighth and going to the Brooklyn Nets.
One thing the Nets are going to want out of Knueppel is consistent production from the wing. He proved capable of doing that at Duke. The transition to the NBA after one season of college is never easy, but with his skillset it seems likely that he can make the leap.
9. Toronto Raptors – Khaman Maluach, C, Duke
The run on Duke freshmen continues for CBS with their mock draft taking Khaman Maluach ninth overall. There, the hope for Toronto would be that they’d have their center for the future. After all, it’s a nice blend of filling a need and drafting a high player at this point in the NBA Draft.
Immediately, Maluach is expected to translate to the NBA because of his defensive presence. More work is needed on the offensive side of the ball, but it’s not going to keep him from getting on the floor. There’s plenty of value for him with this pick.
The Houston Rockets round out the top 10 in this year’s NBA Draft. There, CBS is currently mocking them to select Collin Murray-Boyles out of South Carolina. Perhaps undersized, he brings excellent defensive tools with him. That could make him a good fit who translates well to what Houston is trying to do.
This lottery pick comes after Houston had a breakout season on the court. That means that they could be adding a potential star for the future to a team that has already proved itself more than capable on the floor. With any luck, that will make them a legitimate contender in the West.
2025 NBA Draft picks 10-30
11. Portland Trail Blazers – Carter Bryant, SF, Arizona
12. Chicago Bulls – Jeremiah Fears, PG, Oklahoma
13. Atlanta Hawks – Rasheer Fleming, PF, St. Joseph’s
14. San Antonio Spurs – Noa Essengue, PF, France
15. Oklahoma City Thunder – Danny Wolf, PF, Michigan
16. Orlando Magic – Nique Clifford, SF, Colorado State
17. Minnesota Timberwolves – Walter Clayton, PG, Florida
18. Washington Wizards – Egor Demin, PG, BYU
19. Brooklyn Nets – Nolan Traore, PG, France
20. Miami Heat – Jase Richardson, SG, Michigan State
21. Utah Jazz – Liam McNeeley, SF, UConn
22. Atlanta Hawks – Thomas Sorber, C, Georgetown
23. Indiana Pacers – Asa Newell, PF, Georgia
24. Oklahoma City Thunder – Cedric Coward, SG, Washington State
25. Orlando Magic – Will Riley, SF, Illinois
26. Brooklyn Nets – Adou Thiero, SF, Arkansas
27. Brooklyn Nets – Ben Saraf, PG, Israel
28. Boston Celtics – Drake Powell, SF, North Carolina
29. Phoenix Suns – Johni Broome, C, Auburn
30. Los Angeles Clippers – Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton
