We’re quickly approaching the withdrawal deadline for the 2025 NBA Draft. College-eligible prospects have until May 28 at 11:59 p.m. ET to submit paperwork stating they no longer intend to go through the process. With that in mind, we should know of Otega Oweh‘s decision within the next few days.
With a little over 48 hours left until Wednesday night’s deadline, a handful of reputable Mock Draft projections have been released since the weekend. CBS Sports updated its latest mock on Friday, but Oweh’s name was not included in the 59-pick, two-round draft. Clutch Points’ most recent projections from Monday also have no mention of Oweh.
The vast majority of mocks aren’t high on Oweh’s chances of getting drafted this year. Sports Illustrated has been the lone constant in including Oweh in its mock, calling for the Kentucky guard to hear his name called as the 58th overall pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers. That’s a far cry from the first-round promise he’s looking for.
Anything can happen, but a return to Kentucky appears to be the likely choice for Oweh — from both a development and financial standpoint. If he ultimately does come back to Lexington for his senior season, the Wildcats will immediately be considered one of the best teams going into 2025-26. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello believes UK would be a top 10 squad going into the preseason if it happens.
“Mark Pope and Kentucky have added 10 new players this offseason, but bringing back a second-team All-SEC performer such as Oweh potentially would push the Wildcats into the preseason top 10,” Borzello wrote last week in his article titled ‘The 12 most impactful NBA draft withdrawal decisions for college basketball.’
“Without him, Pope will have to rely more heavily on newcomers in five-star freshman Jasper Johnson and transfers Denzel Aberdeen (Florida) and Kam Williams (Tulane).”
Despite a good showing at the NBA Draft Combine earlier this month in Chicago, Oweh remains on the outside looking in in regards to popular mock drafts.
What about Koby Brea’s latest projections?
I’m glad you asked! Koby Brea continues to trend as a projected second-round pick. After performing well at the NBA Draft Combine, his name is still mentioned on nearly every major mock draft. The three outlets we talked about above — CBS Sports, Clutch Points, and Sports Illustrated — all have Brea getting selected in next month’s draft.
- CBS Sports: 53rd | Utah Jazz
- Clutch Points: 51st | Los Angeles Clippers
- Sports Illustrated: 55th | Los Angeles Lakers
On Thursday, the folks over at Hoops Hype compiled 10 different mocks (ESPN, CBS Sports, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, Babcock Hoops, USA Today, NBAdraft.net, SB Nation, and FTW) and averaged out the picks. Brea lands at 49th in the aggregate mock to the New York Knicks. Oweh was not included among the bunch.
The 2025 NBA Draft is scheduled for June 25-26 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.
