My Process for the 2025 Mock Draft
Alright, so I decided to tackle a 2025 NBA mock draft. Yeah, I know, it’s super early. Like, ridiculously early. But hey, I love the draft process, following these kids, and just thinking about possibilities.
First thing I did? Just started soaking up information. It’s scattered, you know? Not like the upcoming draft where everything’s dissected. I watched some high school games, whatever footage I could find online. Mostly highlights, gotta be honest. Also checked out some of those early recruiting rankings, just to get names.
Getting a Feel for Players
Then I started trying to get a basic feel for the top guys. You see names pop up. Cooper Flagg, obviously. Everyone’s talking about him. Watched his stuff. Looks like the real deal, but again, kids are still growing, developing. Saw some other guys, Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper. Tried to picture their game at the next level. It’s mostly guesswork at this stage. Who looks smooth? Who has the crazy athletic ability? Who seems to have a good feel for the game?
Thinking About Teams (Sort Of)
Next, I kinda glanced at the NBA standings and thought, “Okay, who might be bad in a couple of years?” This part is almost pointless right now. Teams change so fast. Free agency, trades, guys getting better, guys getting worse. But you gotta start somewhere. So I made some rough guesses about who might be picking high. Didn’t spend too much time here, honestly. It’ll be totally different by 2025.
Putting Pen to Paper (Figuratively)
Then came the actual mocking part. I just opened up a basic text document. No fancy software or spreadsheets for this initial run. I started listing teams I thought could be in the lottery. Then I started plugging in player names. A lot of it was gut feeling. “This guy seems like a fit for that team’s potential need,” or sometimes just, “He’s probably the best guy available here.”
- I put Flagg at number one. Seemed like the obvious call for now.
- Filled in the next few spots with the other highly-ranked guys.
- Tried to mix in some international prospects I’d heard whispers about, though info there is even thinner.
- Moved guys up and down a bit based on… well, not much solid evidence yet. Just vibes, really.
The Hard Part
The main challenge? Lack of reliable info. These players haven’t gone through the college season or pre-draft process yet. We don’t know how they’ll develop, if they’ll stay healthy, how they’ll handle tougher competition. It’s all projection based on limited high school or international play.
Looking It Over
After getting a first draft down, I read through it. Moved a couple of players around. Maybe I thought, “Nah, this team usually goes for potential over polish,” or vice-versa. Swapped a few picks. It felt kinda flimsy, but that’s the nature of mocking this far out.
So, that was my process. Watching bits and pieces, getting some names, making educated guesses about teams, and then just slotting guys in based on early impressions. It’s more of a fun exercise right now than a serious prediction. It’ll definitely change a million times before the actual 2025 draft. But it’s cool to get the ball rolling and start tracking these guys. That’s the fun part for me.
