We’re halfway through the college basketball season and a lot has changed since my first Big Board back in early November. And a lot has stayed the same.
The top of the board is consistent with the first edition with Flagg still at no.1 and Harper, Bailey and Demin in the top five. They are joined now by Kasparas Jakucionis, who is having a sensational season for Illinois. He replaces Nolan Traore, who tumbles down the board.
58 of the 70 prospects I listed on the first board remain on this board at mid season, while 12 prospects have been replace by new names.
There have been some major risers and fallers as well. The most notable riser is the meteoric ascension of Jeremiah Fears, the 6-4 guard from Oklahoma. I didn’t have Fears listed on the first edition and here he rises all the way into the top 15! He is having a sensational season, is so fun to watch and is a baller and gamer who plays a fearless style of basketball (no pun intended).
Georgetown center Thomas Sorber also jumped from unranked into the mid first round. He has looked like a better prospect than many of the bigger name centers in this class and he comes in as the second ranked center on my board, behind Duke’s Khaman Maluach. Speaking of Maluach, he’s been a bit underwhelming at times but shows some good flashes. He’s a developmental player with upside but a long ways to go.
Another major riser is Danny Wolf from Michigan. I was high on Wolf at the beginning of the season, ranking him at no. 40 on my first board. But even that was not high enough. On this mid season edition Wolf jumps to no. 24.
The most notable player sliding down the board is French point guard Nolan Traore. I was fully convinced a few months ago that Traore would be a top five pick. I would’ve bet a lot on it. But he’s having a tough season for Saint-Quentin, shooting the ball at a tepid rate, turning the ball over too much and looking underwhelming as a prospect. I think there’s a chance he turns it on and regains his form over the second half of the season but he probably won’t regain a top 5 ranking.
Another international player who is sliding down the board is Australian big man Rocco Zikarsky, who goes from no.15 down to no.35. This might prove to be too low for the young center but he’s looked pretty raw and might not be ready to be a first round pick.
At this time of year we have a pretty good idea which prospects to watch for the upcoming draft, but every year we see a player rise over the second half of the season and during the draft process. I’m really curious to see if there’s a player not listed on this top 70 board that ends up rising all the way into the first round. It could be an International player who is flying under there radar or perhaps a college upperclassman who is much higher on NBA scouts boards than on my board. Stay tuned for that.
2025 NBA Draft Big Board 2.0 – Mid Season Update
- Cooper Flagg – 6-9 – PF – Duke
- Dylan Harper – 6-5 – PG/SG – Rutgers
- Ace Bailey – 6-10 – SF – Rutgers
- Kasparas Jakucionis – 6-5 – PG – Illinois (Lithuania)
- Egor Demin – 6-9 – PG – BYU (Russia)
- Boogie Fland – 6-3 – PG – Arkansas
- Liam McNeeley – 6-7 – SF – UConn
- Tre Johnson – 6-5 – SG – Texas
- Asa Newell – 6-10 – PF – Georgia
- Jeremiah Fears – 6-4 – PG – Oklahoma
- VJ Edgecombe – 6-5 – SG – Baylor (Bahamas)
- Kon Knueppel – 6-6 – SF – Duke
- Noa Essengue – 6-10 – PF – France
- Khamam Maluach – 7-1 – C – Duke (South Sudan)
- Hugo Gonzalez – 6-6 – SG – Spain
- Thomas Sorber – 6-10 – C – Georgetown
- Ben Saraf – 6-6 – PG/SG – Ulm (Israel)
- Carter Bryant – 6-8 – SF – Arizona
- Alex Karaban – 6-8 – SF – UConn
- Nolan Traore – 6-4 – PG – France
- Derik Queen – 6-9 – PF/C – Maryland
- JT Toppin – 6-9 – PF – Texas Tech
- Johni Broome – 6-10 – C – Auburn
- Danny Wolf – 7-0 – C – Michigan
- Will Riley – 6-8 – SG – Illinois
- Nique Clifford – 6-6 – SF – Colorado State
- Rasheer Fleming – 6-9 – C – St. Joseph’s
- Collin Murray-Boyles – 6-7 – PF – South Carolina
- Kam Jones – 6-4 – SG – Marquette
- Bogoljub Markovic – 6-10 – SF/PF – Serbia
- Donnie Freeman – 6-9 – PF – Syracuse
- Adou Thiero – 6-8 – SF – Arkansas
- Joson Sanon – 6-6 – SG – Arizona State
- Ian Jackson – 6-5 – SG – North Carolina
- Rocco Zikarsky – 7-1 – C – Australia
- Kanon Catchings – 6-8 – SF – BYU
- Dink Pate – 6-7 – PG/SG – Mexico City Capitanes
- Labaron Philon – 6-3 – PG – Alabama
- Drake Powell – 6-7 – SF – North Carolina
- Flory Bidunga – 6-10 – C – Kansas (Congo)
- Mackenzie Mgbako – 6-8 – SF – Indiana
- Michael Ruzic – 6-9 – PF – Croatia
- Jase Richardson – 6-4 – SG – Michigan State
- KJ Lewis – 6-4 – SG – Arizona
- Eric Dixon – 6-8 – PF – Villanova
- Koby Brea – 6-7 – SG/SF – Kentucky
- Alex Toohey – 6-8 – SF – Australia
- Tomislav Ivisic – 7-1 – C – Illinois (Croatia)
- Jamir Watkins – 6-7 – SF – Florida State
- Dame Sarr – 6-6 – SG – Italy
- Jaland Lowe – 6-3 – PG – Pittsburgh
- Joan Beringer – 6-10 – PF – France
- Miles Byrd – 6-7 – SG – San Diego State
- Adama Bal – 6-7 – SG – Santa Clara (France)
- Johann Grünloh – 6-11 — PF – Germany
- Malique Lewis – 6-8 – SF/PF – SE Melbourne, NBL (Trinidad and Tobago)
- Ryan Kalkbrenner – 7-1 – C – Creighton
- Motiejus Krivas – 7-2 – C – Arizona (Lithuania)
- D.J. Wagner – 6-3 – SG – Arkansas
- Hansen Yang – 7-1 – C – China
- Tyrese Proctor – 6-4 – PG – Duke (Australia)
- Joseph Tugler – 6-7 – PF – Houston
- Noah Penda – 6-8 – PF – France
- Xaivian Lee – 6-3 – PG – Princeton (Canada)
- Zvonimir Ivisic – 7-3 – C – Arkansas (Croatia)
- Maxime Raynaud – 7-1 – C – Stanford (France)
- Sergio de Larrea – 6-7 – SG – Spain
- Zacharie Perrin – 6-10 – PF – France
- Izan Almansa – 6-10 – PF – Perth (Spain)
- Andrej Stojakovic – 6-7 – SF – California
Thanks for reading. Here’s my latest 2025 Mock Draft
And stay tuned for the State Of The 2025 NBA Draft, coming soon.