Mark Sears 2025 NBA Draft Profile

The 2025 NBA draft includes electric athletes and dynamic scorers across all experience levels. Alabama guard Mark Sears may be the most dynamic scorer in the NBA draft class. What makes his offensive game stand out? What will stop most teams from using an earlier draft pick on Sears?

 Mark Sears 2025 NBA Draft Profile

College Career

Sears led one of the most dynamic offenses in the country for several years. He played two seasons at Ohio before transferring for his final three seasons in Tuscaloosa. He took a huge step forward in his fourth season, averaging 21.5 points per game and leading Alabama to the Final Four, only losing to the eventual national champions, UConn.

This past season, Sears’ scoring numbers dropped to 18.6 points per game because of his three-point shooting. However, he managed to increase his playmaking ability, averaging 5.1 assists per game. Sears hit ten threes in Alabama’s record-breaking performance against BYU. Sears led Alabama to the Elite Eight, falling short to the incredible Duke Blue Devils. The body of Mark Sears’ college career earned him a spot at the NBA Draft combine. He averaged 16.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game across 170 contests. Sears was an All-American in two of his three seasons at Alabama.

Strengths

Sears has a limitless range, frequently dialing in for long-range threes. He excels at catch-and-shoot threes well behind the line. The lefty can be streaky at times but can catch fire and hit double-digit threes in a game with ease. He doesn’t utilize shots off the dribble as often but can be just as lethal on a stepback.

Mark Sears’ ability to drive to the basket has added a different dimension to his NBA draft profile. His incredible handles and quickness allow him to get to the rim with ease. He fights off defenders and finishes well at the rim with his strong frame. Sears also dishes the ball to open shooters when the defense collapses. While his height (6’1″) is a liability, his strength and vision allow him to make passes that smaller guards normally cannot make.

Weaknesses

If Sears was four or five inches taller, he would have been in the NBA already. However, his game still has flaws (ones that GMs are willing to look over with his skillset at 6’6″). The most obvious flaw is his unwillingness to bring defensive intensity. With his size, he already would be a defensive liability, but he cares far more about offense than defense. He leaks out, leading to lower rebound numbers, and gets caught in unfortunate situations too often for a player with his experience. Nate Oats benched him in a game against LSU because of his effort on both ends.

With all dynamic scorers, shot selection can be an issue. Sears can hit his share of long threes, but Alabama’s style ran through Sears. He took contested shots early in the shot clock. In his fourth college season, Sears shot 50.8% from the floor and 43.4% from three on 13.4 shot attempts per game. This past season, those numbers dropped to 40.3% from the floor and 34.5% from three. A lot of that was shot selection. Mark Sears’ NBA draft prospects rely on his ability to score at an efficient level. He will need to prove early in his career that his super senior season was a fluke, not the new normal.

NBA Comparison

His size and love for shooting reminds me of Jalen Brunson. Brunson has taken the league by storm and could lead the Knicks to a championship this season. Sears will never be that kind of player. A more realistic expectation could be a player like Gary Trent Jr. The biggest difference is size. Brunson has been able to defy his size because of his frame. Not that Sears couldn’t, but it is extremely unlikely that he becomes half the player Brunson is. The combination of size and skill set makes an exact comparison hard, but combining Trent and Brunson is a nice start. Overall, Sears’ ceiling is likely nothing more than a role player.

2025 NBA Draft Prediction

Mark Sears could be drafted in the latter part of the second round or undrafted. His fate will rely on team fits and how the draft board falls.