NBA Draft’s Crop of Late Firsts Could Overachieve

Expert opinion cooled on the 2025 NBA Draft in the later stages, despite plenty of talent near the top in the form of Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper and more.

While those players and more were quickly taken off the board on draft night, other talented players quietly slipped down. And surprises like Egor Demin at No. 8, Yang Hansen at No. 16 and plenty more left some players sliding further than expected.

While the lottery picks often steal the shine throughout the year, this year's crop of late-first selections could be set to make a major impact for their respective teams.

The 20’s were kicked off by the Miami Heat chancing it on Kasparas Jakucionis, who was previously thought of to easily have top-10 stock. No real reason surfaced for his slide, but his lesser athleticism and knack for turnovers could’ve been reason enough.

Still, Jakucionis showed signs of real point guard ability in Summer League, despite some lows.

Kings’ guard Nique Clifford — a five-year collegiate player selected at No. 24 — saw one of the strongest Summer League slates available. Across six games, he scored 15.2 points on 49% shooting, adding 6.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in do-it-all fashion.

Orlando Magic guard Jase Richardson, taken just one pick later, was similarly polished despite being a one-and-done at Michigan State. In two short games, Richardson added 16.5 points, pointing to a near-future where he contributes for a surging Magic squad.

Plenty more rookies massively out-played their stock in Las Vegas: Hornets’ forward Liam McNeeley, Hawks hybrid big Asa Newell, and Celtics wing Hugo Gonzalez. And even swing picks like Will Riley, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf and Yanic Konan Niederhauser offer players that could blossom within the next few years.

Before long, the 2025 draft could again revitalize the image it had earlier in the cycle.