Grading the 2025 NBA Draft’s First Round

The first round of the 2025 NBA Draft has officially came and went, offering up plenty of fireworks in the form of selections, trades and more.

The draft started out as expected, and quickly devolved into madness with each pick. Below, we’ll grade how each team did on a pick-to-pick basis:

1. Maverick: Cooper Flagg (Duke)

Grade: A+

There was little thinking needed with the Mavericks first overall pick, but they still made out with the best player in the class, earning themselves an A-plus.

2. Spurs: Dylan Harper (Rutgers)

Grade: A

Similarly to the Mavericks, the Spurs No. 2 pick seemed locked in stone, though teams seemed to be throwing packages their way in the final days. San Antonio gets an A for sticking to their guns, and adding a future star to their roster alongside Victor Wembanyama.

3. 76ers: VJ Edgecombe (Baylor)

Grade: B

The 76ers stayed pat and took VJ Edgecombe, who should offer a high floor and high ceiling with athleticism. He makes for a somewhat funky situation in Philadelphia, but it still plenty talented and worthy of the No. 3 pick.

4. Hornets: Kon Knueppel (Duke)

Grade: A-

For the first time since acquiring Brandon Miller, Charlotte leaves with a passing grade. Duke’s Kon Knueppel is one of the highest-feel players in the class, and a prospect that should offer the Hornets a longtime wing option with shooting, passing and more.

5. Jazz draft: Ace Bailey (Rutgers)

Grade: B+

At fifth the Jazz a surprise selection in grabbing Ace Bailey, who reportedly wasn’t expecting, or necessarily wanting, to land in Utah. Still, the Jazz added one of the top prospects, and gets brownie point for sticking to their evaluation despite the lack of a workout.

6. Wizards: Tre Johnson (Texas)

Grade: A

It wasn’t a given that Washington would swing on a high-volume scoring guard, but they did just that in nabbing sharpshooter Tre Johnson, who might immediately be the team’s best offensive weapon.

7. Pelicans: Jeremiah Fears (Oklahoma)

Grade: C+

The Pelicans nabbed a high-ceiling point guard prospect in Oklahoma’s Jeremiah Fears, but haven’t yet proven they’re leaning into the developmental side of their roster, seemingly planning to win games next season.

8. Nets: Egor Demin (BYU)

Grade: B-

The Nets took jumbo guard Egor Demin with the first pick of their rebuild. He’s a major project, but offers immense upside. If Brooklyn truly wants to compete in a few years, the pick is questionable. If they see a rebuild through in its entirety, there’s worse starting points.

9. Raptors: Collin Murray-Boyles (South Carolina)

Grade: C

The Raptors just can’t quick multi-tooled, multi-positional, non-shooting combo forwards, which they again took in South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles. CMB’s a great player, but has a questionable fit within Toronto’s core.

10. Suns: Khaman Maluach (Duke)

Grade: B+

Phoenix’s selection of 7-foot center Khaman Maluach was made odd by the team’s simultaneous acquisition of Hornets center Mark Williams. But he’s still a great jumping off point for a franchise that needed talent in general.

11. Grizzlies: Cedric Coward (Washington State)

Grade: B

Coward’s unproven on the wing, but the Grizzlies have done a great job of developing these types of players before. He was deemed a Memphis target when they traded to No. 16, and that held true when they traded up.

12. Bulls: Noa Essengue (Ratiopharm Ulm)

Grade: A-

At first glance, the project-y Essengue may seem an odd pick for the Bulls. But in the least, Chicago has finally chose two developmental prospects in a row, and seems keen on finally leaning into high-upside opposed to staying in the purgatory of the NBA. 

13. Pelicans: Derik Queen (Maryland)

Grade: C

In a vacuum, the Pelicans trading back into the lottery to grab Derik Queen is great. But offloading a 2026 unprotected first to do so hurts, especially given they could be just as bad next year. Queen should at least offer the team a fun options next season.

14. Spurs: Carter Bryant (Arizona)

Grade: A

The Spurs get multiple A’s in this draft, culminating in an A-plus draft as a whole. Carter Bryant should offer the perfect 3-and-D wing in San Antonio’s core.

15. Thunder: Thomas Sorber (Georgetown)

Grade: B

The reigning champs continue to backfill their roster with young talent, and Sorber will offer an intriguing frontcourt option if he develops in the next few seasons.

16. Trail Blazers: Yang Hansen (Qingdao)

Grade: B-

Hansen Yang was by far the biggest shocker of Day 1, largely being a projected second round pick by many. Still, the Trail Blazers full sending and taking him well above his projected range is exciting. While it potentially wasn’t the greatest asset management, they’re certainly planning on using a highly-intruiging player.

17. Timberwolves: Joan Beringer (Cedevita Olimpija)

Grade: C-

The Timberwolves gambled on French big in the middle of the first round, presumably to let him learn the ropes under Rudy Gobert. While the thought process is there to begin grooming their future centers, the team likely could’ve stood to add more win-now talent.

18. Jazz: Walter Clayton Jr. (Florida)

Grade: A-

Florida champion Walter Clayton Jr. makes for an interesting fit in Utah, but is simply too talented to project to be anything other than a positive NBA contributor.

19. Nets: Nolan Traoré (Saint-Quentin BB)

Grade: B-

After drafting a lead guard at No. 8, the Nets did so at No. 19, too, nabbing Nolan Traore. There’s worse shots to take for a blank-slate roster than grabbing a formerly top-five player in the class.

20. Heat: Kasparas Jakučionis (Illinois)

Grade: A

Jakucionis saw the longest fall of any prospect, previously being projected to go in the top-10. If there wasn’t a concrete reason for the fall, the NBA just let Miami get a blue chip lead guard prospect without tanking.

21. Wizards: Will Riley (Illinois)

Grade: C+

Will Riley has a ways to go in becoming an impactful NBA player, but was an easy gamble for a Wizards organization that values his archetype.

22. Nets: Drake Powell (North Carolina)

Grade: B-

Drake Powell offers a slightly higher floor than the rest of the Nets’ first round picks, with a nice base of shooting and defense.

23. Hawks: Asa Newell (Georgia)

Grade: B+

Asa Newell makes for a great front court option in Atlanta with defense, rim-finishing and potential shooting. But the real win for the Hawks was grabbing a highly valuable pick and still nabbing their guy.

24. Kings: Nique Clifford (Colorado State)

Grade: B

Nique Clifford offers things the Kings typically look for: a high floor guard-slash-wing who can rebound the ball at a high rate. He should be able to hit the ground running in Sacramento.

25. Magic: Jase Richardson (Michigan State)

Grade: B+

Richardson was previously thought of to be a target of Orlando’s at No. 16. So nabbing the high-feel combo guard at No. 25 — in addition to the Desmond Bane trade — makes it a successful offseason for the Magic.

26. Nets: Ben Saraf (Ratiopharm Ulm)

Grade: C+

Brooklyn took yet another handling gamble with their fourth first round pick, maximizing their chances of finding their lead guard of the future. Though, Saraf wasn’t a popular selecting after Demin and Traore.

27. Nets: Danny Wolf (Michigan)

Grade: B-

In leaving with a plethora of first rounders, there were worse gambles than Wolf for Brooklyn here. They take a risk one of the most unique players in the class, a 7-footer who should be able to handle, shoot and pass.

28. Celtics: Hugo González (Real Madrid)

Grade: C

The new-look Celtics added yet another fresh face on Wednesday, getting a developmental wing in Spain’s Hugo Gonzalez.

29. Hornets: Liam McNeeley (Connecticut)

Grade: C+

Liam McNeeley should offer another fun shooter and connector for the Hornets, though there’s some overlap with their earlier pick.

30. Clippers: Yanic Konan Niederhauser (Penn State)

Grade: D+

The LA Clippers had a myriad of options on the board to cap off the round, but chose a 22-year-old non-shooting four. Albeit one who should offer weak-side shot-blocking.