2025 NBA Draft: 7 sleepers to watch who have the potential to be late steals
Every year during NBA Draft season, the actual playoffs are also happening and a bunch of former late first-rounders, second-rounders, and undrafted guys are making real winning plays. It’s happening again right now among the Finals teams:
Andrew Nembhard (31st in 2022) is a key starter for Indiana, while point guard T.J. McConnell is in his 10th season and still playing bench minutes after going undrafted in 2015.
Pascal Siakam just won East Finals MVP as a late first-rounder (27th in 2016) who transformed from an energizing backup to an all-around star.
OKC received massive contributions in the West finals from three undrafted guys: Lu Dort, Kenrich Williams and Alex Caruso. This followed a series win in which Jaylin Williams (34th in 2022) played crucial minutes.
Thunder starting center Isaiah Hartenstein (43rd in 2017) and backup wings Isaiah Joe (49th in 2020) and Aaron Wiggins (55th in 2021) have also made significant contributions.
That’s what this list is about. Not lottery picks. Just prospects who won’t be flashy draft-night picks, but might be the reason a team wins a playoff series sooner than later. Here are seven sleepers.
Drake Powell, age 19.8, North Carolina freshman wing
Powell doesn’t scream sleeper. In fact, he was originally projected as a lottery pick. Then he averaged only 7.4 points as a Tar Heels freshman and began slipping down draft boards. But with a chiseled 6-foot-5 frame, a 7-foot wingspan and a motor that doesn’t quit, Powell projects as the kind of playoff-viable role player every contender can’t have enough of. As a North Carolina freshman, opponents shot only 38.1% from 2-point range when defended by Powell, and he was both a switchable perimeter defender and an effective helper at the rim.
Offensively, he’s a connective passer, a straight-line slasher who finishes through contact and a reliable shooter off the catch. Powell made 40% of his 90 catch-and-shoot 3s, per Synergy. This is consistent with his numbers in high school, where he made 40.2% of his 3s as an upperclassman.
Powell’s stock dipped in part because of the expectations he’d be more of a primary creator for North Carolina. But he displayed a stiff handle, and his jumper off the dribble is shaky. He missed 16 of his 23 jumpers off the bounce, including all five of his 3s, per Synergy.
Last month, Powell worked out for the Bulls, who own the 12th and 45th picks in the draft. Maybe by draft night in late June, he’ll rise up boards enough to be drafted a lot closer to 12th than 45th. And that rise has already begun after a stellar draft combine in which he posted the best athletic measurements of anyone there.
And besides: Development is never linear. Powell was projected as a top-10 pick because of the flashes he showed in high school, making 40.4% of his 94 dribble jumpers as a senior. What if he taps into those skills again down the line? Then taking him in the first round is a no-brainer. Because even without becoming a guy who regularly generates offense, Powell certainly has the role-player foundation to enhance stars and close playoff games.
Ryan Nembhard, age 22.3, Gonzaga senior point guard
Nembhard is a classic old-school floor general who ran the show for Gonzaga, averaging 9.8 assists to just 2.5 turnovers. He plays with a veteran’s poise, throws bull’s-eye passes to shooters and makes smart decisions. He also finishes well for his size, using crafty angles and soft touch off the glass. And he made progress as a shooter during his senior season.
Over his first three college years, he made 37.1% of his catch-and-shoot 3s before making a career-high 44.4% as a senior. The issue was his pull-up 3. He made 27.2% of his dribble-jumper 3s through his junior season before making 36.7% as a senior. Finally, his 44.9% stroke on pull-up midrange jumpers began to translate. Though he’s still