NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Top prospects returned to college, but plenty of talent remains. Here’s our latest look at every pick.
If you’re just here for the mock draft, scroll down. Or check out my 2025 NBA Draft Guide with a full two-round mock and scouting reports for every prospect.
The depth of the 2025 NBA Draft class just took a massive blow. In the final 24 hours before the withdrawal deadline, 10 of my top 70 ranked prospects decided to return to college. In total since the end of the college season, 32 of my original top 100 all decided to run it back.
“This year’s draft class, more than any ever, has been affected by the NIL and the new pay-for-play,” Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens told NBC Sports Boston. “The money can be higher in some of these schools than the bottom of the 20s in the draft. Good for them.”
Staying in school isn’t just about development or team loyalty anymore. It’s about real money. Why go be the 42nd pick and grind in the G League when you can drive a Tesla around campus and drop 25 in front of a packed student section? And in the process of having that unique college experience, ideally improve for next year’s draft? Good for the players, indeed.
Some of the returns weren’t a shock. Tahaad Pettiford, Yaxel Lendeborg, and Alex Condon were always 50/50 bets to stay in the draft. But within one hour of the deadline, Labaron Philon announced he was heading back to Alabama. That one stung for teams hoping to get a steal in the late first round, and was a shocker to the draft sickos who thought he was a lottery talent. But for Philon? This is the right move. Mark Sears is gone. The ball is his now. He’ll be the guy on a strong team with national title hopes. The online draft community is absolutely in the right to feel Philon is a lottery talent, but he wasn’t getting picked in the top 14 this year. He might next year, and he’ll have plenty of opportunities to work his way even higher.
So yes, the pool got way shallower. But this class still has juice in the 20 to 45 range with role players, rotation guys, and long-term keepers. And as always, the defining variable isn’t just talent. It’s fit, opportunity, and the randomness of NBA development curves. Let’s get into my two-round mock draft.
For full scouting reports of every player, check out my draft guide.
- Dallas Mavericks: Cooper Flagg, F, Duke
All indications are that the Mavericks will indeed keep the first pick, select Flagg, and take a two timelines approach. I still wonder: Is there any deal the Mavericks would take to trade away Flagg: Giannis Antetokounmpo? A haul of draft picks to move down one spot? Luka Dončić? Just kidding on that last one. Anyway, odds are Flagg is in Dallas next year because he can help in both the short-term and long-term as a do-it-all forward who hustles like a madman, makes his teammates better as a passer, and has dialed in a knockdown jumper. He’s both the best offensive and defensive prospect in this draft class, making him the safest No. 1 pick in ages. As long as his jumper falls, he could play as a small forward next to Anthony Davis and another big. It’s his growth as a shot creator that will decide if he reaches his All-Star floor or soars to his Hall of Fame ceiling.
- San Antonio Spurs: Dylan Harper, G, Rutgers
If the Spurs keep the second pick and don’t trade out of this position, it seems like Harper will be the pick. Harper is a big-bodied lefty combo guard with NBA blood in his veins, as the son of Ron Harper, who was a 20/5/5 guy before winning five titles as a role player. Like his father, Harper has a high floor with the skill, poise and playmaking instincts to dictate the game at his pace. He isn’t an ideal fit, though, next to De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle because of questions about his jumper. Harper made only 36.8% of his catch-and-shoot 3s and just 28.7% of his dribble jumpers as a Rutgers freshman. Fox and Castle are more interior-focused guards, too, and so is Jeremy Sochan in the frontcourt. How many shaky shooters can the Spurs really put around Victor