Time for week 2! It is never too early to talk 2025 NBA Draft.
After covering the consensus top of the draft I figured today we would have more fun with different types of players. Last week’s comments suggested Carter Bryant and Donnie Freeman so I will be covering them this week in addition to 3 players I was eager to watch.
I will break down 5 players and their games after diving deep into their film and stats. At the end of the piece, I will update my running big board with these 5 players and players covered before in this series.
If you missed it I broke down the consensus top 5 of this draft last week which you can check out HERE!
Drake Powell, Wing, North Carolina
Watching Drake Powell last season in high school the first thing that pops out is just how bad his competition is, so weeding out thoughts is a little bit tougher. Powell is arguably the best athlete in this cycle. An elite vertical threat with good acceleration and quickness.
Pair the athleticism with a 6’6 frame with a plus wingspan and Powell has the makings of an elite NBA defender. For so many of these guys, I have said they have tools but are not yet great defenders. With Powell, he is already a very solid and productive defender so the jump he has to make is smaller than others.
Against the low competition he played against in high school, I would have liked to see Powell get to the rim more but he was still able to get to the rim at the Nike Skills Camp and in EYBL which eases my concerns. On synergy, Powell was 75% at the rim which is unsustainable but should lead to future success at the rim.
He is very good at putting himself in positions to succeed. Powell is a great cutter, he moves without the ball and has flashes of self-creation when needed.
I am convinced Powell will be a good shooter because he checks all the boxes. He shot just under 36% from 3, over 81% from the free throw line, and the form passes the eye test. 3 and D is an overused term in scouting but Powell fits the modern mold of that role.
The biggest thing I am watching as next season starts is Powell’s playmaking. Powell was not a special playmaker in high school but at the Nike Skills Camp, he had multiple high-level reads. On Twitter, I broke down some of these reads.
Powell’s range of outcomes is wide in this cycle. It would not shock me if he doesn’t get the playing time necessary to be a lottery pick or if he has a great season and is a top 5 pick.
Jarin Stevenson, Forward, Alabama
Despite entering his sophomore year Jarin Stevenson does not turn 19 until October. Stevenson was a five-star prospect in the class of 2024 until he reclassified and joined Alabama last season. Would Stevenson be seen as a better prospect if he was entering this season as a freshman?
Stevenson has measurables to drool over at 6’11 with a 7’0 wingspan. Although he is skinny there is enough of a frame there that he can be bigger with weight training.
Stevenson had a very condensed role for Alabama his freshman season but I expect that to widen this season on a very good team with title hopes. Below is Stevenson’s offensive skill curve that shows his offensive rating relating to his usage.
As you can see with the red line as Stevenson is relied on more he does worse. He is young so this could certainly change but he plays his best offensive game the smaller his role is.
Stevenson plays a very analytical game shooting 64% of his shots from 3, 30% of his shots at the rim, and only 6% of his shots are from the mid-range. A lot of that is the result of Alabama’s analytical system but also this is because of Stevenson’s lack of self-creation. 73% of his total shots were assisted and not self-created.
Stevenson shoots under 32% from 3 and under 69% from the free throw but I buy the shot. Stevenson shoots with confidence and has a very easy replaceable shot that involves nearly no dip.
He is very good at spacing the floor in the sense of his literal place on the floor. Stevenson lives in the corners which is an underrated skill in the NBA because it gives his teammates space and driving lanes.
Defensively I am excited about Jarin. Sometimes when he defends big men he can be pushed around but NBA weight training will help ease those concerns. The best thing about his defense is that he cares. Throughout the possession, Stevenson stays in a stance and for the most part doesn’t fall asleep off the ball. Stevenson moves his feet well on the ball and disrupts offenses with his length.
I feel good that Stevenson will be a good NBA-level defender. Projecting Stevenson forward I think PJ Washington is an interesting comparison. Washington is more capable of creating for himself but that can come for Stevenson.
This season I am monitoring the shooting consistency, ball handling, and rebounding of Stevenson, and with the right developments he could be a top 20 pick.
Liam McNeely, Wing, UConn
Liam McNeeley is an elite shooter and that has to be the lead when talking about him. Over the last 18 months McNeeley 41.5% from 3 on over 5 attempts a game. Just under 80% from the free throw line, high volume, and great form all point to the shooting being elite and legitimate.
McNeeley is capable of getting different types of shots off: quick shots, off movement, and when open his natural form is a high arching shot that feels like it will touch the ceiling. He also shot a scorching 50% off of catch-and-shoot attempts, which shows that teams can not let him get comfortable. Pair this with his listed 6’8 height and he has a good base as a pro.
Shooting is arguably the most important skill so it is important to note how elite he is in this area. McNeeley is also a very solid passer with just under a 20% assist rate and a 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio. His playmaking is best finding cutters or shooters on quick reads. Even when he is not creating for others McNeeley doesn’t turn the ball over with just over 1 turnover a game.
All of that makes McNeeley a good prospect but I am not yet sold on him as a lottery or top 20 guy. McNeeley is not a very good athlete and that is evident in his lack of advantage creation and his consistent below-the-rim finishing.
It is hard to find how else McNeeley impacts the game when run off the line outside of above-average passing. 4.4 rebounds at his size is below average and he doesn’t have elite ball handling to cancel out his poor athleticism.
Defensively, McNeeley is fine maybe a little below average. His size helps him but his lack of athleticism against quicker players is apparent. He is smart off the ball but he struggles on the ball.
Where I struggle with McNeeley is that he is not the athlete of someone like Gradey Dick and not the hard-nosed defender of someone like Max Strus.
I view McNeeley as similar to someone like Baylor Scheierman (I had him ranked 23rd last season). A big wing who can shoot, pass, and doesn’t turn the ball over while still having clear limitations as a creator and elite defender. The concern with that comparison is Scheierman played college basketball for 5 seasons perfecting his role while McNeeley likely will be a one-and-done.
Carter Bryant, Wing, Arizona
Carter Bryant is under-talked about. Bryant is super smooth with the ball in his hands with NBA size at 6’8, 220 lbs. A plus athlete, Bryant uses his length to get to the rim and consistently finish above the rim. He plays with a level of confidence you like to see from an 18-year-old. That same confidence can lead to some poor shot selection.
Bryant is not yet filled out but has a great frame and plays much stronger than he looks. As he fills out I think Bryant will be deadly around the hoop and the strength will allow him to guard down on defense against NBA forwards. Bryant already shoots a staggering 64.2% from 2 in part because of his strength and footwork.
He does not have any crazy playmaking numbers but Bryant is a super smart player that is capable of making great reads. I was impressed with how he was able to see plays develop before they did in certain instances. If the 3-level scoring develops like I think, the gravity he will demand will make the playmaking come easier.
A big reason I believe in Carter Bryant is that I buy the shot long-term. According to Synergy in the last 18 months, Carter Bryant is shooting 34.8% from 3 and 89.3% from the free throw line (50/56). The shot looks good and he has the volume and confidence of someone who can knock down shots. Combine the touch, form, and production that already exists and it is easy to buy the vision for the shot long term.
Defensively Bryant is the same as every other large wing it seems. The tools are there for him to be a talented defender but currently, he is low effort on that side of the floor. In order to play next season he will have to play defense which could ultimately determine his stock.
Arizona will be talented this year down the roster so playing time will not be spoon-fed to him. Whether it is this year or a future draft I am buying any stock available on Carter Bryant. The comment that wanted me to watch Carter Bryant compared him to Kyle Kuzma and I get to see that archetype panning out.
Donnie Freeman, Forward, Syracuse
My first take when watching Donnie Freeman is man Darius Acuff is a good point guard. Freeman is an off-ball offensive player but he was spoon-fed last season at IMG so well by Darius Acuff. Freeman is skinny but he is 6’10 with length for both sides of the floor.
Freeman has a remarkable touch around the rim shooting 72.5% on 4 attempts a game. It is rare but Freeman is very good from the 4-7 foot range. He has the jump hook/short shot that is so soft it seems to fall off the rim and in every time.
At his size he has excellent fluidity and watching the way he moves with his frame it is easy to see shades of Nicolas Claxton or Noah Clowney in his game. With that being said I buy Freeman’s shot more than I ever did either of the other two.
At IMG, Freeman shot 33.3% from 3 on about 3.5 attempts a game. Additionally, Freeman shot 78% from the free throw line, and in combination with his great touch around the rim, he has the necessary touch. The shot looks smooth and at his height, he has a high release point that makes it tough to contest.
These are all great things so why is he not Nicolas Claxton? He is currently just a little too raw for me. With only 14 blocks in 20 games on Synergy, he is not the rim protector that either of the two previously mentioned players are. The switchability is evident but he is still far away.
Off-ball, Freeman is often lost or confused which ends up with late closeouts that will be knockdown shots in the ACC. Freeman is also not as strong as the others which makes me wonder about his true position in the NBA. Will he be able to play center? Probably not, so the jump shot will become even more important.
With only 6 rebounds a game and under 2 assists per game, Freeman will need to impact the game somewhere outside of finishing and potentially stretching the floor. I like Freeman and can see the vision for him to be a one-and-done but as of now, there is too much development needed for me to rank him above others with skills that can translate earlier in their career.
Running Big Board
- Cooper Flagg, Forward, Duke
- VJ Edgecombe, Wing, Guard
- Ace Bailey, Wing, Rutgers
- Dylan Harper, Guard, Rutgers
- Nolan Traore, Guard, Saint-Quentin (France)
- Carter Bryant, Wing, Arizona
- Drake Powell, Wing, North Carolina
- Jarin Stevenson, Forward, Alabama
- Liam McNeeley, Wing, UConn
- Donnie Freeman, Forward, Syracuse
Big Board Debates
The Traore, Bryant, and Powell group was really fun to determine and made me debate what the point of a big board is. Is it to predict who will be the best player? I would lean yes and for that reason, I ranked Traore where I did. With that being said there are specific teams that just simply wouldn’t consider Traore because of his limitations.
Bryant vs Powell is fun to think about and I may flip it again but for the time being, I think Bryant has more self-creation and is smoother with the ball. They are very similar so I am excited to see how they progress next season.
