[Mock] 2025 draft thread

Ryan Kalkbrenner: C, 7'2.25", 257 Lb's, 7'6" Wingspan, 9'4" Standing Reach, 33" Vertical
34.5 mpg - 19.2 ppg - 65.3% fgp - 34.4% 3pp - 68.1% ftp - 8.7 rpg - 1.5 apg - 0.5 stl's - 2.7 blk's - 1.7-3pa - ORtg-132.7 - DRtg-99.4

If your looking for a shotblocker, this is your guy! However, I have some reservations about how his total game will translate to the NBA. Kalkbrenner is a giant of a man, and most of the time he was being guarded by a player 4 to 5 inches shorter than him, particularly when you considered his 9'4" standing reach. Most of his scoring came at the basket while being doubled and tripled. Didn't matter because of his size. He was a man amongst boys.

They loved throwing the ball over the top with him standing right next to the basket. That's not going to happen in the NBA where he'll be facing players of similar size and length. He does have good footwork around the basket but I think he's going to struggle for a while adjusting to the speed, size, and physicality of the NBA. That said, his shotblocking will definitely translate. He has excellent timing and is a very good pick and roll defender in drop coverage. He's a very smart help defender as well, who always seems to be on time.

The form on his 3pt shot looks decent, and 34.4% looks respectable. But he only took 1.7 attempts, so I'm not sure how relevant that is. Add in that he's a poor freethrow shooter, I'm not overly optimistic. He has no midrange shot at all. I watched Creghton play many times, and I don't remember him ever taking a midrange shot. Something he'll need to develop. Of course I didn't watch every game they played. Just saying, if he has that shot, it would be very useful to him. While his rebounding numbers are decent for his minutes played, one would think he would pull down double digits with his size advantage.

In short, I guess I'm not sold on him. I could be wrong of course, but if I had to choose between Kalkbrenner and Raynaud, I'm taking Raynaud. Better athlete, more overall skilled, and more versatile, being able to play both center and PF.

 
Capt. Factorial said:
NIL is going to make second rounders pretty lousy until all the former early entry players come out as super-seniors, and then it's going to be a place to grab guys who are going to step right into the back of your rotation.
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Which could actually be the next two years when we have those Charlotte picks. That Spurs pick in ‘27 might have gone up in value for that reason as well.
 
iowamcnabb said:
Which could actually be the next two years when we have those Charlotte picks. That Spurs pick in ‘27 might have gone up in value for that reason as well.
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True. We do have to temper expectations and recognize that the expanded list of players is going to consist of the Johni Broomes and Walter Claytons of the draft, not the Cooper Flaggs. It's a different kind of value, but it remains value.
 
Patiently waiting for Baja's thoughts on Rasheer Fleming, who is near the top of my list for our possible pick at #20 this year.
 
Well, the Capt. beat me to it, but I'll post it anyway:

Yaxel Lendeborg is withdrawing from the draft and will spend his final collegiate season at Michigan. Lendeborg was a projected late first rounder selection in the 2025 draft.

Lendeborg helped lead UAB to the NIT quarterfinals and became one of only two players in Division I history to post 600-plus points, 400-plus rebounds and 150-plus assists in a season, along with Larry Bird.

Lendeborg was also named Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-AAC in each of the past two seasons under head coach Dusty May. Lendeborg will step into the void at Michigan left by 7-footer Danny Wolf, a projected top-20 draft pick.


Hey, there's always next year, and we do have a 1st rd pick in next years draft. At least for now......
 
bajaden said:
Well, the Capt. beat me to it, but I'll post it anyway:

Yaxel Lendeborg is withdrawing from the draft and will spend his final collegiate season at Michigan. Lendeborg was a projected late first rounder selection in the 2025 draft.

Lendeborg helped lead UAB to the NIT quarterfinals and became one of only two players in Division I history to post 600-plus points, 400-plus rebounds and 150-plus assists in a season, along with Larry Bird.

Lendeborg was also named Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-AAC in each of the past two seasons under head coach Dusty May. Lendeborg will step into the void at Michigan left by 7-footer Danny Wolf, a projected top-20 draft pick.


Hey, there's always next year, and we do have a 1st rd pick in next years draft. At least for now......
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Let's give that credit where it is due, to Qwerty!
 
bajaden said:
Ryan Kalkbrenner: C, 7'2.25", 257 Lb's, 7'6" Wingspan, 9'4" Standing Reach, 33" Vertical
34.5 mpg - 19.2 ppg - 65.3% fgp - 34.4% 3pp - 68.1% ftp - 8.7 rpg - 1.5 apg - 0.5 stl's - 2.7 blk's - 1.7-3pa - ORtg-132.7 - DRtg-99.4

If your looking for a shotblocker, this is your guy! However, I have some reservations about how his total game will translate to the NBA. Kalkbrenner is a giant of a man, and most of the time he was being guarded by a player 4 to 5 inches shorter than him, particularly when you considered his 9'4" standing reach. Most of his scoring came at the basket while being doubled and tripled. Didn't matter because of his size. He was a man amongst boys.

They loved throwing the ball over the top with him standing right next to the basket. That's not going to happen in the NBA where he'll be facing players of similar size and length. He does have good footwork around the basket but I think he's going to struggle for a while adjusting to the speed, size, and physicality of the NBA. That said, his shotblocking will definitely translate. He has excellent timing and is a very good pick and roll defender in drop coverage. He's a very smart help defender as well, who always seems to be on time.

The form on his 3pt shot looks decent, and 34.4% looks respectable. But he only took 1.7 attempts, so I'm not sure how relevant that is. Add in that he's a poor freethrow shooter, I'm not overly optimistic. He has no midrange shot at all. I watched Creghton play many times, and I don't remember him ever taking a midrange shot. Something he'll need to develop. Of course I didn't watch every game they played. Just saying, if he has that shot, it would be very useful to him. While his rebounding numbers are decent for his minutes played, one would think he would pull down double digits with his size advantage.

In short, I guess I'm not sold on him. I could be wrong of course, but if I had to choose between Kalkbrenner and Raynaud, I'm taking Raynaud. Better athlete, more overall skilled, and more versatile, being able to play both center and PF.

Click to expand...

This guy is just a really solid player. Not much upside, but if the Kings could land someone like that as deep as 42 a lot of teams would be looking stupid above them. The Lakers should be really trying to get him. He can play from day 1.
 
Starting to come around to Miles Byrd given the thinning prospect pool. Stockton kid too. Might be a good prospect to let develop in his hometown for a year plus
 
Rasheer Fleming: PF, 6'9.50", 7'5.25" Wingspan, 9'1" Standing Reach, 32.5" Vertical
31.3 mpg - 14.7 ppg - 53.1% fgp - 39.0% 3pp - 74.3% ftp - 8.5 rpg - 1.4 apg - 1.4 stl's - 1.5 blk's - 4.5-3pa - ORtg-123.9 - DRtg-95.0

The Capt asked and the Capt shall receive. Fleming would cure a lot of what ails the KIngs. He has the length and shotblocking ability you're looking for. He's a good athlete, and he can hit the 3pt shot with consistency. At least in college. He's a rim runner and the perfect alley opp player for Monk. Aside from providing rim protection, he's a very good overall defender. I believe there's still some ceiling left defensively, and by all accounts, he's a very hard worker.

He's also a solid rebounder who isn't afraid to mix it up down low. I think he's a player that could contribute sooner than later because of his rebounding, defense, and the ability to spread the floor. At the moment, he's strictly a catch and shoot player, and that's fine, but it is limiting. He has little to no midrange game. I can't remember the last time I saw him pull up and shoot a 17 footer.

You're not going to run any DHO's with him either. He's simply not a good shooter off the dribble. His 3pt percentages drop considerably off the dribble. That dosn't mean these things aren't correctable. He's improved every year in college and as I said, he's a hard worker. Despite these area's of needed improvement, I think his stengths far outweigh his weaknesses and that he would make the Kings a better team, as well as a younger team.

He gets a lot of his points at the basket by running the floor, offensive rebounds, and attacking close out's, and he's a very good finisher. I just wish he had some game between the 3 pt line and the basket. But all things in good time. Not sure how the Kings could acquire him as he's projected to go somewhere between 10 and 20. But hey, it's Perry that has to sell his soul, not me!

 
Hansen Yang: Center, 7'2", 253 Lbs's, 7'2.75" Wingspan, 9'3" Standing Reach, 30.0" Max Vertical, 19 Years old
16.0 ppg - 55.9% fgp - 22.0% 3pp - 62.0% ftp - 10.3 rpg - 3.8 apg - 2.2 blk's

Since there's been some chatter that the Kings had some interest in Yang, I thought I'd do a report on him. He's a very interesting player who won defensive player of the year this past season in the Chinese league. At one point his name wasn't on any of the mock drafts, and then it started appearing in 2nd rd listings, likely because he really impressed in the games at the combine, especially with his passing skills. Soooo, here's the deal. He put up very good numbers in the Chinese league, but remember, Jimmer Fredette was a star in that league.

So I think you have to balance your opinion somewhat. Especially when he has gone up against NBA wannbe's and some legit NBA players, or future NBA players. He's not an elite athlete. He's a little slow of foot, and he can't guard on the perimeter at all. Different story at the basket however where he was a prolific shot blocker. As I stated, he did win defensive player of the year. He had trouble defending the P&R at times, but that looked correctable. It's been reported that he's been working hard on his body, trying to get it ready for the NBA.

Offensively he's very talented. Especially in the post. He has terrific foot work and more moves than you can shake a stick at. Some of his moves will remind Kings fans of Vlade Divac with his up and unders, and reverse pivots. He's a terrific ball faker. The bulk of his scoring comes in the post. He rebounded well, but my gut tells me he should have been better as he was often the tallest, and bigest player on the floor. But I'm nit picking. Every time Yang got the ball in the post, it seemed as though every player on the other team collapsed on him, which made for some ugly moments for him at times. That wouldn't happen in the NBA.

Yang is an outstanding passer with the ability to see passes that no one else see's. If I have a complaint, its that when he gets the ball in the post, he has tunnel vision a lot. When almost everyone on the other team collapses on him in the post, he has teammates open all over the floor, but he seldom makes the pass. There are also times that he makes one of those passes that no one else see's, and it's a turnover. In many games he ends up with more turnovers than assists. Once again, these problems are correctable.

Lest we forget, he's only 19 years old. When you look at his skill level in the post, his defensive upside, and his passing skills, I think he would be a steal in the 2nd round. It's possible that he ends up being taken in the bottom of the first round. Apparently he opened some eye's at the combine.

 
Any idea why there is confusion on Yang Hansen/Hansen Yang? Wiki and NBA.com has his name as Yang Hansen, several other publications have the reverse.

Having asked that, I have landed on this kid as our pick if we land in the mid 20s. He’s a big time upside swing. He reminds me of Sengun in the way he scores and he has that little Zion spin move perfected. He’s got great size and tested better than some lottery centers athletically. Swing for the talent.
 
iowamcnabb said:
Any idea why there is confusion on Yang Hansen/Hansen Yang? Wiki and NBA.com has his name as Yang Hansen, several other publications have the reverse.

Having asked that, I have landed on this kid as our pick if we land in the mid 20s. He’s a big time upside swing. He reminds me of Sengun in the way he scores and he has that little Zion spin move perfected. He’s got great size and tested better than some lottery centers athletically. Swing for the talent.
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In a lot of Asian countries, they usually list the last name first instead of the last name. Like Yao Ming, his last name is Yao
 
Some old tape against Sarr. I saw a list of teams that sent scouts to China this season, Kings weren’t one of them. Nets are going to snag him at the end of the first at the very latest. Take the swing, Scott.

 
I think Yang ends up in the first round, he is my pick if we end up with a late first in a Deebo trade. Hugo Gonzalez would be another guy who probably finds his way into the first if he stays in the draft. The measurables were outstanding and he is a legit defender. Would have to hope the offense comes along.

In the second round I think I’m down to Tonje, Toohey or Martin. Kobe Sanders is my free agent target if he doesn’t get drafted.
 
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