In the latest edition of our NBA Mock Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat find a way to make lemonade out of a disappointing season of lemons.
The NBA All-Star break has arrived and that only means we're one step closer toward the 2025 NBA Draft season. Once the action returns across the league, the final stretch of the season (which consists of less than 30 games for each team) will officially begin. That only means it's only right to begin paying closer attention to this year's projected draft class. For the first time this draft cycle, we decided to utilize the tankathon mock lottery feature. On the first attempt, here were the results:
14. Miami Heat (via GS)
13. Atlanta Hawks (via SAC)
12. Houston Rockets (via PHO)
11. Miami Heat
10. San Antonio Spurs
9. Portland Trail Blazers
8. Toronto Raptors
7. Charlotte Hornets
6. Utah Jazz
5. Washington Wizards
4. Brooklyn Nets
3. Philadelphia 76ers
2. Chicago Bulls
1. New Orleans Pelicans
Of all that transpired in our first mock lottery attempt, the New Orleans Pelicans moved up to No. 1, the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers both moved into the top 3 and the Miami Heat got a great opportunity to select twice in the lottery. Let's get to our most recent NBA Mock Draft.
1. New Orleans Pelicans - Cooper Flagg, F, Duke
As if there is going to be any surprise at No. 1, the New Orleans Pelicans move forward with selecting Cooper Flagg. At this point, Flagg has separated himself enough as a prospect that it's pretty safe to assume that whichever team ends up with the No. 1 overall pick is going to end up taking Flagg. He's passed all the tests during his freshman season at Duke and the only one that remains is whether or not he can carry his team to win a national title. But, at this point, there's a lot of disappointment that would have to come between now and the end of his season for him not to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
2. Chicago Bulls - Dylan Harper, G, Rutgers
Even though the Rutgers basketball team has left much to be desired overall as a unit, Dylan Harper has been as good as advertised so far this season. He's been so good that he's garnered some pretty eye-popping pre-draft comparisons to the great James Harden. Is that because they're both left-handed offensive-minded guards? Perhaps. Nevertheless, Harper has the potential to be an absolute superstar at the next level. Moving into the top 3 would be a huge gift from the basketball gods for the Chicago Bulls.