Now that Portland has all but missed the play-in, their focus should shift towards the 2025 NBA Draft. The Trail Blazers will likely finish the season with a record that ranks between the 8th and 11th worst in the league, with the Heat, Spurs, Blazers, and Bulls all within two games of each other. That is the difference between a 26.2 percent chance and a 9.4 percent chance at a top-four pick -- significant for a team that still lacks a clear-cut star to build around.
The Blazers may come to regret their decision not to make a move at the deadline, which signaled they were making a push for the play-in because GM Joe Cronin didn't want to take that opportunity away from them. But at this point, we'd prefer they finish with the eighth-worst record than win a few meaningless games (which also indicates the NBA needs to do something about their tanking problem).
Even if the Blazers do miss out on a top-four pick, they will still have plenty of talent available in a strong draft class. Here are our latest projections for how the lottery will shake out in the 2025 NBA Draft, which will include a simulated draft order using Tankathon.
2025 Lottery NBA Mock Draft
Pick | Team | Player | School | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Philadelphia 76ers | Cooper Flagg | Duke | F |
2 | Brooklyn Nets | Dylan Harper | Rutgers | G |
3 | Washington Wizards | Ace Bailey | Rutgers | F |
4 | Charlotte Hornets | V.J. Edgecombe. | Baylor | G |
5 | Utah Jazz | Kasparas Jakucionis | Illinois | G |
6 | New Orleans Pelicans | Tre Johnson | Texas | G |
7 | Toronto Raptors | Derik Queen | Maryland | C |
8 | Miami Heat | Nolan Traore | Saint-Quentin | G |
9 | San Antonio Spurs | Kon Knueppel | Duke | G/F |
10 | Portland Trail Blazers | Liam McNeeley | UConn | G/F |
11 | Chicago Bulls | Khaman Maluach | Duke | C |
12 | Dallas Mavericks | Egor Demin | BYU | G |
13 | Houston Rockets (via PHX) | Asa Newell | Georgia | F/C |
14 | Atlanta Hawks (via SAC) | Collin Murray-Boyles | South Carolina | F |
Liam McNeeley should be high on Blazers' draft board
Limiting the selections to just the lottery is difficult and shows how deep this class is, with prospects like Jase Richardson and Jeremiah Fears still on the board.
Looking at the needs of teams projected to pick towards the end of the lottery, talented guards may fall a bit this year -- similar to how Donovan Clingan fell to the Blazers at No. 7 when all the teams picking before them had their center position solidified. Portland succeeded with that pick, and they go back to the UConn well here with Liam McNeeley.
There could be a lot of debate between sharpshooters McNeeley and Kon Knueppel leading up to the draft. Knueppel goes a pick earlier to San Antonio here, but that could be a blessing in disguise for Portland. We're higher on McNeeley as an NBA prospect, who has a similar floor as a connective piece but arguably a higher ceiling with his shot creation.
McNeeley finished his freshman season at UConn, averaging 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on 38/32/87 shooting splits. His three-point percentage doesn't stand out, but McNeeley's form and free throw percentage paint a much better picture of how good of a shooter he is.
One of the Blazers' strengths (that was previously a weakness) is the versatility of their wings, with Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara capable of playing multiple positions. Adding 6-foot-7 McNeeley to that rotation would give the Blazers even more lineup flexibility, bolstering their strength. But more importantly, it addresses their dire need for shooting, which will help open up the entire offense.