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Every year, prospects slide down the board during the draft. This was evidenced by Shedeur Sanders' slide to the fifth round in the 2025 NFL Draft. The 2025 NBA Draft will certainly have some big-name players who are expected to go high in the draft but don't come off the board until much later than expected.
Injury concerns, team fit, and just the way the draft plays out could all contribute to teams picking prospects later than anticipated. So check out the gallery to see which prospects are more likely to slide during the 2025 NBA Draft.
Ace Bailey, Rutgers
Ace Bailey has superstar potential. He officially measured in at 6-foot-7, and although that was shorter than expected, he still has rare shot-making talent for a tall player/wing. Bailey averaged 17.6 points per game in his lone season at Rutgers, and he scored on a high degree of difficulty with tough pull-ups and fadeaway midrange shots.
His ceiling is arguably higher than anybody else's in this draft class, and that includes projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg.
However, Bailey is a high-risk, high-reward player who has a floor much lower than a number of the other prospects expected to go in the top half of the lottery. He wasn't particularly efficient at Rutgers, and some may wonder if his style of play will ever contribute to winning. Bailey has had some predraft drama that could lead to him falling, too.
Bailey has refused to work out for teams, and organizations are worried about his bust potential. He has also reportedly had poor interviews, which was a leading factor in Sanders' aforementioned draft day fall in the NFL. Many NBA teams will want more certainty than Bailey has to offer.
He will surely go in the lottery pick because of his sky-high potential, but he may fall out of the Top 5 and closer to pick 10 because of the wide-ranging outcomes that could become of his career. Bailey offers little as a passer and has questionable shot selection, so if he doesn't become a star, he might struggle to find an NBA role.
Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma
Jeremiah Fears, like Bailey, can get buckets in a hurry. He also has boom or bust potential because of a number of flaws in other areas of his game, though.
Fears most thrives when attacking the paint. He is a great driver who can finish inside with athleticism or finesse, arguably better than any other player in this class. He was inefficient shooting the basketball, though, evidenced by his 28.4% mark from deep as a freshman at Oklahoma.
Fears might be too small to play the two-guard spot, but he is a questionable playmaker who struggles with turnovers. Additionally, Fears is an underwhelming defensive player. Fears is another player who could thrive and become a star in the right system, but he is a player who also has a lot of paths to failure.
Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina
Collin Murray-Boyles can do a little bit of everything. His defensive prowess and ability to make plays for others at 6-foot-7, 240 pounds, has inevitably led to Draymond Green comparisons. Green might be the exception for the role that he plays, though, because shooting is a near necessity in the modern NBA, and Murray-Boyles lacks in that department.
He didn't make a 3-pointer during his freshman year, and he improved only to the rate of 26.5% as a sophomore. Concerns with Murray-Boyles' shot were amplified after a bad shooting performance at the Scouting Combine. Overcoming a shooting weakness isn't easy in the NBA, and that defect in Murray-Boyles' game could lead to an NBA Draft day slide.
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Johni Broome, Auburn
Twenty-plus years ago, Johni Broome could have been a top NBA Draft pick. He has a throwback skill set that utilizes post play as well as proven collegiate production. Broome would have been the National Player of the Year had it not been for Flagg, and he helped Auburn be one of the top teams all season long.
However, Broome's game isn't made for the modern NBA. The First Team All-American is slow and doesn't jump high, and this lack of athleticism will hurt him on defense. He piled up big block numbers in college while playing against inferior competition, but his rim protection will likely be less effective against NBA players.
On offense, Broome doesn't have much of a perimeter game. He shot just 27.8% from 3-point land, and although he isn't a bad passer, he is far from a Nikola Jokic-level facilitator. In order to be effective, Broome needs the basketball to run through him, but he likely isn't good enough for that kind of role at the next level.
Projections have the Auburn product already going in the second round, but he could fall out of the draft entirely. Luckily for him, the second round of this NBA Draft class is pretty thin.
Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois
Jumbo guards are all of the rage. The NBA Finals is featuring teams whose best players are tall point guards. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the MVP for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Tyrese Haliburton has had a playoff run for the ages for the Indiana Pacers. Both lead guards are around 6-foot-5 or 6-foot-6. Kasparas Jakucionis is a 6-foot-6 point guard from Illinois.
A team could fall in love with his height, feel, and ability to stuff the stat sheet. Jakucionis averaged 15 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists as a freshman.
His flaws are just as likely to scare teams off, though. Jakucionis is slow, and his first step, in particular, leaves a lot to be desired. Because of this, he may struggle to get down hill and actually be able to utilize his passing.
He doesn't make up for this lack of speed with shooting, either, as he made just 31.8% of his deep balls this past season. Jakucionis did show off some step-back shot-making ability, but defenses might not have to prioritize him at the NBA level, and when they do, he could struggle against pesky, in-your-face defense.
At the bare minimum, Jakucionis could make it work as a connective passer in the mold of Anthony Black or Josh Giddey. Despite going high in the draft, those players were never able to develop into stars, although they are both effective role players.
