Newell, Queen, Fleming, CMB, Sorber, and Toppin
I'm having a hard time understanding how these guys are ranked vs each other in the mocks and even on my own board. Here's a comparison (could only select 5).
Compare the statistics of 2025 NBA Draft prospects to each other and prospects from previous drafts. Stats are normalized to per-36-minutes numbers.
www.tankathon.com
Thoughts?
OK, here's my semi-professional opinion on this topic, semi-professional because I did this analysis while at work. I watched film of each of the guys mentioned in the post above and here are my current rankings and thoughts on each prospect:
1. Queen - I'm not a fan personally, but he has the most upside of anyone. He can really handle the ball for his size, although I think his passing is just ok. He makes bad decisions and his shot needs a lot of work, but I think it has potential. I wish he was younger to make me think he had more potential and to explain some of the dumb stuff he does. He is a capable defender if he locks in, but part of the problem is he's not always locked in.
2. Fleming - I think he's probably only an open 3pt shooter in the NBA, but that should be good enough to keep him on the court. He moves really well for his size and is very intuitive as a defender/knows where to be on the court. He's comfortable guarding both guards and bigs. The most mature looking guy on the list, but also the oldest.
3. Asa - After looking at the film next to the other guys on the list, I get the hype a little more. He's the most athletic guy on the list and for his size moves extremely well. He's very bouncy and constantly moving. I absolutely hate his shot, although it goes in more than most on the list. He's one of the worst defender on the list, but it's mostly an experience thing vs capability, and also because the other guys on the list are all really great. I can see why people would project him to be a good defender.
4. Sorber - I think he has the highest floor of anyone on the list. He will at least be a backup big. He is a monster at defending the rim. He is very sound in his defensive technique. He's not super comfortable defending outside of the paint. He can't dribble, and although the shot needs some work, it isn't completely broken. He's not super bouncy and has to load up before jumping.
5. CMB - Although he's my favorite on the list, it's just really hard to see how he translates to the NBA. I think he has to be able to shoot and he's not really close to being a shooter right now. He has super crazy long arms and has really nice BBIQ, which is how he produces at a high level in college. He's crafty and has some touch, he can dribble and pass ok. He might be able to be a guy you can put at the elbow and work through him. He can guard all over the floor and while isn't tall, you can't post him up.
6. Toppin - I couldn't find very much film on him, so I feel the least comfortable with my analysis. He has an extremely slow release on his jumper, but it looks ok to me. He can't dribble and so settles for some tough shots, but is capable of and kind of loves his floater. He's very physical, and plays the 5 for his team. He's a very good help defender, good recovery, strong, and relentless.
This is extremely fluid and I might have them ranked completely different in a week and by the end of the year. Overall my statement from last night stands. I don't know how you can separate these guys by too much. In a normal draft I would have a hard time picking any of these guys in the lottery, but I don't know how Toppin goes mid-second round (like currently mocked) when he is very close in to prospects getting mocked top 10 (Asa).
