2025 NBA Draft Lottery Thread (Rockets get #10 Pick)

A lot of mocks have us taking Collin Murray Boyles at #10 and most suggest he’s BPA. While I really like him he’s another non-shooter and I feel like we have a lot of those already. I compare him to Tari but I was looking up Tari’s college stats and he was clearly a better shooter than CMB coming out. It seems like the big difference is that Tari was a better shooter and CMB was a better passer.

I don’t want to draft another non-shooter baring a big consolidation trade. But it would be funny to see Amen, Tari and CMB terrorizing the league defensively. May not score points, but neither will the other team lol.

 

Also worth noting why the Rockets seem to be connected to CMB so much. He'd probably be mocked to the Rockets had they not mocked him to the Raptors. They are probably one of the teams whose models have him as top-5. I personally don't see why they'd take yet another non-shooter, but it is what it is.

 

This is my problem with our draft position. Aside from Richardson, there aren’t really any shooters that likely will be available at 10. While I am a big BPA guy, I also think you need to be wary of doubling-down on a major weakness. That’s why I’d be okay trading the pick for an upgrade, or even to move up in the draft.

 

Cedric Coward is a much better fit for this team. Hes skyrocketing up draft boards and fits this team like a glove.

 

I’ve been doing some research on him and I like him. He’s not JDub. JDub had much better handles and that’s important. But his shooting and defense are very consistent. At #10 there really is no wrong answer because the top prospects and elite shooters like Tre & Kon will be gone. Unfortunately where we are picking is really early into what i see as a massive tier of players that stretches into the 20’s. Our pick position doesn’t really allow us to take advantage of value as good players slip down the board. There’s definitely got to be a real jewel in this draft at #10 or later, but it really does feel like there are a lot of players u could go with. Maybe Coward is that guy, but I wouldn’t be disappointed if we could somehow convert this pick into a 2026 pick, or trade back for an asset and grab a value pick outside the lotto. Coward’s range is supposedly like #10-25.

 

If we keep the pick and Coward or Fleming are available you take it. If Trey slides past the top 4, I’d see what it would take to move up and grab him. His shooting should definitely translate to the NBA.

 

He may not be the facilitator or engine that Jalen Williams was coming out of Santa Clara, but Coward is a much better shooter and has some really good passing chops, feel, and vision. Coward is also a lot more calculated and efficient in his movements - just so smooth and doesn't take any unnecessary angles and gets to his spots.


Also, from the Youtube clip - I think there is potential for him to have pretty decent handles for an off-ball wing (not as a primary playmaker). His freakishly long arms should also help him keep his dribble lower than most other players.

Have to agree that he would fit this team like a glove (playing off of Alperen, and hopefully at some point in the future, Reed). We need scoring and elite shooting in the worst way and Coward happens to be a potentially legit 2-way player as well, at our weakest position both offensively and defensively.

 

CMB is more like JSean Tate 2.0 to me. Like if Tate was 6'7 instead of 6'3.

I wouldnt be mad if we take CMB but I am buying into the Coward hype and would rather get him than CMB. If we can trade down and get Coward and somebody else like Fleming/Demin/Sorber etc that would be the best scenario for me.

 

Cedric Coward was a 39% 3 pt shooter in 3 yrs in NCAA. Rasheer Fleming increased his 3 pt from 30% in his freshman year to 39% in his junior year. Carter Bryant shot 37% from albeit on really low volume.

Richardson is even smaller than Reed at 6'0 without shoes. Pass.

I feel like moving up in this draft is a trap as after Flagg, Harper and Tre Johnson I dont see a lot of difference in the talent quality and depth. For example I straight up think Coward is a superior prospect to VJ Edgecomb lol.

 

No knock on Jae'Sean but CMB better develop because I do think Tate is a marginal player.

 

Well 4 inches makes a lot of diff imo lol

 

Coward would be a massive reach at 10. Good trade down target.

 

He is very close to JDub IMO and JDub was a bargain at 12.

While I agree with you the Rox prob need to trade down so they dont waste value I honestly cant see a prospect at 10~ range I would like more than Coward. Rox need a consistent C&S 3 pt spacer and Coward can do that while also being a defensive and rebounding menace with his 7'2 wingspan and 38.5 inch vert.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6366493/2025/05/19/mavericks-2025-nba-draft-combine-confidential/

•…Could the Houston Rockets use one of their unprotected future Phoenix Suns picks to entice a move from No. 10 to No. 2 and snag Harper? Maybe none of this happens, but all those possibilities are now on the board. Trade activity ahead of the draft should be far friskier than if, say, Washington, Charlotte and Utah had been the top three and we just expected them to make their pick and keep rebuilding.

• The guy who might have done the most for his draft stock was Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner, who didn’t set foot on the court for scrimmages but measured a giant 7-1 without shoes with a 7-6 wingspan. He also ripped off a 29-inch no-step vertical.That wasn’t much different from his measurements in 2023, before he pulled his name out, but his results in the shooting drills were very different. He furthered the case for his stretch game by making 66 of his 103 shots, compared to a measly 40 of 105 two years ago.

• Another guy whose tale of the tape left an impression is St. Joseph’s forward Rasheer Fleming. He measured 6-8 1/4 with a 7-5 wingspan, making him more than big enough to play power forward full time and even offering some hope for him as a small-ball center.

• Perhaps the biggest winner from the athletic testing was North Carolina forward Drake Powell, who only measured 6-5 1/4 in socks but with a massive 7-0 wingspan. Additionally, his 37 1/2-inch no-step vertical was easily the best at the combine. (If you’re wondering, that is generally the leaping test you care about when projecting basketball players, although the “max vert” usually gets reported since it’s a bigger and thus sexier number.)

• UConn’s Liam McNeeley might have eased some athleticism concerns with a 30 1/2-inch no-step vertical — half an inch higher than VJ Edgecombe! — and standing a solid 6-6 1/2 socks.

• Duke commit Cedric Coward might never show up on campus after teams see his measurables. His 7-2 1/4 wingspan is shocking for a 6-5 1/4 height — a “plus-9” in NBA terms, in a league where the average is about plus-4 — and he no-step jumped 32 1/2 inches. The cherry on the sundae was his making 72 of 105 shots in the shooting drills.

• Texas guard Tre Johnson measured 6-4 3/4 in socks but registered a 6-10 1/4 wingspan and uncorked a 32-inch no-step vertical. Teams will be pretty comfortable with him as a full-time shooting guard with those measurements.

• Georgetown center Thomas Sorber couldn’t get on the court while he recovers from a foot injury, but his massive 7-6 wingspan likely helps his case that he can play center in the NBA at 6-9 1/4.

• On the flip side, measurements might hurt the stock of Derik Queen and Johni Broome. Both players were listed at the same height as Sorber at 6-9 1/4, but the wingspan told a different story: Queen came in 7-0 1/2, Broome at 7-0 1/4. The fact that neither could get off the floor was another negative; Queen’s 23-inch no-step vertical was the worst at the combine, and Broome’s 24 1/2-inch vault was not much better.

• Bailey, as noted above, measured only 6-7 1/4 in socks; his 27 1/2-inch no-step vertical was slightly below what you’d expect as well. Positionally, these numbers might cause teams to project him as a small forward rather than a power forward, especially at just 202.8 pounds.

• Duke wing Kon Knueppel measured a bit smaller than expected at 6-5 in socks — he was listed at 6-7 — and that may cause teams to reevaluate him as a one-position guard rather than a true wing. Knueppel sat out the shooting drills and athletic testing with an injury.

• Michigan State guard Jase Richardson, listed at 6-3 on the Spartans roster, turned out to be 6-0 1/2 in socks. Yikes!

• Stanford’s Maxime Reynaud had 20 points, nine rebounds and three assists in the first game and then shut it down the second day, but this one might not pass deeper scrutiny. His big opener came mostly at the expense of the worst player on the court, and then he took his money off the table before Day 2. The Stanford big man is likely to get looks in the second round and his shooting performance and measurables (7-0 in socks with a respectable 27-inch vertical leap) this week probably helped.

• Chinese big man Hansen Yang has slow feet that may severely limit him on the defensive end, but he showed enough size and skill combination to be draftable as a long-term stash. Measuring at a giant 7-1 in socks and showcasing a stretch game and some genuine feel, he scored 23 points in the two games and — more surprisingly for a big man — handed out eight assists. Comparisons to former Dallas big man Wang Zhizhi seem inevitable here.

• Greek mystery man Neoklis Avdalas is only 19 but looked like he belonged, filling the stat sheet with 21 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists across the two games. I’d had an overseas spy whisper good things to me about him despite his fairly ordinary stats in Greece this season, and he showed why on the court this week. Measuring 6-7 1/2 in socks but displaying clear perimeter skill, he’ll certainly be on watch lists for 2026 if he doesn’t stay in this draft.

• Alabama guard Mark Sears was the smallest player at the combine (5-10 3/4 in socks) and didn’t exactly blow everyone away with his 3.28 full-court sprint. But in the scrimmages, he showed why he still might cut it as backup point guard; he’s just a superbly crafty pick-and-roll operator who finished the week with 31 points and 11 assists across two scrimmages. Sears was also the big winner in the shooting drills, making a preposterous 86 of his 107 shots.

 

Josh Giddey had nearly identical weaknesses to Demin in the NBL with questions about his shooting ability, efficiency, athleticism, and defense, but he had both size and passing ability which can't be taught. Now in his fourth year he seems to have addressed most of those concerns and is a nightly triple double threat. Demin's shooting form looks more promising than pre-draft Giddey's so the potential is there to be a very valuable contributor. And he just turned 19 so there is room for him to improve physically. I would be fine taking a chance on his upside at #9 but acknowledge he doesn't fill any immediate needs at all. Like you, I expect this pick ends up being traded so I'm not very invested either.

 

1) No point in wondering who Stone will pick, just look at who's the consensus 10th pick.

2) Draft night will be the last night Stone shows up to do his job until the next draft night. Actually, excuse me, he'll spend hours trade deadline day looking at which late 2nd round pick in 2030 he can trade for.

 

Cedric Coward has the most unfortunate name lol. I can just hear this board melting down the minute he doesn't "show up" or seems the slightest bit "soft". That said, he is an interesting fit. He appears much more "ready" than most of the lottery guys. I wonder if he could end up being a little bit Desmond Bane-esque?

I do like that he's a wing, not a combo forward. We don't need anymore combo forwards.

 

There are only two players in this draft I feel really good about. Cooper Flagg will at least be a long term starter and all star, and the other is Dylan Harper. I would love the Rockets to trade up to get Harper to run the offense. He has a lot of upside with his size and feel for the game.

Neoklis Avdalas I think will get drafted in the first round if he stays in the draft. Teams want upside, and there isn't a lot in this draft. With his physical attributes, I think someone roles the dice on him. Same with McNeely and Demin, they both have the chance to blossom and teams want that upside.

 

I'd 100% trade #10 and a future Suns' FRP to move up to 2. I just think it'd take more than that. Maybe even much more.