BREAKING: NBA mock draft 2025: Meta AI predictions for the entire first round

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mrbill | Sport
02/06/2025

The 2025 NBA draft is less than a month away and the mock drafts are beginning to come into focus now that the league's early entry withdrawal deadline passed. It would be a stunner if Cooper Flagg isn't the No. 1 pick by the Dallas Mavericks on June 25, and there seems to be a consensus forming for the next selections below him. That includes the various AI platforms currently capable of weighing in on the NBA draft.

USA TODAY Sports asked Meta AI to produce a simulation of every first-round pick during the 2025 NBA draft, and the top four selections went according to most recent NBA mock drafts and previous first-round simulations using Microsoft Copilot AI and Google Gemini AI. Flagg, Rutgers teammates Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, and Baylor one-and-done star VJ Edgecombe were all off the board quickly. After that, though, some of the choices by Meta AI veer from expected outcomes and other AI programs.

Meta AI notably had Duke's Khaman Maluach falling out of the lottery and Michigan State's Jase Richardson falling out of the top 20. Auburn's Johnni Broome moved into a first-round slot and Missouri's Tamar Bates, currently No. 100 in ESPN's 2025 draft prospect rankings, also got an unlikely first-round nod. There was still a significant international presence of prospects from overseas and the college ranks.

Here's a breakdown of the 2025 NBA draft first-round picks made by a Meta AI simulation, as well as how to watch when the league's teams gather in Brooklyn on June 25-26 to make their actual selections:

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NBA draft 2025: AI predictions for every first round pick

First-rounds picks were generated by a Meta AI simulation of the 2025 NBA draft.

  1. Dallas Mavericks: F Cooper Flagg, Duke
  2. San Antonio Spurs: G Dylan Harper, Rutgers
  3. Philadelphia 76ers: F Ace Bailey, Rutgers
  4. Charlotte Hornets: G VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
  5. Utah Jazz: G/F Kon Knueppel, Duke
  6. Washington Wizards: G Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma
  7. New Orleans Pelicans: G Tre Johnson, Texas
  8. Brooklyn Nets: G Nolan Troare, Saint-Quentin
  9. Toronto Raptors: G Egor Demin, BYU
  10. Houston Rockets: F Noa Essengue, Ratiopharm Ulm
  11. Portland Trail Blazers: F/C Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph's
  12. Chicago Bulls: F/C Derik Queen, Maryland
  13. Atlanta Hawks: G/F Nique Clifford, Colorado State
  14. San Antonio Spurs: F/C Thomas Sorber, Georgetown
  15. Oklahoma City Thunder: F Will Riley, Illinois
  16. Orlando Magic: G Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois
  17. Minnesota Timberwolves: F Asa Newell, Georgia
  18. Detroit Pistons: C Khaman Maluach, Duke
  19. Brooklyn Nets: F Joan Beringer, Cedevita Olimpija
  20. Miami Heat: F Drake Powell, North Carolina
  21. Utah Jazz: F Liam McNeeley, UConn
  22. Atlanta Hawks: F Johnni Broome, Auburn
  23. Indiana Pacers: G Jase Richardson, Michigan State
  24. Oklahoma City Thunder: G Tamar Bates, Missouri
  25. Orlando Magic: G/F Ben Saraf, Ratiopharm Ulm
  26. Golden State Warriors: G/F Cedric Coward, Washington State
  27. Brooklyn Nets: C Maxime Raynaud, Stanford
  28. Boston Celtics: G Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
  29. Phoenix Suns: F Carter Bryant, Arizona
  30. Los Angeles Clippers: G/F Hugo Gonzalez, Real Madrid

Watch the NBA draft with Fubo

When is the 2025 NBA draft?

The 2025 NBA draft is scheduled to take place over two days, with the first round scheduled for Wednesday, June 25 beginning at 8 p.m. ET, and the second round slated to happen on Thursday, June 26 starting at 8 p.m. ET. Thursday's first round will be televised by ABC and ESPN. Friday's second round will be broadcast nationally by ESPN.

You can also stream both days of the 2025 NBA draft with Fubo.

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