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Following Potential 2025 Draftees

What DX had to say about Fears, Tre, and Kas. I think the big debate will come if we land number #5. 1 and 2 are obvious, 3 and 4 may change order but also seem to be set in stone for those spots. Seems like Fears is cooking in the workouts.

5. Jeremiah Fears​

Height: 6-4 | Age: 18.5 | TS%: 57.0% | PR: 7

Fears moves up two spots on our board from our last check-in as he has created significant buzz in NBA circles, based on conversations we've had with scouts and executives at recent events such as the Nike Hoop Summit, NCAA Final Four and Portsmouth Invitational.

We recently got a dose of what NBA teams are about to witness in private settings watching Fears work out in New York City alongside the likes of Kam Jones, Boogie Fland, Hunter Sallis and Karter Knox under the guidance of trainer, agent and former NBA player Mike Miller. Fears is rapidly progressing physically and athletically, while his jumper is coming along nicely. His age, upside and fluidity and creativity with the ball will cause every team in the top seven to want a take a deep look at him in the predraft process to make sure they aren't missing out on significant star potential.

NBA teams say Fears' star power will be hard to pass up in the middle portion of the lottery, even for teams that have established point guard options in place. His combination of size, speed, pace, shot creation, shotmaking and scoring instincts make him one of the draft's most talented prospects. He gets anywhere he wants on the floor, either to create opportunities for teammates dishing on the move, finish skillfully in the lane or get to the free throw line in bunches. -- Givony


6. Tre Johnson​

Height: 6-6 | Age: 19.1 | TS%: 56.1% | PR: 5

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Johnson moved the needle quite a bit for NBA front offices this season, coupling high-level shotmaking ability with solid positional tools and a strong competitive nature. He is a good bet to score, proving himself as a shooter (39.7% from 3 and 87.1% from the line) at Texas amid a heavy workload.

There are questions for Johnson to answer in the predraft process that will play a role in where he is selected: Scouts wonder at times how directly his ball-dominant style translates to winning, and whether he'll be willing to defer and play more of a secondary scoring role in the NBA. Those concerns were abetted by the fact he shot 44.9% on 2-point attempts this season, a concerning number, particularly for a player with his usage level.

He is not a consistent defender either, placing greater significance on whether Johnson can be efficient, sharpen his shot selection and learn to make teammates better.

Ultimately, Johnson's youth and demonstrable talent will make him an attractive lottery target. How he handles the interview and workout circuit will be an important factor in determining whether he can move into the top five. -- Woo


7. Kasparas Jakucionis​

Height: 6-6 | Age: 18.8 | TS%: 59.8% | PR: 6

Although Jakucionis' individual play tailed off a bit as the season went on, NBA teams remain quite interested in everything he brings to the table as one of the more polished playmakers in the class. His adjustment to an enormous role at Illinois, as well as the physical and demanding Big Ten schedule, was a major test.

His struggles with turnovers and consistency weren't altogether surprising, but it's not easy to find young lead guards with his mix of size, feel, vision and toughness -- traits that have kept him in the lottery mix.

Three-point shooting will be one area in which Jakucionis might be able to help himself on the predraft circuit: He has historically been average (31.8% at Illinois; 36% the year before, playing in Spain), but that might be deflated in part by the number of challenging shots he takes, with his excellent free throw shooting perhaps a better indicator of his shooting potential. -- Woo
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I’d be inclined to look at Sergio de Larrea at #21 if people think he can handle NBA physicality. He’ll probably be the guy I pick when hotnikkk makes his annual ‘favorite player’ thread.
 
KqWIN said:
Asa Newell is everywhere on draft boards. I think he’d be awesome value at 21. He definitely has concerns about how he fits in the modern game, but so do bigs who will be drafted ahead of him. Queen and CMB are way more skilled with the ball, but Newell is the most promising shooter imo and also has defensive potential. He’s a great athlete.
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I can't stand his jump shot, but I can't argue he has by far the best indicators of those 3.
 
NUMBERICA said:
Chewing on this and I’m probably ahead of myself, but I don’t think he and Walker can coexist. Could maybe trade Walker for a mini-haul and it would maybe go farther than any single move to assure an organic tank.
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I mean, the Jazz have a huge hole at the backup 5. They are terrible defensively, especially when Walker is off the court. I think it just makes sense to have another 5 to develop behind Walker.
 
Thee Idiotic Minivan K said:
Don’t know anything about him. My question is what does he bring that makes you say that he could be special?
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Really big and athletic. He's kind of on the skinnier side now, but I think he has a good frame for muscle. Looks like he can defend the rim and switch when needed. Extremely fast in the open court. Quick jumper with a big vertical reach. His jump shot/FT doesnt look awful.

Think what Dallas had with Lively/Gafford. He's kind of like a Gafford but bigger.
 
SoberasHotRod said:
I've been watching a lot of Fears film on the Cashiggy YouTube site and he should definitely be a lottery pick, maybe top 10. I'm not sure I can get much higher than that.
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I think the draft is fairly level in the 6-10 range, so whether a team likes Kon, Queen, Fears, Kasparas, even CMB, becomes eye-of-the-beholder. Fears is only 18 and has some potential to develop into a starting lead guard, but you have to be a bit imaginative to see it. In a nutshell, he plays a bit like a young Dame Lillard, but he doesn't shoot like Lillard.
 
Ferguson_Mellochill said:
I think the draft is fairly level in the 6-10 range, so whether a team likes Kon, Queen, Fears, Kasparas, even CMB, becomes eye-of-the-beholder. Fears is only 18 and has some potential to develop into a starting lead guard, but you have to be a bit imaginative to see it. In a nutshell, he plays a bit like a young Dame Lillard, but he doesn't shoot like Lillard.
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I would still have Kas in a tier higher than the others, but generally agree.
 
KqWIN said:
What DX had to say about Fears, Tre, and Kas. I think the big debate will come if we land number #5. 1 and 2 are obvious, 3 and 4 may change order but also seem to be set in stone for those spots. Seems like Fears is cooking in the workouts.
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Could you post what they have to say about Fland? Sounds like he was part of the workout as well.

I'm very curious if he stays in the draft and if so, what range he'll end up in projections.
 
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