2025 NBA Re-Draft: Ranking Kasparas Jakucionis, Kon Knueppel, Cedric Coward, others
It is draft season for every team that didn't make the playoffs. That unfortunately includes the Miami Heat, who were ousted by the Charlotte Hornets. They say you need to reflect before you can move forward. Let's look at what a 2025 NBA re-draft would look like and how Kasparas Jakucionis stacks up compared to his 20th overall selection in the first round. This is based on production this season.
NEWS: Illinois freshman Kasparas Jakucionis, a projected top-10 pick from Lithuania, will enter the 2025 NBA draft, he told ESPN.
- Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 14, 2025
STORY: https://t.co/HkaAkxAheTpic.twitter.com/OjXIR4Y4sK
Picks 1-5
1) Cooper Flagg | 6'9" | 221 lbs | Freshman | Duke
The story coming out of the draft was that Coop was a borderline generational prospect. The Dallas Mavericks started him out at point guard since they had no other options with Kyrie Irving out for the year with an injury. He lived up to the hype after struggling in that role. Once he got moved to a more comfortable position, he took off like a rocket. The beauty of it is he is only 19 years old.
2) Kon Knueppel | 6'5" | 219 lbs | Freshman | Duke
During the college basketball season, I had a saying when people would ask me about K2 and how good he is at basketball. My reply was always the same: "No matter how good you think Kon is, he is better than that." That was quickly proven right, and he will likely win Rookie of the Year because of his stellar play. He helped change the culture of the often unserious Charlotte Hornets.
3) VJ Edgecombe | 6'5" | 193 lbs | Freshman | Baylor
VJ's story can be told through the beginning of the season, when he started off hotter than any rookie. Then he finished the season strong just like he started. It was the middle of the season where the rookie wall creeped up on him. That is why Kon overtook him in the re-draft. He was consistent all season long. VJ is the most athletic player in the class, and he just moves at a different speed than everyone else.
4) Dylan Harper | 6'5" | 213 lbs | Freshman | Rutgers
Dylan got off to a slow start due to some injuries and a deep Spurs roster. Once he got into the rotation, it was impossible to take him back out of it. He has shown the downhill playmaking that he flashed in college. He is a two-way nightmare waiting to happen every night.
5) Cedric Coward | 6'6" | 213 lbs | Sophomore | Washington State
Coward surpassed everyone's expectations with his steady two-way play. He was poised in getting to his spots on the floor and scoring within the offense. He used his wingspan with great disruptive ability.
Picks 6-10
6) Jeremiah Fears | 6'3" | 180 lbs | Freshman | Oklahoma
Got better as the year went on. He has game-changing speed and quickness.
7) Ace Bailey | 6'9" | 203 lbs | Freshman | Rutgers
Ace started very slowly but came on strong to end the year. He flashed his trademark tough shot-making ability.
8) Tre Johnson | 6'6" | 190 lbs | Freshman | Texas
Tre was injured most of the year and played through it. He couldn't overcome the tanking, but you could see his elite shot-making on display every time he touched the floor. He finished at the rim better than most expected and facilitated better as well.
9) Derik Queen | 6'10" | 248 lbs | Freshman | Maryland
Queen handled the ball a ton for the Pelicans. He was the offense for much of the season when Trey Murphy wasn't on the floor. He tailed off toward the end of the year, but the buzz was there. I don't think he can be your offensive engine with Fears on the court, which could become an issue.
10) Kasparas Jakucionis | 6'6" | 205 lbs | Freshman | Illinois
This is going to require a lot of explaining with stats because his box score numbers do not tell the story of his full impact. The pundits said he couldn't shoot well enough, finish at the basket well enough, or defend well enough. I did the research for you. These are all stats among rookies who played more than 49 games, so you have a true sample size.
2nd among all rookies in 3-point percentage at 42.3%
4th among all rookies in FT percentage at 87.9%
18th among all rookies in FG percentage at 42.9%; notable names he was better than include Tre Johnson, Nique Clifford, Carter Bryant, Danny Wolf, Egor Demin, Walter Clayton Jr., and Nolan Traore
12th in assists per game at 2.2
13th in turnovers per game at 0.9
7th in net rating at 3.0
1st in pace at 106.96
5th in true shooting percentage
7th in effective field goal percentage
13th in defensive net rating
4th in offensive net rating
3rd in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.7-to-1
17th in defensive win shares
9th in deflections per game
4th in defensive loose balls recovered
4th in charges drawn
Kasparas' 2-point percentage of 43.9% was one of the worst in the class, which we all expected, but it was still better than both Brooklyn point guards, Egor Demin and Nolan Traore
2nd among all rookies in 3-point field goal frequency at 65.4%
Picks 11-20
11) Will Riley | 6'9" | 186 lbs | Freshman | Illinois
Riley has really improved since the beginning of his freshman year in college. He is now able to take players off the bounce and get to the cup. He is a savvy cutter to the rim and has shown the ability to hit shots from deep.
12) Maxime Raynaud | 7'1" | 237 lbs | Senior | Stanford
No one has outplayed their draft position more than Raynaud, who was selected at pick 42. Yes, a lot of garbage-time minutes playing for the Kings, but no one expected this level of production.
13) Egor Demin | 6'9" | 199 lbs | Freshman | BYU
The Nets stunned the basketball world by selecting all of the point guards they could get. Demin shot the ball better than he did in college but still struggled off the bounce and at the rim.
14) Collin Murray-Boyles | 6'7" | 239 lbs | Sophomore | South Carolina
Boyles flashed his trademark defensive versatility and rebounding all season.
15) Carter Bryant | 6'7" | 215 lbs | Freshman | Arizona
Bryant was buried on the depth chart for the Spurs. Once he got an opportunity, it was impossible to take him out of the rotation. You can see the future of the Spurs is Castle, Harper, Bryant, and Wemby. What a defensive nightmare.
16) Ryan Kalkbrenner | 7'2" | 257 lbs | Senior | Creighton
Ryan leaned into his skill set early, which is blocking shots, rebounding the ball, and converting point-blank shots. He carried that all season long for the Hornets.
17) Danny Wolf | 6'11" | 252 lbs | Junior | Michigan
Wolf showed his versatility all season as a jumbo offensive initiator. The future is bright for him.
18) Nolan Traore | 6'3" | 175 lbs | International
Nolan struggled shooting the ball and finishing at the rim, as most expected.
19) Ryan Nembhard | 5'11" | 180 lbs | Senior | Gonzaga
He led all rookies in assists and allowed Cooper Flagg to move off the ball. This led to some of the best basketball Coop played all year. He shot the 3-ball enough to keep the defense honest. What an outstanding undrafted find.
20) Javon Small | 6'2" | 190 lbs | Senior | WVU
Small had an ultra-efficient shooting season for a guy known for his defense in college. He brought his lunch pail with him to the NBA and was a dawg point-of-attack defender off the bench for the Grizzlies.
Picks 21-30
21) Kobe Sanders | 6'8" | 203 lbs | Senior | Nevada
22) Dylan Cardwell | 6'11" | 250 lbs | Senior | Auburn
23) Nique Clifford | 6'6" | 202 lbs | Senior | Colorado State
24) Sion James | 6'5" | 218 lbs | Senior | Duke
25) Walter Clayton Jr. | 6'3" | 199 lbs | Senior | Florida
26) Tyrese Proctor | 6'5" | 183 lbs | Junior | Duke
27) Will Richard | 6'4" | 206 lbs | Senior | Florida
28) Drake Powell | 6'6" | 200 lbs | Freshman | North Carolina
29) Hugo Gonzalez | 6'6" | 207 lbs | International
30) Jace Richardson | 6'1" | 178 lbs | Freshman | Michigan State
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/heat/onsi as 2025 NBA Re-Draft: Ranking Kasparas Jakucionis, Kon Knueppel, Cedric Coward, others .
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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 12:11 PM.