As per usual, the 2025 NBA Draft was eventful.
Plenty of trades and plenty of shocks made the viewers believe they were watching an award-winning thriller.
Nope. Just another day in the NBA.
30 draft selections later, and it is clear who the winners and losers of the first round of the NBA Draft were.
Loser: Brooklyn Nets
Today reminded us of one of life’s most important values. That value is quality > quantity. The Brooklyn Nets had five first-round picks and somehow failed to improve as a roster, producing the worst draft in the history of the sport.
The Nets drafted four guards and a center who plays like a point guard. None of them are scoring threats. Three of them are known for playmaking, while the other two are defenders. How can you add five players to your roster, and your team’s ability to score is somehow worse?
Looking at some positives, I am a fan of Danny Wolf and Drake Powell. I believe Wolf provides uniqueness, being a seven-foot-one center who can put the ball on the floor and pass. Powell is arguably one of the best perimeter defenders in the league.
These two prospects, Wolf specifically, will not be good next to the other three prospects that were drafted. Their first two draft picks, Egor Demin and Nolan Traoré, can only pass. These players are just going to pass the ball to each other until the shot clock runs out since no one knows how to put the ball in the basket.
I can not emphasize enough how much of a disaster this was for the Brooklyn Nets. Brooklyn has gone through the Kevin Garnett trade and the failed big three of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. Yet today was far worse than those moments.
Winner: San Antonio Spurs
The rich continue to get richer. The San Antonio Spurs cemented themselves as a legit threat in the Western Conference after yesterday’s draft.
The Spurs have had two consecutive rookies of the year in Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama. They now find themselves with the opportunity at three-peating as the selected Dylan Harper with pick No. 2.
The guard rotation of Harper, Castle and De’Aaron Fox is going to be incredible. Harper has a real chance to be the best guard out of all three of them, even though I would be shocked if that happened in year one.
The Spurs added a second young star next to Wembanyama, yet that is not why they are being considered the winners of the draft.
They somehow selected Carter Bryant at pick No. 14.
Bryant is everything the Spurs could have wanted in a young prospect. He is lengthy, can defend along the perimeter, and has a clean jump shot. If Carter can develop and reach his upside, which the Spurs tend to be good at, they have landed themselves the best 3-and-D prospect of the draft.
Loser: Utah Jazz
There is no better way to start a relationship than selecting a player who has made it evident that he does not want to play with your franchise. That is what the Utah Jazz did by selecting Ace Bailey.
The story and game of Bailey have been well documented up to this point. He needs to be the star guy, and he needs to get up as many shots as possible if you want him to reach his full potential. So then the Jazz drafted Walter Clayton Jr, another guy who needs to chuck shots to be a positive asset.
Danny Ainge gets a lot of praise for his work, but this is the second year in a row where the Jazz have had a disaster of a draft.
The past five draft picks for Utah are Bailey, Clayton Jr, Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski. Mix that in a bowl, and you have created a smelly mesh that made someone’s dog gag.
The Jazz have as much direction as a kite in a windless area.
Winner: Miami Heat
Outside of needing another star player, the Miami Heat had one glaring need that had to be addressed: finding a point guard who could distribute the ball.
Without having to give up a single asset, the Heat landed Kasparas Jakučionis with pick No. 20 in the NBA Draft. Jakučionis just so happens to be a point guard who can distribute the ball at an impressive rate. Unlike Demin, who the Nets selected earlier, Jakučionis can contribute to the game with more than just his passing.
Jakučionis shot a respectable 44% from the field and 32% from deep. The Lithuanian point guard has been drafted into a team that is incredible at developing talent and desperately needed a player of his caliber. Jakučionis is the key that can reopen the door to success for the Heat.
Jakučionis is 100% the sleeper pick to win Rookie of the Year this upcoming season.
Loser: New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans did not draft the worst prospects of all time. However, the way they went about it is what made this draft a disaster.
The Pelicans selected Jeremiah Fears at pick No. 7, which was undoubtedly questionable. Fears needs a drastic improvement in his shooting, yet his biggest flaw is his defense. So, pairing him next to Jordan Poole is the equivalent of placing two fish together and hoping they win the tree-climbing competition.
To add to that disaster, they traded up to pick No. 13 to select Derik Queen. He is exciting. Queen dominates in the post and moves like a guard rather than a big man. However, just like Fears, his biggest flaw is defense. They expect Queen and Zion Williamson to coexist?
Then, on top of that, they traded their 2026 first unprotected to get Queen. That is a move you make if you expect to be in the playoffs. The New Orleans Pelicans will not make the 2025-26 playoffs. Plus, with the current draft odds, that pick can end up being top three in the draft. After lucking into getting the No. 1 pick for Williamson that the Pelicans would understand that.
The Pelicans took a massive risk that I do not believe will pay off kindly.
Winners: Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies lost a massive piece of their core when they traded Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic for four first-round picks and a pick swap.
Memphis used two picks wisely, trading up for Cedric Coward.
His last name may be Coward, but he plays bravely. He can score on all three levels and is a freak athlete. As an older prospect, he is more than ready to compete on day one.
There was worry that the Grizzlies were entering a rebuild following the Bane trade. A selection such as Coward proves this team is just retooling.
This draft showcased the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. While the Brooklyn Nets, Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans saw the lows, the San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies witnessed the highs.