Round 1 of the 2025 NBA draft on Wednesday began with Cooper Flag drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the No. 1 pick. It ended with the L.A. Clippers drafting center Yanic Konan Niederhauser with pick No. 30. There are several winners and surprises in this NBA draft pick. In this article, you will learn more about this NBA draft, the round 1 winners, surprise picks, and more.
There are Winners and Surprises in this Draft Pick
This 2025 NBA draft pick saw many winners and surprises that blew the roof of the house. Some of them included Utah Jazz selecting Rutgers guard Ace Bailey with the No. 5 pick, the Phoenix Sun landing the top-ranked center Khaman Maluach at No. 10, etc. Though there are many talents left on the board since the draft, this draft pick is one you don’t want to miss.
The Biggest Winners of Round 1
- Phoenix Suns- The Pick: Khaman Maluach (No. 10)
The Sun’s trade for Kevin Durant looks a lot different after the fall of Khaman Maluach to No. 10. This helps them reinforce an important position at center. Besides that, it also adds a talented long-term prospect in the draft. Maluach brings a high-level of intensity, switchable defense, and rebounding ability.
These are qualities that the team didn’t have in the previous season. This is definitely injecting a much-needed energy and youth into an overloaded roster. The most important thing is that he is one of the draft’s youngest talents with a high potential for most physical and skill growth. Besides that, Malauch is also highly admired by his teammates and coaches for his extraordinary off-court intangibles.
- Miami Heat – The Pick: Kasparas Jakucionis (No. 20)
Many are surprised to see Jakucionis, the No. 11 ranked player fall all the way down to 20. Disappointments over the money he lost is obviously replaced by the realization that he landed in a desirable position in this draft. He landed in a team that is desperate for play making and shot creation.
His unique ability to play any of the backcourt positions give the Heat much flexibility when operating with Tyler Herro in the backcourt. Don’t be surprised if you see him emerging as the franchise’s future point guard, thanks to the talent he displays in the game.
The Biggest Surprises of Round 1
- Portland Trail Blazers- The Pick: Yang Hansen, center (No. 16)
Hansen, the No. 35 player on the ESPN big board made the biggest leap in the 1st round draft when he was selected by Portland at no 16. This team was always interested in him since scouting him with the Chinese national team at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Hungary in 2023. They later travelled to watch him play in China.
Despite choosing another 7-foot tall player in Donovan Clingan the previous year, they view this draft as a best-player-available lens. They say that they are excited about his skill level and off-court intangibles. They will bring him immediately to the NBA for further development.
- Utah Jazz- The pick: Ace Bailey (No. 5)
Ace Bailey is seemingly surprised to see Utah Jazz picking him at no. 5. Bailey informed Andscape’s Marc Spears “I had “no idea” the Jazz were interested in me after the draft.’ Earlier, he declined multiple invites to visit and workout privately with Utah throughout the pre draft process. He also rejected the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 3 and the Charlotte Hornets at No. 4.
Jazz thinks that they know enough about his game and profile which made them comfortable in drafting him. The new president of basketball operations Austin Ainge interviewed Bailey at the NBA draft combine as a member of the Boston Celtics’ front office. Rest of the team also interviewed him separately.
Who was the Best Pick of the Night?
As per Pelton, the best NBA round 1 draft pick is Spurs’ pick of Carter Bryant at No. 14. As he spent most of his single season at Arizona coming off the bench, he may not immediately help the Spurs. But with time, Bryant’s unique 3-and-D skill set can ideally fit alongside Antonio’s core of Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, NBA Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and the no. 2 pick Dylan Harper.
According to Jeremy Woo, Khaman Maluach to the Suns at No. 10 is the best NBA draft pick. It is the best outcome for this team and he is possibly the type of player they need to anchor how the team will look like going forward.
The Best Available Players After the First Round NBA Draft Pick
After the first round of the 2025 NBA draft ended, there are many talented players still left on the board for teams to draft on day 2. The previous year, there were several top-notch players selected on the second day of the 2024 draft. Some of those players included Tyler Kolek (New York Knicks), Furphy (Indiana Pacers), Kyle Filipowski (Utah Jazz), and Jaylen Wells (Memphis Grizzlies).
The following ranking of the 10 best available players is based on a consensus big board provided by Rookie Scale:
- Rasheer Fleming:
Team: Saint Joe’s, Position: Forward, Draft Age: 21, Height: 6’9’ and a half
- Noah Penda
Team: Le Mans, Position: Forward, Draft Age: 20.5, Height: 6’8’ and a half
- Maxime Raynaud
Team: Stanford, Position: Big, Draft Age: 22.2, Height: 7’1’ and a half
- Ryan Kalkbreener
Team: Creighton, Position: Big, Draft Age: 23.5, Height: 7’2’ and one-fourth
- Chaz Lanier
Team: Tennessee, Position: Wing, Draft Age: 23.5, Height: 6’5’
- Adou Thiero
Team: Arkansas, Position: Forward, Draft Age: 21.1, Height: 6’7’ and a half
- Kam Jones
Team: Marquette, Position: Combo guard, Draft Age: 23.3, Height: 6’4’ and a half
- Tyrese Proctor
Team: Duke, Position: Lead guard, Draft Age: 21.2, Height: 6’5’ and a half
- Bogoljub Marković
Team: Mega Basket, Position: Forward, Draft Age: 20, Height: 6’11’and three-fourth
- Johni Broome
Team: Auburn, Position: Big, Draft Age: 22.9, Height: 6’10’ and a half
Final Thoughts
The Round 1 of the NBA draft brings many wins and unexpected surprises. Teams such as Miami Heat and the Suns made valuable picks from Khaman Maluach to Yang Hansen. Franchises made big decisions that have completely changed their future. While Phoenix and Heat are the major winners, there are headlines about other teams due to their unexpected picks. As the second round approaches, many promising talents await their chance to be drafted.
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