The first round of the 2025 NBA Draft: Rising stars shine, new changes in the league pattern

On June 26, the first round draft pick of the 2025 NBA Draft was grandly held at the Barclays Center, an annual event in the basketball world attracted countless attention. The draft was full of highlights, and various teams selected their favorite rookies to make their plans for the future journey. Chinese player Yang Hansen was selected by the Grizzlies in the 16th pick and traded to the Trail Blazers, becoming one of the focus. He also became the 9th player in China to be selected by the NBA, and ranked among the top in the draft pick after Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian.

Mavericks took Flag with the No. 1 pick, and this potential new star's draft template is against Pippen and Tatum. He can play as a wing and power forward, and has excellent bounce and finishing skills. With his body shape, he has extremely fast start speed in the first step, rich and diverse scoring methods, forming a dislocation advantage, making it difficult for defenders to resist. Under the leadership of many veterans of the Mavericks, Flag is expected to grow steadily and inject new vitality into the team.

The Spurs selected Harper with the second pick. He has an excellent height and wingspan. As a left-handed player, he has comprehensive and superb skills and uses his hands freely in possession, passing and scoring. With the cover and cooperation, Harper is even more in awe. With his excellent basketball bloodline - his father Ron Harper was a lottery show and won five NBA championships with the Bulls and the Lakers, which undoubtedly added a different color to his basketball journey. Edgecom, chosen by

76ers, is known for his top explosive power. His lateral movement speed, vertical bounce and the first step of starting are outstanding in the same class, and it is difficult for the defender to keep up with his pace. On the defensive end, he is also a leader in the outside defense. He shows maturity beyond his age on both ends of the offense and defense, and is expected to become one of the core forces of the 76ers in the future.

Hornets selected Knapel is an elite shooter, with a wide range of shooting and quick shooting ability that makes him a constant threat to the outside. With a shooting percentage of up to 47.9%, 3-point shooting percentage of 40.6% and 91.4% free throw percentage, he can end the offense stably, adding firepower to the Hornets' outside offense, whether it's a fixed-point shot or a catch shot after a pick-and-roll. Ace Bailey, who was taken away by the Jazz, is capable of four positions with his outstanding body shape and body hardware, and his wingspan advantage further strengthens his talent. With outstanding coordination, he averaged 20.7 points per game as a freshman, and is the top scorer of this year. His joining will bring more possibilities to the Jazz's offense.

Trey Johnson, selected by the Wizards, has excellent ball possession ability and few mistakes, is good at breaking through and passing the ball, has comprehensive scoring methods, and can score points from the basket, mid-range and outside the three-point line. His confident playing style, coupled with his hard-working attitude to train at 5 a.m. at the University of Texas, makes him highly anticipated and hopes to become an important force in the Wizards' backcourt.

The Pelicans selected Fells is a calm and experienced double-sports guard who has a high understanding of the game and has excellent control over the rhythm. He rarely panics under pressure. His natural scoring feel and his outstanding performance averaging around 25 points in the last 10 games at the end of his freshman season have made him the hope star of the Pelicans' future backcourt. As a member of the U18 U.S. national team, his major competition experience will also help the team.

Yegor Deming, chosen by the Nets, is 2.06 meters tall, has a rare field vision and passing ability, and is good at using pick-and-roll cooperation. He is perfectly combined with speed, agility, fake move skills and sense of balance. He showed excellent passing and organizational skills in his freshman season. His arrival will add more changes to the Nets' tactical system. Boyles picked off by the Raptors is a mature and mentally tough striker, combining traditional style of play and modern technology. Although he is not tall enough, his defensive skills are comprehensive. With his tough attitude and vitality, he can gain a foothold in the forward position and provide strong support for the Raptors on the forward line.

The Rockets selected Maruac (later traded to the Suns). As a top raft guard and the basket finisher, he has excellent full-game mobility at 2.18 meters, with solid rebounds, obvious strength advantages, and huge development potential on the offensive end. He will build a solid defense line for the Suns' inside. Coward (later traded to the Grizzlies) selected by the Trail Blazers is a wing player with smooth technology and comprehensive capabilities. He is a top shooter, and he interferes with opponents' shooting with his wingspan and prediction on the defensive end. His joining will enhance the offensive and defensive strength of the Grizzlies on the wing. Essenger selected by the Bulls is a forward with excellent athletic ability and outstanding physical talent, with all-round defensive potential. On the offensive end, he is good at cutting, converting offensive ending and straight-line breakthroughs. He plays with a pragmatic style and takes team first, which will bring positive game attitude and vitality to the Bulls. Quinn (later traded to the Pelicans), the Hawks selected, is 2.08 meters tall, and has the advantage of specific shape and speed. The rebounding competition is extremely aggressive. He is good at using body position or body shape to suppress the inside, and can play an important role in the Pelicans' inside confrontation.

The Spurs made another move and selected Carter Bryant with the No. 14 pick. This skilled and athletic wing player has smooth shooting and excellent bounce explosive power. He is expected to grow into a 3D type player with great potential and inject fresh blood into the Spurs' wing position..

The Thunder selected Sauber with the No. 15 draw, is a tall and skilled center. He occupies deep positions in the low position with his broad shoulders and lower limbs. He has strong ending ability with both hands, has a natural intuition for low-post offense, and has a defensive end to show the potential for frame protection, and averaging 2.0 blocks per game. He will bring stable offensive and defensive performance to the Thunder's inside.

Chinese player Yang Hansen was selected by the Grizzlies and traded to the Trail Blazers. The draft templates are Wang Zhizhi and Vucevic. He is tall and flexible, has excellent field vision, often attacks from low posts, can command teammates freely and pass accurately. Under pressure, decisions are made quickly and rarely force actions. As his first NBA team in his trial training, the Trail Blazers are very recognized for his potential. Yang Hansen's joining is expected to bring new tactical changes to the Trail Blazers' inside.

The Timberwolves selected Belange is an explosive and talented inside player. He is 2.08 meters tall and 2.21 meters. Defensive diversity is its core advantage. He can switch to defenders and execute multiple defensive strategies. His potential will bring more possibilities to the Timberwolves' interior defense.

Clayton Jr. (later traded to the Jazz), as a dual-sports guard, is one of the top pure shooters in this draft. He has a high-speed shooting speed and has grown into a high-quality pick-and-roll starting point. His assist and turnover ratio is nearly 2:1. He will improve the Jazz's outside offensive efficiency.

Nets continue to make efforts in the draft and selected Traore with the No. 19 draw. He has elite organizational skills, advanced field vision and natural offensive intuition, high defensive enthusiasm and excellent predictions. His experience in professional arena will help him adapt to the NBA faster.

The Heat's selected Yakujonis perfectly fits the template of "tall guard" in modern basketball. His rebounding ability is outstanding in the same position and his ball control skills are skilled. He is expected to become an elite three-threat scorer and organizer who integrates offense and defense, adding strength to the Heat's backcourt. Riley (later traded to the Wizards) selected by the Jazz is a thin forward guard swinger. He has good ball-holding ability and soft shooting feel. Both mid-range and long shots are threatening. As the skeleton develops and muscle gains, his potential is worth looking forward to and will bring vitality to the Wizards' wing position. Powell (later traded to the Nets) selected by the Hawks is slender, has outstanding explosive power, has top defensive versatility and considerable offensive development potential. The elite physical data makes him a "perverted physical player". His arrival will enhance the overall talent of the Nets.

Newell (later traded to the Hawks), the Pelicans has a high-energy game style, has the potential to become the fourth position in the space, and still has room for exploration for scoring. The touch is soft, the running is active in offense and defense conversion, and the fast break finishing ability is outstanding, which will bring new changes to the Hawks' inside offense.

The Thunder selected Clifford (later traded to the Kings), has a slender figure, excellent athletic ability, has versatility on both offense and defense, and has comprehensive and continuous evolution, which is enough to deal with NBA-level confrontations. He will add strength to the Kings' wing position.

The Magic selected Jace Richardson, as the son of Jason Richardson, has the top first-step start speed and extremely strong rhythm change ability. His talent is expected to be fully utilized in the Magic.

The Nets selected Sarav with the No. 26 draw. He is a dual-sports guard with both creativity and thinking skills. He is good at organizing offense and has a deep understanding of the game. He shows the calmness, agility and IQ that young guards are rare in professional arenas. He will bring new ideas to the Nets' backcourt organization.

Nets won another game and selected Wolf with the No. 27 pick. As an offensive all-rounder, he has the technical ability of a guard and the physical fitness of the center, and the rare mobility and body shape that allows him to create opportunities for himself and his teammates on the court. His unique advantage will enrich the Nets' offensive tactics. Gonzalez, the Celtics selected, is a strong and confrontational wing player with standard position size and impressive athleticism, with excellent wingspan, lateral agility and a strong framework, able to remain competitive in physical confrontation and add tough power to the Celtics’ wings. McNeley (later traded to the Hornets) selected by the Suns is a skilled wing with outstanding ball maker, superb offensive skills and good at integrating into the team's offensive system. His joining will improve the offensive efficiency of the Hornets' wing.

Nidhauser, selected by the Clippers with the No. 30 pick, is a late-achieved Swiss insider with a top wingspan. He shows attractive potential as a pick-and-roll down and frame guard. It perfectly combines size, explosiveness and mobility. He will bring new vitality to the Clippers' insider. In the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, each team selects rookies according to their own needs. These rookies have their own characteristics. Their joining will inject new vitality into the league and change the lineup structure of each team. Let us look forward to their wonderful performance in the future field, witness how they write their own basketball legends and lead new changes in the NBA league pattern.