Kalkbrenner, Broome and the 10 Best Players Available in Round 2 of NBA Draft
Round 1 of the 2025 NBA Draft is in the books. There weren’t many surprises at the top of the draft, with the Dallas Mavericks taking Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick.
But there were some surprises as the night continued. The Utah Jazz took Rutgers wing Ace Bailey with the fifth overall pick. The Portland Trail Blazers drafted Chinese big man Yang Hansen, who some thought might be a second-round pick, at No. 16.
Michigan’s Danny Wolf and UConn’s Liam McNeeley surprisingly fell as well before getting selected in two of the final four picks of the first round. They were the final two undrafted prospects in the green room before Round 1 ended.
As Wolf and McNeeley were nabbed right before Wednesday night ended, there are still several notable names on the board when Round 2 begins on Thursday. So, let’s take a look at the 10 best players available entering Round 2 of the draft.
Adou Thiero, F, ArkansasThiero, who followed John Calipari from Kentucky to Arkansas this past season, has been touted by draft experts for his explosiveness. That explosiveness helped the 6-foot-6 forward average 15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks per game last season, while often throwing down highlight dunks. He also shot 54.5% from the field, but didn’t flash much of a 3-point shot (25.6% on 1.6 attempts per game).
Rasheer Fleming, F, St. Joe’sMany mock drafts had the St. Joe’s product being a late first-round selection. Fleming, who stands at 6-8, was named first-team All-Atlantic-10 this past season as he averaged 14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. His 7-5 wingspan should help his rim protection translate to the next level, while he showed promise as a 3-point shooter this past season: 39% on 4.5 attempts per game.
Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, CreightonSpeaking of rim protection, there wasn’t a player better for that in the Big East over the last four seasons than Kalkbrenner. The Creighton product won Big East Defensive Player of the Year four years in a row, becoming the first player since Patrick Ewing to accomplish that. The 7-1 center used his length – a 7-6 wingspan – to help him finish top-five in the nation in blocks (2.7 per game in 2024-25) over the last two seasons and top 10 in field goal percentage (65.8%, sixth-best DI mark ever) over the last four years. He also averaged 19.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game last season, helping him earn an All-American third-team spot.
Maxime Raynaud, C, StanfordRaynaud is also a pretty lanky center, standing a smidge over 7 feet tall with a 7-1 wingspan. But his game is a bit different than Kalkbrenner’s. The Stanford product flashed some more overall offensive ability this past season, scoring 20.2 points per game as he shot 46.7% from the field and 34.7% from deep (5.5 3-point attempts per game). Even though Raynaud averaged just 1.7 assists per game, draft experts have lauded his passing ability.
The French wing was listed as a first-round prospect in a handful of mock drafts prior to Wednesday. His stats don’t pop like some other draft prospects, averaging 10.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 44% from the field and 30.4% from distance with his French team, Le Mans. But the 6-6 Penda has been lauded for his defensive ability by draft analysts, averaging 1.4 steals per game as he has a 6-11 wingspan.
Tyrese Proctor, G, DukeEven with Duke having three players selected in the top 10 on Wednesday, it stands to have at least one more player drafted in Round 2. Proctor, a 6-4 junior, provided the veteran presence on a pretty young Duke team that reached the Final Four. His growth as a shooter over the last few years has also helped him become one of the best 3-point shooters in this year’s draft class, making 40.5% of his attempts from deep last season. He also averaged 12.4 points and 2.2 assists per game.
Continuing the theme of elite 3-point shooting, Lanier was one of the best shooters from deep over the last two seasons. Before transferring to Tennessee last season, Lanier 44% from deep at North Florida in 2023-24 and finished 19th in the nation in 3-point makes (106). He was arguably the best 3-point shooter in the SEC last season, making 39.5% of his attempts from deep while shooting 8.5 3-pointers per game. The 6-3 guard also led the SEC in 3-point makes (123) as he averaged 18 points per game.
Koby Brea, G/F, KentuckyClosing out the run of top-end 3-point shooters, Brea was arguably the nation’s best 3-point shooter over the last two seasons. The 6-5 wing led the nation in 3-point percentage (.498) when he was at Dayton in 2023-24 before leading the SEC in 3-point percentage last season (.435). His elite 3-point shooting has, seemingly, helped him become a likely draft pick as he averaged 11.6 points per game last season and was mostly a bench player in his five-year college career.
Tonge was one of the top scorers in the Big Ten last season after transferring to Wisconsin from Missouri. He scored 19.6 points per game (fourth in the Big Ten) on .465/.388/.909 shooting splits, while adding 5.3 rebounds per game. Those marks helped the 6-4 Tonje be named a second-team All-American, and he memorably had a 41-point performance in Wisconsin’s Round of 32 loss to BYU in the NCAA Tournament.
Johni Broome, F/C, AuburnIf it weren’t for Cooper Flagg, Broome likely would’ve been the consensus national player of the year this past season. The Auburn star became a revelation after transferring in from Morehead State in 2022, being named to an All-American team in each of the past two seasons. The 6-9 big scored 18.6 points per game, while leading the SEC in rebounds (10.8) and blocks (2.1) per game. His age (he’ll be 23 when the season begins) and lack of elite athleticism likely caused him to fall, but Broome’s production is too good for him to not be drafted.
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