2025 NBA Mock Draft: Central Division

The Draft is fast approaching, and teams will be finalizing their big boards. Draft Nation will be breaking down each team’s draft needs and what prospects fit those needs. Today’s focus is the Central Division:

Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls are in the middle of a rebuild. They have a mix of young, developing players, rotational contributors, and veteran leadership. What the Bulls lack is a top-end star player to be at the center of their roster.

Egor Demin (PG/Guard, BYU) should be the Bulls first round target if the decide not to re-sign Josh Giddey due to his high price tag, Egor Demin would pair excellently with Coby White. White showed signs he can step up and be the primary scorer for the Bulls after Zach Lavine was traded. Getting Egor Demin, the best passer in the draft at pick 12, would be good for the present and the future.

Demin profiles as a future floor general with his pass-first mentality. Demin will need to develop his confidence with scoring at the next level, as he struggled against teams that focus on clogging his passing lanes, forcing him to take scoring opportunities over dishing the rock. In the Immediate future, the Bulls will get a pass-first guard in Demin to replace Giddey for less money. Long term, Demin won’t be a high-level defender but if his scoring improves, he can be a floor raiser for all his teammates on offense.

Joan Beringer (C/Big, Cedevita Olimpija) is an extremely raw and new-to-basketball prospect who could be another direction the Bulls can take. At 6’ 11”, 235 lbs with a 7’ 4” wingspan, Beringer shouldn’t be as quick as he is when cutting. He is one of the youngest prospects in the draft, turning 19 in November. This package of elite-level athleticism and super raw basketball fundamentals makes him a ball of clay that coaches would love to work with.

The Bulls current starting center is the 34-year-old Nikola Vučević. Vučević is still a starting caliber center, but no one beats Father Time. He hasn’t regressed yet, so Beringer will have a few years to be coached up before he’s expected to contribute major minutes to the team. If the Bulls are confident their NBA and G-League coaches can develop a player from the ground up, then Joan Beringer will be wearing a Bull’s hat at this year’s draft.

Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons have completely turned around their fortunes this past year. In one season, the Pistons went from one of the basement dwellers of the NBA to a 6th seed in the playoffs. This is due to key free agency signings like Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Tobias Harris. The Pistons already have a strong core group of players. With the 37th pick in the NBA Draft, the Pistons have more freedom to pick complementary players instead of future stars.

Koby Brea (SF/Guard, Kentucky) is one of the older prospects in the draft at 22 years old. What makes Brea such a tempting prospect is his amazing three-point shooting. While Koby Brea doesn’t have the elite-level athleticism to be a two-way scoring phenom, shooting 43.5% from deep on 5.9 attempts per game is incredibly valuable in the NBA.

The Pistons need complementary skill sets like Brea and, in particular, need more three-point shooters. Their two best (by volume) three-point shooters from this past year are Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr., and both need to be re-signed. Brea gives the Pistons an alternative if both Beasley and Hardaway Jr. become too expensive to keep in free agency. 

Amari Williams (Center/Big, Kentucky) is another option in Detroit at the 37th overall pick. The 23-year-old 7’ 0”, 262 lb center is a play-now prospect. Williams doesn’t have elite jumping skills, has poor shot mechanics, and relies on physicality to score. He is a smart passer who uses his eyes, fakes, and his size to help open passing lanes from the post. He’s highly mobile and projects as a great rim-protector on defense. The Pistons need more Bigs to help backup Tobias Harris. With Williams, the Pistons can slide Isaiah Stewart over to backup Power Forward and give themselves a solid center on offense with rock steady defense.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks enter the draft desperately needing talent to put around Giannis Antetokounmpo. The 2021 Bucks that won a championship are nearly all gone or have regressed. The Damian Lillard experiment has failed, and the Great Dame will be out for an entire year recovering from his Achilles tear. Unfortunately, the Bucks are a team on the decline, struggling to stay a playoff contender.

Hansen Yang (C/Big, Qingdao) is the type of prospect the Bucks need. Yang is a 7’ 1”, 253 lb center out of China’s CBA league. Yang has the tools that make him useful at the NBA level. He isn’t afraid of contact in the post, is a great playmaker and offensive hub, and has shown he can take the ball up the court. Many of these tools could use fine-tuning, and he isn’t ready on defense to face the bigger, faster bigs of the NBA. 

The Bucks only have a few more years of solid center play from the 37-year-old Brook Lopez. Yang, with a couple years of development, can replace Lopez. He is 10 years younger than Giannis, but the Bucks need more prospects that can turn into starters. Having a pass-focused big man in the style of Alperen Şengün or Nikola Jokić will help optimize Giannis in the later years.

Kam Jones (PG/Guard, Marquette) is the opposite of Hansen Yang. The 6’ 3”, 202 lb 23 23-year-old is a polished guard who can play solid rotational minutes day one but his ceiling is limited due to his average athleticism. Jones was a three-level scoring shooting guard with high usage (28.9%, at Marquette this past year) and his three-point percentage was low this past year at 31.1%. This was mainly due to him having to take more pull-up threes. In the Bucks’ offense, Jones can focus on his catch-and-shoot abilities and his playmaking.

The Bucks already have a developing shooting guard in A.J. Green, but none of the current guards on the roster can fill the playmaking void that Damian Lillard will leave this coming year. Jones averaged 5.9 assists per game this past year and projects to continue improving. The Bucks can move Jones to point guard, add another primary ball handler to the roster, and maximize Jones’ strengths. 

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers are one of the best-constructed rosters in the NBA currently, from the depth of the roster to the efficient long-term contracts to the high-end talent. The Pacers recently traded their first-round pick to the Pelicans to get back their own 2026 first-round pick.

Rocco Zikarsky (C/Big, Brisbane) was once talked about as a possible lottery pick a year ago. This is because Zikarsky is a 19-year-old 7’ 3”, 257 lbs giant with a 7’ 4” wingspan. Adding touch around the basket, a great IQ for the game, rebounding, and shot blocking, Zikarsky is a very intriguing ball of clay for NBA coaches. However, Zikarsky needs to add more foot speed to hold up on defense. Additionally, He does show off his size at the rim but doesn’t possess any shooting to take his scoring beyond one dimension.

The biggest reason Zikarsky will still be available to the Pacers at pick 54 is his injury history. Zikarsky’s two years in the Australian NBL were hampered by injuries—first, with an ankle injury and then a knee injury this past year. Lower body injuries to a big man are highly concerning. However, the Pacers have a chance to take a gamble that can pay off massively if Zikarsky recovers.

Ryan Nembhard (PG/Guard, Gonzaga) is the younger brother of current Pacer star Andrew Nembhard and is projected to be available at pick 54. Ryan is five inches shorter than his brother but plays with the same ferocity and intensity. His 6’ 0”, 180 lb frame will make it difficult for him to find a role at the NBA level but he has NBA-level traits. 

Nembhard is one of the best floor generals in the entire class. He had extremely high confidence running and organizing Gonzaga’s offense and their appearance in the Sweet 16 this past year is due in part to his high-level processing and passing. The Pacers can find a connective point guard that can run their second unit with the selection of Ryan Nembhard.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers sadly lost in the Conference Semifinals this past year despite being one of the best regular-season teams. The Cavs need to address their lack of wing depth and need for more three-point shooting. With only two picks in this year’s draft, picks 49 and 58, the Cavs need to pick developed players who can contribute now.

Will Riley (SF/Wing, Illinois) is one possibility. The Cavs will need to package their picks to move up to select him though. If Riley falls out of the first round, he has a skill set the Cavs would love. Riley is 19 years old, 6’ 8”, and 185 lbs. at the wing and hasn’t met a shot he didn’t like. Riley’s confidence in his shot did lead to him shooting 32.6% from deep this past year at Illinois.

The Cavs will have to focus on two things if they get their hands on Riley. One, he needs to add muscle because too often in the college level, he would be shoved around by heavier wings. NBA wing players will have a field day if he doesn’t hit the gym. Secondly, Riley has an advanced IQ off-ball and knows where defenses are weakest. The Cavs would need to harness this and clean up Riley’s shot selection. Doing this will give them Wing depth and three-point scoring.

Dink Pate (SF/Wing, Mexico City Capitanes) is a second option. Should the Cavs decide to run it back and focus on getting future contributors, Dink Pate is a prospect to consider. Pate is a 19-year-old 6’6”, 201 lb wing with a 6’ 9” wingspan. Pate is one of the last G-League Ignite players to enter the draft. Pate has elite level athleticism, from his jump, his speed, his body control… all of it. Pate’s issue is that he doesn’t look comfortable using those tools.

The Cavs should only consider Dink Pate if they feel they have the coaches who can develop him. Pate hasn’t had much organized basketball around him and has been able to use his athleticism to get him where he is today. Pate struggles to react to defensive adjustments and will try to force his style of basketball on the court, irrespective of how the defense is playing him. Should the Cavs successfully develop Pate, he will be a force to be reckoned with.