2025 NBA Mock Draft: Southwest Division

The Southwest Division is beginning to look like one of the toughest divisions in the NBA next year. Draft Nation will be breaking down what each team will be looking for in the 2025 NBA Draft to make themselves true contenders.

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks have one of the easiest choices in this year’s draft. The lottery has delivered Mav’s GM Nico Harrison a parachute after trading away franchise player Luka Dončić in the form of the number one overall pick. Maverick’s fans, meet your new franchise player.

Cooper Flagg (PF/Forward, Duke) has been one of the most polished NBA prospects in some time. At 6’7” 221 lb., with a 7’0” wingspan, Flagg isn’t technically elite in any one category. What makes him so great is has all the physical tools to be elite. Most prospects have one or two elite traits that they utilize to get advantages. Flagg has an elite basketball IQ and mental processing power that is in a body that has great athleticism. So, while he won’t jump the highest, Flagg has enough jump that he can time it perfectly and swat down shot attempts against him. 

All of this while he is only 18 years old. Flagg can score the ball from all three levels, can throw dimes once defenses are forced to focus on him, and reads opposing players like a book on defense. Being so versatile means the Mavericks can implement him in any role with any lineup. Flagg has been able to mesh with any group of players he’s played with; From when he was named to the All-Tournament team in the 2022 FIBA under-17 World Cup at only 15 years old, to this past year at Duke playing with 4 other NBA-level talents. 

The only apparent weakness in Flagg’s game is that his handle isn’t very tight. This could just be because playing against college competition never required Flagg to focus on his handle much. Having Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively, and Cooper Flagg as your big men sets up the Mavericks for a major bounce-back year if they can find a point guard to replace Kyrie Irving while he's out for this coming year.

San Antonio Spurs

Similar to the Mavericks, the Spurs will have an incredibly easy time selecting second overall. The Spurs have very rapidly accumulated boatloads of young talent, with the crown jewel being Victor Wembanyama. Now the Spurs get to add another shining gem to their crown. 

Dylan Harper (PG/Guard, Rutgers) would be the 1st overall pick last year and would have been this year if not for Cooper Flagg. Harper is one of the best finishing prospects of the past couple of years. With a 6’4”, 213 lb. frame, Harper is an insanely well-coordinated driver and finisher. Once Harper has an inch of separation from his defender, he will drive and score. It doesn’t matter if there is help defense, Harper thrives driving into the post and utilizing all the clubs in his bag. Euro-steps, step-throughs, floaters, every single technique is mastered and executed to perfection by the 19-year-old. Harper isn’t afraid to dish to teammates or to his roll man, giving the Spurs a great foundation to build upon.

Harper does have trouble dealing with self-creation and normally relies on screens to provide him the momentum to get in his rhythm. He will need to develop his jump shot, as while he is a solid catch-and-shoot threat, his three-point percentage is dragged down when he shoots 29.6% on pull-up threes. Even in the mid-range, Harper struggles to effectively use his jumper. Still, Harper is only 19 years old and played on a Rutgers team that didn’t push him to evolve beyond what he was already great at. In the worst case, Wemby will have a Robin to his Batman in the pick and roll.

New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans are the only organization in the Southwest that has an unclear path forward towards a championship. The Pelicans dealt Brandon Ingram to the Raptors, which points towards them rebuilding. However, they still have 24-year-old Zion Williamson and other win-now players like CJ McCollum and Dejounte Murray.

Carter Bryant (SF/Wing, Arizona) is a 19-year-old 6’6”, 214 lb. prototypical 3-and-D wing prospect. Bryant didn’t get a ton of playing time in Arizona and came off the bench. But he showed solid efficiency and great defensive reps when he checked into the game. Bryant is one of the few prospects whose skill set will fit in no matter who he’s on the court with. Shooting 37.1% from deep and having a highlight reel full of defensive stops, highlighting Bryant’s 7’0” wingspan, makes him a solid prospect at 7th overall.

The Pelicans need defensively focused players like Bryant, who can both thrive off kick-outs by Zion or will be a solid core player to rebuild around after Zion is traded. The Pelicans’ defensive cornerstones, Herb Jones, Dejounte Murray, and Trey Murphy III, all suffered season-ending injuries last year. Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that all three will fully recover. The Pelicans need players to keep the defensive load off the injury-prone offensive juggernaut Zion Williamson. Bryant is a young, raw, foul-happy prospect, but also has a great three-ball and defensive instincts to be a major contributor to whatever plans the Pelicans have for the future.

Egor Demin (PG/Guard, BYU) can help the Pelicans need to build from the ground up, as even franchise centerpiece Zion Williamson might be moved if he doesn’t show he can stay healthy. Demin is one of the premier playmaking floor generals in this year’s draft. Demin is a true pass-first point guard who would be ideal to put alongside Zion Williamson. Zion hasn’t had a floor general like Egor Demin since Lonzo Ball back in 2019-2020. Demin has a great basketball mind and, even at 19 years old, would be comfortable running the Pelicans’ offense.

What Demin lacks is consistent scoring. While the 6’8”, 199 lb. Guard is a jumbo-sized point guard, his lean frame allows him to be bothered by contact at the rim. Additionally, he lacks first-step speed and, in isolation, doesn’t project well at all. This is partially because Demin’s game is entirely based around playing off his teammates and reading the defense. Demin will still be able to bully the smaller guards of the league once he’s put on more muscle. Also, Demin is still a threat off-ball with his movement and instincts to find wrinkles and get off easy shots. Mentioning Demin’s shot, he shot 27.3% on 4.7 attempts per game from deep. 

Demin has a lower upside than the top prospects of the draft. Nevertheless, his connectivity, adaptability to play alongside volume scorers, and IQ on both offense and defense are something a team can use as a foundational piece to build around.

Ben Saraf (PG/Guard, Ratiopharm Ulm) is another option here. Should the Pelicans decide to pass on Demin or another point guard, then Ben Saraf should still be available at pick 23. Saraf is more of an unknown product, as most non-college prospects are. However, Saraf is an excellent passer with great mobility with the ball in his hands. His jump shot is still developing, but the 6’5”, 200 lb., 19-year-old would be a great prospect for the Pelicans to pick up later in the draft.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies are tired of just being a playoff team, and so they fired head coach Taylor Jenkins. Now, the Grizzlies are looking to make a deep playoff run and just got a war chest of picks from the Magic to help them do it. With the 16th overall pick, the Grizzlies have several intriguing prospects to elevate their game.

Collin Murray-Boyles (PF/Tweener, South Carolina) will be a rumbling tank on the NBA court. At 6’6”, 239 lbs. with a 7’0” wingspan, CMB is a true tweener player. This means, despite being a highly efficient scorer and defender, CMB’s ceiling is limited. The NBA is a skill-based league currently, so players who lean into dominating with their size and physicality are useful but limiting on offense. CMB needs to be utilized as a 6th man in the immediate, especially because the 20-year-old hasn’t developed a three-ball to space the floor. Despite all this, CMB insists that his archetype won’t go gentle into that good night.

CMB sets bone rattling screens, embraces contact, and rips ball handlers who underestimate his great lateral mobility. The Grizzlies already got tougher when they drafted Zach Edey last year, but adding another physical bruiser to the team will give the Grizzlies more of an identity to lean into and embrace. Having the elegant, quick popping jab of Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. paired with the haymaker of Zach Edey and Collin Murray-Boyles adds a new dimension to the Grizzlies’ offensive game plans. 

Nique Clifford (SF/Wing, Colorado State) is one of the most NBA-ready players in the 2025 draft. Looking solely at current ability, Clifford would be a top 5 pick. Clifford’s well-developed defensive instincts and his confident but streaky shooting are elevated by masterful footwork that keeps him in motion and in the action. 

Clifford’s 6’5” 202 lb. frame with a 6’8” wingspan makes him an ideal size to play small forward for the Grizzlies. Last year, 2nd-round rookie Jaylen Wells was the primary starter at small forward for the Grizzlies. While he did well, Clifford is older, more developed, and more schematically adaptable, and will provide more consistent offense and defense. Wells is the better catch-and-shoot player, as Clifford only shot well from three in pick-and-roll sets. However, the Grizzlies’ game plans can be more complex and ask more from the small forward with Clifford’s well-roundedness.

Houston Rockets

The Rockets are set to be a true contender next year with their Kevin Durant trade. Durant isn’t the same player he was even a few years ago, but his shooting and defense are still reliable to show up. Especially in big games. With only one pick in this year’s draft, the 59th pick, the Rockets can look to pick up a project play that slips down to them.

Izan Almansa (PF/Big Perth) is a 20-year-old 6’9”, 220 lb. big man from the Australian NBL. Almansa struggled to develop further in the past couple of years. After spending a year with the G-League Ignite, Almansa moved to Australia to get more experience in a traditional basketball system. He has hustle on the court and shows his work ethic on the board,s getting rebounds. However, his shot needs a ton of work. While he does have a 7’1” wingspan and moves good for his size, Almansa needs time to develop.

Hansen Yang (C/Big, Qingdao) is a mobile 7’1” 253 lb. center from CBA. He projects as a solid traditional drop big on defense and has a 7’2” wingspan that allows him to block shots with ease. His offense, on the other hand, has some points of concern for NBA teams. Yang has a good feel for how to bump and chain together moves in the post to get good scoring chances. But Yang also struggled to get into those same positions against bigger centers who could absorb contact and throw him off. Before entering the NBA, 20-year-old Hansen Yang needs a couple of years to develop his moves and confidence against NBA-level big men.

Outside the Draft, The Rockets don’t have a ton of cap space. With that being the case, they can still look to add depth to their frontcourt with possible free agent targets, Bismack Biyambo, Mason Plumlee, and Andre Drummond.