The forwards and centers in the 2025 NBA Draft class are mobile, versatile and most of them can extend their game past the 3-point line. Last year we saw two traditional bigs taken in the lottery with Donovan Clingan going to the Portland Trail Blazers with the No. 7 pick and Zach Edey getting picked up by the Memphis Grizzlies with the No. 9 pick. 

This year’s draft is sprinkled with long, athletic bigs with high upside, with Duke freshman Khaman Maluach projected to be the first center selected. His season was a little inconsistent but the talent is there and he’s a player who could go as high as No. 6 to the Washington Wizards and isn’t expected to fall out of the Lottery. Derik Queen and Asa Newell, former high school teammates at Montverde Academy (Florida), are the next forwards expected to be drafted and off the board. Although they possess different skill sets, both players move extremely well for their size and have a nice touch around the rim. Danny Wolf is a late-riser and received a green room invite for the draft on June 25. He’s a pick-and-pop dream who can knock it down from behind the arc. 

2025 NBA Mock Draft

Cooper Flagg is a lock to be the No. 1 overall pick, but how is the rest of the Draft shaping up?

Here’s a look at the top 10 bigs in this year’s NBA Draft class. 

Note: Wondering why Cooper Flagg didn’t make the cut at 6-foot-8? We ranked him with the top wings in this year’s class. Check it out here.


KHAMAN MALUACH IS PROJECTED TO BE A TOP-5 PICK AFTER FLASHING HIS PRO POTENTIAL AT DUKE.
Getty Images

Khaman Maluach, 7-foot-1 freshman center, Duke

Maluach didn’t have a dominant year at Duke but the sparks were there with what he projects as a rim-running center in the NBA. He’s extremely long with a 7-foot-7 wingspan and averaged 1.3 blocks per game at Duke. He struggled at times catching passes through traffic and running in transition but he’s a lob threat that gets to his spots and is a mismatch dream in a high-low situation. Maluach averaged 8.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game at Duke and tested well at the draft combine in May. “Khaman is a special player and I loved playing with him this year,” teammate Cooper Flagg said at the combine. “You can’t get anything off around the rim and he’s someone who’s just going to get better and better with the spacing in the NBA.”  

DERIK QUEEN POSSESSES AN OLD-SCHOOL FORWARD GAME AND CAN SCORE WITH THE BEST IN THE CLASS.
TNS

Derik Queen, 6-foot-10 freshman forward, Maryland

Queen quickly jumped on scouts’ radar early in the season after he dropped 25 pounds then had 22 points and 20 rebounds in his first collegiate game against Manhattan. Queen was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and option one for Maryland’s offense all season long. Queen is more of an old-school forward and loves to work off the block or in the mid-range.

2025 NBA Draft: Walter Clayton Rising, Liam McNeely Falling and Other Draft Intel We’re Hearing

Hoops HQ’s NBA Draft expert goes deep inside the chatter to see who’s moving where as the big night approaches

His 3-point jumper remains an area of development and he didn’t shoot the ball great at the combine during the 3-point shooting drills. However, Queen has great hands and footspeed for his size and his draft range is anywhere from No. 6-15 in the draft. Queen averaged 16.5 points and 9 rebounds in his one year at Maryland. 

A VERSATILE SCORER AND GIFTED LOB THREAT, ASA NEWELL BRINGS A LOADED BAG TO THE NBA.
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Asa Newell, 6-foot-10 freshman forward, Georgia

Newell entered his freshman season at Georgia with a chip on his shoulder after he was snubbed as a McDonald’s All American his senior year in high school. The versatile big was instrumental in Georgia’s success in the SEC this past season, leading the team in scoring (15.4 points) and rebounds (6.9). Newell is a lob threat in transition and loves to step out in the short corner and take players off the dribble, using his size to elevate over the defense.

Newell averaged 20.5 points and 12.5 rebounds in his final two games of the season and still has untapped potential as a real pick-and-pop threat. “I feel like I can extend my game out past the 3-point line and it’s something I’ve been working on in the pre-draft process,” Newell said at the combine. “It wasn’t something I was asked to do a lot of at Georgia but it’s an area of my game I think will surprise a lot of people next season.” 

Danny Wolf, Michigan, NBA Draft
DANNY WOLF IS ARGUABLY THE TOP 3-POINT SHOOTER AMONG THE BIGS IN THE 2025 NBA DRAFT.
Getty Images

Danny Wolf, 7-foot junior center, Michigan

No center in this year’s draft class is shooting the 3-ball better in workouts than Wolf. Multiple sources told Hoops HQ that Wolf only missed one 3-pointer during a continuous transition shooting drill in Toronto and he will very much be at play with the No. 9 overall pick. Scouts first saw Wolf’s potential at Yale but it wasn’t until he transferred to Michigan that he started getting first-round buzz. Wolf is a big who can pass, dribble and shoot and gets to his spots with ease. He averaged 13.2 points, 9.7 rebounds and shot 33.6 percent from 3-point range. 

THOMAS SORBER COULD HEAR HIS NAME CALLED IN THE TEENS DURING NEXT WEEK’S DRAFT.
Getty Images

Thomas Sorber, 6-foot-10 freshman forward, Georgetown

Sorber was a four-star, top 50 recruit coming out of high school and really worked on his body and conditioning heading into his freshman season. Sorber averaged 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists and is one of the best passing bigs in this draft class. He recorded four or more assists in six games this season and is a true rim protector on the defensive side of the ball, averaging 2.2 blocks per game. Sorber has two-way potential at the NBA level and his draft range is anywhere from late lottery to mid-first round. 

WHILE HE MAY NEED A YEAR OF SEASONING, JOAN BERINGER IS A HIGH UPSIDE PROSPECT AT CENTER.
Xinhua News Agency via Getty Ima

Joan Beringer, 6-foot-11 center, Cedevita (Croatia)

Beringer is one of the youngest players in this draft class, not turning 19 until November 11. His size and mobility is what jumps out immediately when watching him play. The young center is originally from France and grew up playing soccer before picking up a basketball in 2021. At 15 years old, he couldn’t find cleats his size and his friends encouraged him to pick up basketball.

2025 NBA Draft: 7 Sleepers Who Have “Steal of the Draft” Potential

The flashy names get all the headlines. But these seven underrated prospects have the upside and potential to surprise at the next level.

The rest is history and his time playing soccer has really helped his footwork and coordination. Beringer is a high upside player and someone who will need a season or two to really adjust to the pace and physicality of the NBA game but his potential is through the roof with his size and the way he can space the floor. 

COLLIN MURRAY-BOYLES HAS DRAWN COMPARISONS TO DRAYMOND GREEN AND WAS A IMPACT PLAYER AT SOUTH CAROLINA.
Getty Images

Collin Murray-Boyles, 6-foot-7 sophomore forward, South Carolina 

Murray-Boyles elected to return for his sophomore season after receiving positive feedback from teams last spring during the pre-draft process. He plays bigger than his 6-foot-7 frame and has drawn comparisons to Draymond Green with how well he rebounds and plays defense. Murray-Boyles averaged 16.8 points and 8.3 rebounds for the Gamecocks and his on/off impact was incredible. South Carolina’s offense and defense were +8.2 points better per 100 possessions with him on the court versus the bench. Teams may pass on him because he’s undersized but analytics love him with his on-court production and what he can add to a team right away. 

RASHEER FLEMING IS AN EFFICIENT SCORER WHO FILLED UP THE STAT SHEET AT ST. JOE’S LAST YEAR.
Getty Images

Rasheer Fleming, 6-foot-9 junior forward, St. Joseph’s

Fleming is a late bloomer and wasn’t even ranked as a prospect in high school. He’s improved in almost every statistical category over his college career and has been a projected first-round pick all season. He did not receive a green room invite but is definitely a player who could hear his name called in the teens or twenties on the first night of the draft. Fleming ranks in the 96th percentile in overall points per possession and the 90th percentile in scoring at the rim, according to Synergy Sports. He’s efficient, particularly in cutting off the ball and as a roll-man in pick-and-roll situations. He averaged 14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and shot 39 percent from 3-point range during his junior year at St. Joe’s. 

Maxime Raynaud #42 of the Stanford Cardinal shoots a free throw against the Oregon Ducks in the first half at Stanford Maples Pavilion on December 21, 2024
STANFORD’S MAXIME RAYNAUD MADE MORE 3-POINTERS (67) THANK ANY OTHER 7-FOOTER IN COLLEGE LAST SEASON.
Getty Images

Maxime Raynaud, 7-foot-1 senior center, Stanford 

Raynaud did not get a green room invite but is definitely a player who could shake up the first round of the draft. He has good positional size and is a plug-and-play guy right away for any NBA franchise. Wolf has been shooting lights out during workouts but it was Raynaud who showed his consistency from deep at Stanford this season. Raynaud made 67 3-pointers this season, more than any other 7-footer in college basketball, and shot 34.7 percent from deep. If he falls outside the first round, Raynaud might end up being a steal in the draft with how well his inside-outside game translates to the NBA. 

JOHNI BROOME IS A DO-ALL VETERAN PLAYER WHO HEADS TO THE NBA AFTER A FINAL FOUR RUN AS A SENIOR.
Getty Images

Johni Broome, 6-foot-10 senior forward, Auburn

Broome was one of the most dominating players in college basketball and led Auburn to the Final Four. He does a little bit of everything on the court and has really extended his game, becoming a three-level scorer and a player who can break down the defense. Broome averaged 1.038 points per possession as a roller off the pick-and-roll, according to Synergy Sports and shot 51 percent from the field. Broome is a projected early second-round pick mainly because of his age (he’ll be 23 once the season starts) and limited upside. Any team that drafts him will get an instant impact guy that can step in right away with the secondary unit and impact winning.