9) Portland Trail Blazers—Asa Newell
Despite going under the radar, the Portland Trail Blazers had an encouraging season. They increased their record by 15 games from the 2023-24 season and saw several young players make big strides.
Scoot Henderson turned the corner and looks like he can be at least a good player in the NBA after some concerns that he might be a bust. Meanwhile, Deni Avdija played incredibly well to close the season, leading to hope that he could develop into a star after being acquired from the Washington Wizards last summer.
With several impressive prospects already off the board, the Blazers should look to make a safe bet by selecting Georgia big man Asa Newell. Finding the right fit for Newell will be key for him to thrive. At 6-9, he is a bit of a tweener, given that he doesn't have enough shooting to play the four and enough size to consistently play center.
Given the two options, he is more likely to develop a power forward with him having a decent-looking jumper, although he's only shooting 29.9% from three. To his credit, he did shoot 75% from the free throw line on a good amount of attempts, which hints at his potential to expand his range to three.
If an NBA team believes that he can, then they would likely take him in the hopes that he can be a versatile big man who can defend multiple positions. He is also an elite-level finisher in the paint, making him a threat as a roll man and in transition.
Pairing him with Donovan Clingan could make for a talented defensive pairing and a solid offensive pairing, assuming that one can develop into a shooter. With no stars left on the board, Newell would be a solid choice for the Blazers.
10) Houston Rockets—Kon Knueppel
The second-seed Houston Rockets are fortunate to have a lottery pick, which they can use to address one of their biggest issues: shooting. If the draft breaks like how it's mocked to go down here, then they could end up with one of the best shooters in this class.
Duke wing Kon Knueppel shot a blistering 40.6% from three on high volume and 91.4% from the free throw line. That would help the Rockets, who rank 20th in 3-point shooting and 21st in 3-point percentage. Knueppel has more to his offensive game than just being a spot-up shooter, however.
He can attack the basket, either in closeouts or by using ball screens to attack the paint. That may not be a big part of his game in the NBA, with him projecting to be more of a movement shooter, but he definitely isn't reliant solely on threes to score.
Defensively, he is big enough to hold his own on the wing and proved that he could be a capable player on that end when surrounded by other good defenders. With Houston needing more shooting, Knueppel would be the smart choice for the Rockets.