Wednesday, June 25, 2025
2025 NBA Draft's Most Underrated
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Most mock drafts predict Ryan Kalkbrenner to be a late-1st or early 2nd-round pick, but he might just be the best center in this draft. While his lack of elite athleticism is likely keeping him under the radar, he’s much more athletic than he might seem at first glance, and his subtle ability to read the game and nearly always make the right play seems to be going unnoticed. Kalkbrenner’s feel for how the defense is reacting to him and his teammates is about as good as it gets, and he’s nearly always instinctively in the right position on both ends of the floor.
While it seems most projections put a heavy emphasis on “potential,” Kalkbrenner is ready to step in and play right away. He has great size and strength, and plays with a toughness and physicality that’s hard to deal with. He’s always focused and determined to impact the game, with his aggression, activity, and effort never being a question.
Offensively Kalkbrenner can do it all. He runs the court extremely well, often beating his man down the court for easy baskets or setting up massive advantages to seal his opponent off with his positioning. He’s extremely dangerous in the post with great footwork, a plethora of post moves, and the decision-making ability to find a teammate when the time is right. He’s a great finisher around the basket, but he also has a great jumpshot with the ability to step out and hit the 3.
Kalkbrenner sets great screens and threatens the defense immediately after. He’s a constant lob threat when diving toward the rim, but his deadly shooting ability makes the defense pick its own poison when deciding how to guard him. His high IQ and ability to adjust to whatever the opponent is doing is extremely undervalued, as this is what ultimately wins games. Kalkbrenner has tons of big-time experience on the game’s biggest stages, and his Creighton teams had lots of success throughout his time there.
While I haven’t heard much talk about his defense, the tape shows a guy who’s always competing and in the right position. He defends the rim at a high level, and he’s always there to help if a teammate gets beat. Kalkbrenner isn’t an elite rebounder, but he boxes out and typically seals his man off from getting the rebound himself. His game reminds me of Brook Lopez, and it won’t be long before he becomes one of the better centers in the league.
Danny Wolf, Michigan
Danny Wolf is projected to go in the mid-to-late 1st or early 2nd-round, but his unique skill-set at 7’0” and 250 pounds should have him ranked much higher. His ability to handle and pass like a point guard evokes Jokic comparisons, and while he’s not quite as strong or as dominant a rebounder as the Nuggets superstar, he’s quicker and runs the floor even better.
Offensively Wolf does everything extremely well. His expert ball-handling and tremendous footwork make him an extremely difficult matchup, as he’s capable of driving to the basket and creating for himself or his teammates. He’s a great finisher around the basket, even through contact, and he always fights hard for position. He’s also a very good shooter with deep 3-point range.
He’s not thought of as a guy who blocks a lot of shots, but he’s nearly always in the right position, and he actually defends the rim extremely well. Wolf is a very intelligent player who has won everywhere he went, a trend I expect to continue at the NBA level. He’s already better than most centers in the league and is ready to step in and play right away.
Rocco Zikarsky, Australia
Although the sample size is small, I love what I’ve seen from Rocco Zikarsky. His tremendous size and length make him extremely tough to deal with around the basket, and while he’s still pretty thin, he plays with a toughness and aggression that can’t be taught. Still only 18 years old, Zikarsky has tons of room to continue growing into his 7’3” frame.
Zikarsky is actually a phenomenal athlete. He’s an absolute terror on the offensive boards, as he reads the ball extremely well off the rim and often dominates games with put-back dunks. He’s an aggressive finisher that looks to throw it down every time he touches it, and he does a great job moving to open space to create passing lanes.
Zikarsky sets great screens and rolls hard to the basket, where he’s almost impossible to stop. He’s a huge alley-oop threat, but he’s also shown a nice touch around the basket with floaters and layups. He gets great position and is patient with his footwork, and he’s already shown nice moves in the post. He’s even shown the ability to knock down 3’s.
Rocco is also really good defensively. He moves his feet extremely well to stay in front of opponents on the perimeter, and he defends the rim at a high level. He’s still just scratching the surface of what he can become, but he’s good enough to contribute right away. His competitive toughness makes me believe that he will continue improving and getting stronger, and I expect him to eventually develop into one of the better centers in the league.
Adou Thiero, Arkansas
Adou Thiero has the size, length, and athleticism to develop into a dominant NBA player. He plays with toughness and relentless aggression on both ends, making life difficult on any opponent he faces. His confident mentality will serve him well at the next level.
Thiero is a good ball-handler, and he uses his strength and physicality to get where he wants to go. He aggressively attacks the rim and finishes through contact, often with highlight reel dunks over and through defenders. He’s got a nice mid-range game and good touch around the basket, and he’s a very good passer who finds the open man, often with nice hit-ahead passes to start the break. While his 3-point shooting percentage wasn’t very good, his shot looks nice and I expect him to figure it out and continue improving throughout his career.
Thiero is really tough defensively as well. His elite physical attributes and athleticism give him the versatile tools to matchup up with almost anyone, and he always plays with great energy and effort. He reminds me a lot of OG Anunoby, and if he turns out anything like that he will be a steal in this draft.
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