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10 Interesting Prospects for the Clippers in the 2025 Draft
With the 2025 NBA Draft just two days away, here’s a look at 10 players who the Clippers could select with the 30th pick that I’d have some interest in. I did not have time this year for my full positional statistical breakdowns, but these are some players who should be available in the 20-40 range of the draft that are well liked by various online draft experts and media.
Guards
Ben Saraf
Saraf would be an unusual Clippers’ draft pick in that he’s young (just turned 19) and is an international player. The Clippers haven’t selected an international prospect since David Michineau back in 2016 (SGA played at Kentucky even though he’s Canadian), but based on how the board is looking, they might this year. Saraf plays for Ratiopharm Ulm, a German team in the EuroCup, and his EuroCup stats (12.8 points, 4.6 assists, 2.2 rebounds, 1.3 steals in 24.4 minutes) are quite impressive. The questions on his shot and athleticism are what keep him down at the end of the first and early second mock range, but he seems like a decent bet as a backup point guard.
Nolan Traore
Traore is another young (19 years old) international point guard but might be an even more unconventional pick for the Clippers than Saraf. He’s played at the first division of the French LNB Pro A league the past year, and got a lot of reps as the starting point guard. He has size (6’3), burst, and some real playmaking chops, but was an extremely inefficient scorer and had a very high turnover rate. The idea of a lead guard playmaker is there, but he’s definitely a tools bet, and that’s not usually how the Clippers draft. Traore was getting lottery buzz early in the season and I wouldn’t take him there, but at 30 he’s a fine upswing swing albeit with a low floor.
Walter Clayton Jr.
Walter Clayton Jr. is, as the kids say, a bucket and a problem. He averaged 18.3 points per game for the NCAA-title winning Florida Gators last year while shooting 38.6% from three on 7.8 attempts per game. His combination of handle, shiftiness, and long-distance shooting makes him a natural point guard in the modern NBA. The issues with Clayton are simple: physically, he’s undersized at 6’2 and 195 pounds, and he’s not an explosive athlete like Ja Morant or John Wall. The Clippers could really, really use a scoring guard off the bench, and Clayton fits the bill while still having upside for more.
Wings/Forwards
Noah Penda
Penda is a hefty 6’7, 242 pound wing who played at Le Mans in the LNB Pro A this past year. Physically gifted and with a terrific motor, there are shades of a larger Nic Batum to Penda, who is also a solid passer and processes the game well. Like so many wings in today’s day and age, Penda’s success will largely come down to his three-point shooting. Penda made 34% of his threes this past year, which isn’t awful, but also isn’t a sign that he will be ready to be a threat from deep in the NBA right away. If he can become a consistent shooter, he has a clear path to being a connective 3 and D forward type that is so valuable in the modern NBA. If not, he will probably be a fringe NBA guy.
Rasheer Fleming
Almost no player in this class fits more cleanly into a Clippers’ need than Fleming from a pure player profile, as the 6’8, 232 forward from St. Joe’s is the exact kind of big forward who can shoot (39% on 4.5 attempts from deep) and possibly even play some small-ball big as he rounds into NBA condition. There are real limits on his ceiling, as he’s more of a tweener and does not have the skill or athleticism to play on the wing, but it’s easy to imagine him filling the role that Kobe Brown was supposed to as a big four or small five depending on lineups.
Adou Thiero
Thiero had a breakout junior season at Arkansas after two underwhelming seasons at Kentucky, scoring just over 15 points per game while bringing in 5.8 rebounds and nabbing 1.6 steals per game. While a bit undersized for a forward at 6’6 200, Thiero is physical and a plus athlete who can defend easily across several positions. The offensive game is a work in progress, but the tools are there for a modern defensive wing that provides at least a bit of pop on offense. Think the Thompson twins but just not at that tier of athlete.
Drake Powell
Powell is a rare one-and-done who is not projected to go in the lottery and potentially not even in the first round. Powell is 6’5 and around 200 pounds, a full-sized guard with strong athleticism that was a high recruit going into UNC. The problem is that Powell was, to put it frankly, not very good on offense in his freshman season in college. He did, however, play defense at an extremely high level for a player his age, and that combined with his pedigree makes him an interesting play in this range. Powell would certainly not be my first choice but I’d understand the pick.
Big Men
Danny Wolf
Wolf is one of the most intriguing prospects in this class, a 7 foot big man who ran Michigan’s offense and is one of the best passers in the whole draft. Wolf has flashed three point shooting, and his handle is extremely advanced for a guy his size. This all sounds great, right? Well, the defense is a work of progress to put it lightly – it’s unclear whether Wolf can really bang against NBA caliber big men in the post or defend out on the perimeter on smaller guys. The shot is also somewhat of a question mark, as poor free throw shooting numbers indicate a potential deficiency in touch. Still, there’s a unique, excellent player in here, and possibly one of the highest upsides in the class.
Johni Broome
The National College Player of the Year in 2025, Broome starred for an excellent Auburn team that made a deep NCAA Tournament run. He did everything for Auburn, averaging 18.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.1 blocks per game and leading the NCAA in multiple analytics stats (BPM, Win Shares). The issue with Johni is that he’s a bit of a tweener – he might not be a good enough shooter to be a forward in the NBA, but is a bit small to be a center. Still, Johni is just good at basketball, and is someone who could be a potent bench scorer for the Clippers as soon as his rookie year.
Ryan Kalkbrenner
Kalkbrenner is another guy who’s about as “Clippers” a pick as possible. He’s old (23.5), has top-tier college pedigree (five years at Creighton, shout out Cole Huff), and was very productive his last three years in school. A traditional big man who scores in the paint, rebounds, and blocks shots, Kalkbrenner somewhat expanded his range beyond the three-point line the past two seasons, and has a solid free throw percentage for a big. There’s almost no upside there, but Kalkbrenner seems like someone who could be a fine backup big right away.
10 Interesting Prospects for the Clippers in the 2025 Draft
Robert Flom