Latest NBA Mock Draft is loaded with Duke players (and one from Kentucky)

There will be a ton of future NBA players on the hardwood at State Farm Arena later tonight. But for the first time in a while, they won’t all be coming from Kentucky.

Ahead of the Champions Classic showdown between No. 19 and No. 6 Duke, which is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. EST on ESPN, NBA Draft experts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo released an updated version of their 2025 NBA Mock Draft. As you might have guessed, Duke freshman wing Cooper Flagg is the projected top overall pick, but he’s not the only Blue Devil in the Top 10.

In fact, six total Duke players cracked Givony and Woo’s mock draft: three within the Top 10 and three more in the second round.

• Cooper Flagg (Duke) | No. 1 –> Washington Wizards
• Kon Knueppel (Duke) | No. 6 –> San Antonio Spurs
• Khaman Maluach (Duke) | No. 8 –> New Orleans Pelicans
• Caleb Foster (Duke) | No. 33
• Tyrese Proctor (Duke) | No. 35
• Sion James (Duke) | No. 51

As for Kentucky, Mark Pope‘s first team in Lexington is built on experience. There are several fifth-year seniors on this roster who have played more than 100 college games. Givony and Woo did include a Wildcat in their mock draft, although he showed up near the very end of the second round. Koby Brea is projected to go No. 57 out of 59 total selections. The likes of Jaxson Robinson and Brandon Garrison — two NBA Draft hopefuls — were not mentioned.

This isn’t a huge shock considering how Pope built his roster, but it’s not something the Big Blue Nation has been accustomed to over the last 15 years. Will it matter tonight in Atlanta? Or will Kentucky’s experience trump Duke’s youthful talent?

As for some other notable names mentioned in the mock draft, Arkansas wing Adou Thiero checked in at No. 29 overall to the Utah Jazz (via Cleveland). Another former ‘Cat turned Razorback, Zvonimir Ivisic, landed at No. 44 overall.