UConn star Liam McNeeley is declaring of the 2025 NBA Draft after a standout freshman campaign with the Huskies, he told ESPN. The 6-foot-7 wing is regarded as a potential lottery pick after earning all-conference honors and Big East Freshman of the Year under coach Dan Hurley.
A high ankle sprain kept McNeeley out for eight games during Big East play. But in his 27 collegiate contests, the former five-star prospect flashed considerable offensive promise while averaging 14.5 points, six rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
Though McNeeley shot just 31.7% from 3-point range on the season, there were plenty of indications he could have a long NBA future. McNeeley exploded for 26 points, eight rebounds and four assists without a turnover in a December victory over Gonzaga.
In a February victory over Creighton, he totaled 38 points and 10 rebounds on 12 of 22 shooting. McNeeley has the requisite size and athleticism to defend multiple positions at the NBA. If there’s an obvious hole in his game, it’s at the rim, where he shot just 45.6%. That put McNeeley in the 12th percentile nationally, per Synergy.
Liam McNeeley’s NBA Draft projection
McNeeley ranks No. 11 in the 2025 CBS Sports NBA Draft Prospect Rankings and went between 10-16 in a series of recent mock drafts from Adam Finkelstein, Gary Parrish and Kyle Boone.
“UConn lost its identity — and apparently its best player — when McNeeley went down with a high ankle injury earlier this year,” Boone wrote. “He’s returned an even more dynamic weapon, serving in various roles as a creator, scorer and winner. Tough prospect who plays with an edge.”
Finkelstein projected McNeeley at No. 16 to the San Antonio Spurs, which would unite him with fellow ex-UConn one-and-done star Stephon Castle.
“McNeeley is a much better shooter than the numbers showed this year, so he would provide some needed spacing around Wemby,” Finkelstein wrote. “He also made strides defensively.”
Impact on UConn
McNeeley was viewed as a potential one-and-done departure from the moment he flipped his commitment to the Huskies from Indiana. This comes as no surprise, and UConn already has reinforcements on the way. The program’s 2025 recruiting class ranks No. 3 nationally, per 247Sports. The group features four top-100 prospects, including five-star guard and McDonald’s All-American Braylon Mullins.
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