2025 NBA Draft prospects that Adam Finkelstein likes more than other experts do

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The CBS Sports final consensus Big Board is set, taking into consideration the perspective of analysts from CBS Sports and 247Sports. 

While the list provides a fitting view of the market with less than one week before the NBA Draft, there are a handful of prospects that I am personally higher on, and also some that might end up going higher than expected next Wednesday.

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Prospects who could be picked higher than they are ranked 

Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma

CBS Sports Big Board: No. 11 

Fears is a polarizing prospect. Some people think he has star upside and others think he has bust potential. To be clear, I’m in line with where we have him ranked, if not even perhaps a little lower, when balancing out the risk reward ratio. I understand the burst, creativity, and ability to get into the paint at will that has some people so excited. What concerns me most though isn’t even the inconsistent shooting or defensive commitment. It’s the question about how he impacts the game when the team’s offense isn’t built around him. 

His archetype – the explosive lead guard playmaker – almost has to be the focal point of an offense in order to work. If not, the next best outcome could be an instant offense type creator off someone’s second unit. I just wouldn’t be willing to use a mid to high lottery pick for that. Ultimately though, it doesn’t matter what I, or even most, think. It only takes one team in that range to believe in his upside and with reported interest from Utah (5), New Orleans (7) and Brooklyn (8), it’s very possible that Fears is off the board before we have him currently rated.

Noa Essengue, France

CBS Sports Big Board: No. 14

Essengue has been a trending prospect in recent weeks, despite the fact that his season in the German League is still ongoing and has prevented him from working out for NBA teams. Viewed as one of the youngest and most athletic players in the draft, Essengue also measured better than expected at 6’10” barefoot with a 7’0.75″ wingspan. He’s clearly going to have to keep refining his game and adding muscle mass to his frame, but the fact that he’s already able to make a consistent impact in a high-level international league is very encouraging. He’s an emphatic leaper and finisher. He runs well, is mobile, and can really cover the court. There’s a lot of untapped upside on the defensive end of the floor and offensively he has a knack for findings ways to score and get to the free-throw line. There is a wide-range of opinions on Essengue, but like Fears, it only takes one GM to fall in love with his upside for him to come off the board, and that might very well happen before the 14th pick.

Will Riley, Illinois

CBS Sports Big Board: No. 32

When the NBA hands out green room invitations, there win-loss record is very convincing. We have Riley ranked as the number 32 prospect on our board, but he was one of the first 19 players the NBA invited to be live and in person on draft night. I’m betting the NBA may know something we don’t, since the last thing they want is TV coverage of a young player and his family getting embarrassed by not hearing their name called on night one. Riley is another polarizing prospect. 

He was supposed to be finishing up his high school career this year, but instead reclassified up and committed to Illinois a year earlier than expected. While there were some notable inconsistencies in his season, there were enough flashes of upside to intrigue NBA decision-makers. His shooting upside is higher than his 33% from behind the arc indicates, while there were even more signs of playmaking as the year went on. 

The other factor in his favor is that given the amount of players who opted to return to college basketball and collect an NIL payday, there aren’t going to be nearly as many high upside propositions left for teams looking to take a big swing late in the first round.

Prospects who should be ranked higher

Walter Clayton, Florida

CBS Sports Big Board: No. 29 

One of the cardinal rules of NBA Draft scouting is to not overreact to what happens in the NCAA Tournament. However, I think the collective thinking may be overcompensating a bit here. To be clear, my enthusiasm for Clayton’s NBA prospectus has very little to do with what happened in the NCAA Tournament, since it came in a highlighted role that I don’t expect him to play in the NBA. 

But Clayton is one of the best pure shooters in the draft and that’s one of the most coveted skills a role player can have at the next level. Beyond that, he has a naturally strong and durable frame, stemming from his high school football days. After three years of playing off the ball, Florida also put the ball in his hands this season, and had obviously good success. 

That’s not to say he’s a pure point guard, but he does now have the versatility to play on or off the ball at the next level, which is also coveted in the modern NBA. His defensive consistency is going to have to increase, but given that it will be a requisite for playing time at the next level, I expect it will. I’m admittedly higher than most, but I’d be thinking about him as early as late in the lottery.

Joan Beringer, France

CBS Sports Big Board: No. 23 

When you look back on recent NBA seasons and rookies who have exceeded expectations, there is one archetype that comes up more consistently than most – the athletic centers who can run the floor, protect the rim, and be a lob threat. That’s exactly what Beringer is. He’s still relatively new to the game and so there are some growing pains in front of him, but the fact that his role is so defined, and translatable, should ease the transition. 

Beringer has massive measurements (6-foot-11 barefoot with a 7-4.5 wingspan and 9-3 standing reach), is a high-level athlete, mobile for his size, and pretty comfortable with contact even while he continues to fill-out. What makes prospectus even more compelling is that in addition to his physical tools, he also has terrific hands, which will aid him catching balls in traffic and on the glass. He’s not only a name that I might consider as high as the late-lottery, but also one that I expect to be off the board before the No. 23 spot where he finished on our consensus Big Board.

Noah Penda, France

CBS Sports Big Board: No. 31

Penda is the third Frenchmen on this list and that is not a coincidental theme. France has continued to produce high level young talent, and collectively speaking, I believe that most of draft media has perhaps underrated the depth of this group. Penda may be a prime example. For those teams who aren’t star hunting, and are instead looking for a player capable of cracking the rotation sooner rather than later, Penda should be in consideration in the mid-first-round on.

At 6-7.25 without shoes and 242 pounds with a 6-11.5 wingspan, he has NBA caliber size, strength, and length from Day 1. His massive hands are just an added bonus for teams that value that marker for future success. Beyond the physical, he’s credited for being an advanced processor of the game, on both ends of the floor. Defensively, his instincts and anticipation give him extremely high playmaking metrics. 

Offensively, he may not be a dynamic scorer or even as consistent an outside shooter as needed just yet, but he’s a quick decision-maker and good passer. If he gets to the point where he makes standstill threes, I think he’s got a chance to have a long career as a connector on the wing.

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