Liam McNeeley

Hornets Draft Liam McNeeley With 29th Pick

The Hornets, using the No. 29 pick that they agreed to acquire from the Suns in their Mark Williams trade earlier in the evening, have drafted UConn’s Liam McNeeley.

McNeeley, 19, averaged 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 32.1 minutes per game for UConn in 27 outings (26 starts) as a freshman. He posted an underwhelming shooting line of .381/.317/.866, but was still named the Big East’s Freshman of the Year and claimed a spot on the All-Big East third team.

According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, McNeeley’s shooting numbers sell him short and should improve going forward — the 6’7″ wing struggled in part because the Huskies played without a point guard, Givony explains.

McNeeley also struggled due to an ankle injury in January that sidelined him for a month. Prior to the injury, the 6’7 wing shot .429/.379/.850 on 4.7 three-point attempts per game. Now fully healthy, he will look to prove himself as a shooter in the Hornets’ rotation.

After selecting Kon Knueppel with the fourth pick, the Hornets have added a plethora of wing shooting with their two picks to add alongside Brandon Miller.

McNeeley was the final green room invitation on the board, which means that, unlike in the 2024 draft, no invitees will be forced to wait until day two. He’s also the fourth member of his Montverde Academy team to be drafted tonight, following Cooper Flagg, Derik Queen, and Asa Newell.

Heat Draft Notes: Workouts, Positional Fits

With the Heat still very much in the mix as a Kevin Durant trade partner with the Suns, there’s no guarantee they’ll be selecting at their allotted spot of the 20th pick in the 2025 draft. However, that hasn’t deterred them from approaching their first-round draft preparation as usual, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Winderman adds that there’s a lot of potential volatility in the Heat’s draft range. The 16th pick has already moved from Orlando to Memphis, while Minnesota, at 17, is also firmly in the Durant mix, and the 18th and 19th picks, belonging to Washington and Brooklyn, respectively, will likely be involved in trade discussions too, since both teams have multiple first-rounders and are rumored to be exploring trade-up scenarios.

The Heat have declined to make their pre-draft workouts public, unlike many teams, which has led to speculation that they’re focusing more on Durant. But Winderman writes that just because the sessions aren’t being announced doesn’t mean there isn’t due diligence happening behind the scenes.

We have more on the Heat’s draft outlook:

Six More Players Receive Green Room Invitations

Noa Essengue (France), Collin Murray-Boyles (South Carolina), Thomas Sorber (Georgetown), Liam McNeeley (UConn), Nolan Traore (France) and Will Riley (Illinois) have been extended green room invitations to next week’s draft, Jonathan Givony of ESPN tweets.

That brings the number of invites to 19. The 13 players previously named included Cooper Flagg (Duke), Dylan Harper (Rutgers), Ace Bailey (Rutgers), V.J. Edgecombe (Baylor), Tre Johnson (Texas), Khaman Maluach (Duke), Jeremiah Fears (Oklahoma), Kon Knueppel (Duke), Kasparas Jakucionis (Illinois), Egor Demin (BYU), Carter Bryant (Arizona), Derik Queen (Maryland) and Asa Newell (Georgia).

Among the newcomers on the list, Essengue is the highest ranked on ESPN’s current Best Available list. The 6’10” Essengue has moved up to the No. 9 spot. Murray-Boyles (14), McNeeley (16), Riley (17) and Sorber (18) are all ranked among the top 20 prospects with Traore at No. 25.

According to Givony, five more invites are expected to be extended by the league.  The players invited to the green room can usually feel pretty confident about their chances to be first-round picks, since the league only decides who to invite after asking teams to vote on the 25 prospects they expect to come off the board first.

Draft Notes: Trail Blazers, Mock, Coward, Nets, More

The Trail Blazers hosted a pre-draft workout on Thursday with six high-level prospects, writes Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (subscriber link).

Michigan State guard Jase Richardson (No. 14 on ESPN’s big board), Illinois wing Will Riley (No. 15), Georgia forward/center Asa Newell (No. 19), UConn wing Liam McNeeley (No. 21) and Saint Joseph’s forward Rasheer Fleming (No. 28) are all potential first-round picks, while Chinese center Hansen Yang — a combine standout — is viewed as a possible second-rounder, coming in at No. 67 on ESPN’s list.

As Highkin notes, Portland currently controls one pick in June’s draft, No. 11 overall. The team’s previous workouts mainly focused on less heralded players, but some of today’s group could be in contention for the lottery selection.

Richardson, who says he emulates Mike Conley, is out to prove he can orchestrate an NBA offense.

There are a lot of questions about what position I can play at the next level,” Richardson said. “Playing at Michigan State, I was a two, because coach [Tom Izzo] wanted me to score. But I want to show teams I’m a point guard and I can facilitate.”

In addition to Portland’s front office and coaches, three players on the current roster — Scoot Henderson, Justin Minaya and Jabari Walker — also attended Thursday’s workout. According to Highkin, Newell thinks he’d fit in well with the Blazers.

They like to [push] the pace a lot with Scoot and [Donovan] Clingan,” Newell said. “He cleans up anything down low. I think I’d be a plug-and-play player.”

Here are a few more notes related to June’s draft:

  • Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report updated his mock draft following Wednesday’s deadline for early entrants to withdraw in order to their NCAA eligibility. Wasserman, who has the Trail Blazers selecting Newell at No. 11, says Washington State forward Cedric Coward appears to be one of the big winners of the pre-draft process, with one scout comparing his rise to that of Jalen Williams, who went No. 12 overall in 2022. Coward goes No. 14 to San Antonio in Wasserman’s mock.
  • Freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford was voted by four of his peers as the “most underrated” prospect in the 2025 class, according to ESPN, but he wound up withdrawing and returning to Auburn prior to yesterday’s deadline. Arizona forward Carter Bryant (three votes) and North Carolina guard/forward Drake Powell (two) also received multiple votes. “Carter Bryant is super underrated,” Newell told ESPN. “I just feel like his game translates to the NBA really well. He’s got the size, he’s got the touch, he’s got the 3-point ability. And seeing him, he can definitely be a versatile defender.”
  • The Nets held a pre-draft workout on Thursday with six prospects, including Colorado State wing Nique Clifford and Tennessee guards Chaz Lanier and Jahmai Mashack, reports Brian Lewis of The New York Post (via Twitter). According to Lewis, the Nets — who control a league-high five picks (all in the top 35) — also have an upcoming workout scheduled with Duke wing Kon Knueppel (Twitter link). Knueppell (No. 8 on ESPN’s board) and Clifford (No. 24) are projected first-round picks, while sharpshooter Lanier (No. 40) is viewed as a second-rounder.

Draft Notes: Celtics, Flagg, NBA Comparables, McGlockton

When he reported last week that the Celtics interviewed projected No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg and probable top-10 pick Tre Johnson at the draft combine in Chicago, Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports (Twitter video link) cautioned not to read too much into it.

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens confirmed as much at his end-of-season media session on Monday, explaining that those meetings don’t mean the team is thinking about trying to acquire a top draft pick, as Khari A. Thompson of Boston.com relays.

“We can rank who we want to talk to and the people we know we can’t get in to work out is how we decide who we want to talk to at the combine,” Stevens said. “Otherwise, we may never get to talk to them again. So, the only people that will come in and work out for us are the people in our range or maybe they’re at the bottom end of our range or whatever the case may be.

“… Will there be fireworks on draft night? I can’t imagine, but again, who knows? I wouldn’t guess with us, no.”

As O’Connor notes, teams are permitted a limited number of interviews with prospects at the combine, so Stevens and the Celtics determined it didn’t make sense to use that opportunity to talk to prospects who will likely be willing to visit Boston in the coming weeks anyway. The Celtics hold the 28th and 32nd overall picks in this year’s draft.

Here are a few more draft-related notes:

  • Which NBA players do some of this year’s top prospects model their games after? Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic passes along answers from 13 draft-eligible players, including Rutgers’ Dylan Harper comparing himself to “big guards like Cade Cunningham, James Harden, and Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander)” and UConn’s Liam McNeeley likening his game to that of Gordon Hayward.
  • Using player measurement data from this year’s combine, including height, standing reach, wingspan, and more, Frank Urbina and Alberto de Roa of HoopsHype take a look at which current and former NBA players are the best points of comparison for this year’s top prospects.
  • After testing the draft waters this spring, junior Vanderbilt forward Devin McGlockton plans to withdraw from the draft and return to school for his senior year, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. McGlockton, who wasn’t on ESPN’s list of 2025’s top 100 prospects, averaged 10.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game on .568/.338/.667 shooting for the Commodores in 2024/25.
  • NCAA early entrants in this year’s draft pool have until next Wednesday to decide whether or not to withdraw. While the NBA’s withdrawal deadline is June 15, college players who withdraw between May 29 and June 15 would forfeit their remaining NCAA eligibility. The full list of draft-related dates and deadlines for 2025 can be found here.

Draft Notes: Raynaud, Coward, Combine, Chinyelu, Demary

In the wake of the NBA’s 2025 draft combine, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have updated their mock draft, taking into account which prospects saw their stock rise – or decline – as a result of their performances in Chicago.

While there weren’t any major changes at the top of ESPN’s latest mock, there were some movers further down the draft order. Stanford big man Maxime Raynaud, for instance, was considered one of the big winners of the combine due to his strong play during scrimmages. After coming in at No. 34 in ESPN’s mock draft last Monday, Raynaud has jumped to No. 24 in the newest version.

Forward Cedric Coward was another prospect who moved up from the second round (No. 35) in ESPN’s previous mock draft to the first round (No. 30) in today’s update. Although Coward has committed to transferring from Washington State to Duke, signs are pointing to him keeping his name in the draft and going pro, according to Woo.

Coward, whose 2024/25 season was cut short due to a shoulder injury, has limited reps against high-level competition despite spending four seasons in college, which is a concern for some NBA teams who are “hesitant about his surprising rise,” Woo adds.

Here are a few more draft-related notes:

  • A panel of ESPN draft experts and analysts share their takeaways from last week’s combine, while Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype identifies his winners and losers from the event. His list of winners includes prospects like UNC’s Drake Powell, UConn’s Liam McNeeley, and Rasheer Fleming of St. Joseph’s, while Maryland’s Derik Queen, Michigan State’s Jase Richardson, and Michigan’s Vladislav Goldin are among his losers.
  • John Hollinger of The Athletic has also shared his impressions from the combine, including the best and worst performers in scrimmages, as well as the player measurements that stood out for better (like Thomas Sorber‘s 7’6″ wingspan) or worse (Richardson’s height coming in below 6’1″).
  • After declaring for the 2025 NBA draft as an early entrant, Florida center Rueben Chinyelu has decided to pull out and return to school for his junior season, per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Chinyelu was a full-time starter for the national champions in 2024/25, averaging 6.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks in 19.0 minutes per game across 40 outings.
  • According to Rothstein (Twitter link), sophomore guard Silas Demary Jr. is also withdrawing from the draft after testing the waters as an early entrant. Demary, who is transferring to UConn for his junior year, spent his first two college seasons with Georgia, averaging 13.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.7 steals per game in 33 starts for the team last season. He made just 39.6% of his shots from the floor, but had a solid 37.4% mark on three-pointers.

Central Notes: Giddey, Bulls, Hardaway, Pistons

The Bulls have some major decisions to make about their talented — and perhaps too crowded — backcourt moving forward, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times (subscriber link).

Starting guard Josh Giddey enjoyed an impressive debut season in Chicago. As he heads to restricted free agency this offseason, however, Cowley wonders just how much will be too much for the Bulls when it comes to Giddey’s annual salary.

Following a rocky start, Giddey rounded into form down the season’s home stretch. After the league’s All-Star break — and after the Bulls traded away former All-Star guard Zach LaVine — Giddey logged averages of 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 9.3 assists per night, and connected on an impressive 45.7% of his three-point attempts.

“Coming into a new situation, I never want to come in here and step on any toes,” Giddey said. “I was trying too hard to fit in and please everybody, and [after the] All-Star break and [trade] deadline, I started to play freely and be me.”

Cowley is convinced that Giddey will remain in Chicago long-term, but notes that recently extended reserve guard Lonzo Ball and veterans Ayo Dosunmu, Kevin Huerter and Coby White could all be on the trade market next season. Among those four, only Ball is under contract beyond 2025/26.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

  • Bulls front office decision makers had an opportunity at this week’s draft combine in Chicago to get an up-close look at some candidates for their No. 12 pick in June’s draft, writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. As Poe writes, the Bulls interviewed prospects like Texas guard Tre Johnson, Georgetown center Thomas Sorber, Georgia forward Asa Newell, Connecticut forward Liam McNeeley, South Carolina forward Collin Murray-Boyles, and Michigan State guard Jase Richardson. Poe adds that Duke center Khaman Maluach and Maryland center Derik Queen could also be on Chicago’s radar.
  • Upon being traded to Detroit from Dallas during the 2024 offseason, Pistons swingman Tim Hardaway Jr. emerged as exactly the kind of reliable, role-playing veteran the team needed en route to its first playoff appearance in six years, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Hardaway is one of three heavily used Pistons vets who will hit free agency this summer, along with Sixth Man of the Year finalist Malik Beasley and guard Dennis Schröder. Langlois notes that there is a possibility that all three could be back on new deals, if the price is right.
  • In case you missed it, nine-time Bucks All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is set to meet up with Milwaukee decision makers to discuss his future with the team next week.

NBA Announces 75 Invitees For 2025 Draft Combine

The NBA announced today (via Twitter) that 75 prospects have been invited to attend this year’s draft combine, which will take place in Chicago from May 11-18.

In addition to those 75 players, a handful of standout players from the G League Elite Camp, which is also held in Chicago just before the combine begins, are expected to receive invites to stick around for the main event.

Not all of the prospects invited to the combine will end up remaining in the 2025 draft pool, since many are early entrants who are testing the waters while retaining their NCAA eligibility.

College players must withdraw from the draft by the end of the day on May 28 if they wish to preserve that eligibility, while non-college players face a decision deadline of June 15. The feedback they receive from NBA teams at the combine may be a deciding factor for players who are on the fence.

Here’s the list of players who have been invited to the 2025 draft combine:

(Note: For players in international leagues, the country listed is where they had been playing, not necessarily where they’re from.)

  1. Izan Almansa, F/C, Australia (born 2005)
  2. Neoklis Avdalas, G/F, Greece (born 2006)
  3. Ace Bailey, G/F, Rutgers (freshman)
  4. Joan Beringer, C, Slovenia (born 2006)
  5. Koby Brea, G, Kentucky (senior)
  6. Johni Broome, F/C, Auburn (senior)
  7. Carter Bryant, F, Arizona (freshman)
  8. Miles Byrd, G, San Diego State (sophomore)
  9. Walter Clayton Jr., G, Florida (senior)
  10. Nique Clifford, G, Colorado State (senior)
  11. Alex Condon, F/C, Florida (sophomore)
  12. Cedric Coward, F, Washington State (senior)
  13. Egor Demin, G, BYU (freshman)
  14. Eric Dixon, F, Villanova (senior)
  15. V.J. Edgecombe, G, Baylor (freshman)
  16. Noa Essengue, F, Germany (born 2006)
  17. Isaiah Evans, G/F, Duke (freshman)
  18. Jeremiah Fears, G, Oklahoma (freshman)
  19. Cooper Flagg, F, Duke (freshman)
  20. Boogie Fland, G, Arkansas (freshman)
  21. Rasheer Fleming, F/C, St. Joseph’s (junior)
  22. Vladislav Goldin, C, Michigan (senior)
  23. Hugo Gonzalez, F, Spain (born 2006)
  24. PJ Haggerty, G, Memphis (sophomore)
  25. Dylan Harper, G, Rutgers (freshman)
  26. Ben Henshall, G/F, Australia (born 2004)
  27. Kasparas Jakucionis, G, Illinois (freshman)
  28. Sion James, G, Duke (senior)
  29. Tre Johnson, G, Texas (freshman)
  30. Kameron Jones, G, Marquette (senior)
  31. Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton (senior)
  32. Karter Knox, F, Arkansas (freshman)
  33. Kon Knueppel, G/F, Duke (freshman)
  34. Chaz Lanier, G, Tennessee (senior)
  35. Yaxel Lendeborg, F, UAB (senior)
  36. RJ Luis, F, St. John’s (junior)
  37. Khaman Maluach, C, Duke (freshman)
  38. Bogoljub Markovic, F/C, Serbia (born 2005)
  39. Alijah Martin, G, Florida (senior)
  40. Liam McNeeley, F, UConn (freshman)
  41. Jalon Moore, F, Oklahoma (senior)
  42. Collin Murray-Boyles, F, South Carolina (sophomore)
  43. Grant Nelson, F, Alabama (senior)
  44. Asa Newell, F, Georgia (freshman)
  45. Otega Oweh, G, Kentucky (junior)
  46. Dink Pate, G/F, Mexico City Capitanes (born 2006)
  47. Micah Peavy, G/F, Georgetown (senior)
  48. Noah Penda, F, France (born 2005)
  49. Tahaad Pettiford, G, Auburn (freshman)
  50. Labaron Philon, G, Alabama (freshman)
  51. Drake Powell, G/F, UNC (freshman)
  52. Tyrese Proctor, G, Duke (junior)
  53. Derik Queen, C, Maryland (freshman)
  54. Maxime Raynaud, F/C, Stanford (senior)
  55. Jase Richardson, G, Michigan State (freshman)
  56. Will Riley, F, Illinois (freshman)
  57. Michael Ruzic, F, Spain (born 2006)
  58. Hunter Sallis, G, Wake Forest (senior)
  59. Kobe Sanders, G, Nevada (senior)
  60. Ben Saraf, G, Germany (born 2006)
  61. Mark Sears, G, Albama (senior)
  62. Max Shulga, G, VCU (senior)
  63. Javon Small, G, West Virginia (senior)
  64. Thomas Sorber, F/C, Georgetown (freshman)
  65. Adou Thiero, F, Arkansas (junior)
  66. John Tonje, G, Wisconsin (senior)
  67. Alex Toohey, F, Australia (born 2004)
  68. Nolan Traore, G, France (born 2006)
  69. Milos Uzan, G, Houston (junior)
  70. Jamir Watkins, G/F, Florida State (senior)
  71. Brice Williams, G/F, Nebraska (senior)
  72. Darrion Williams, F, Texas Tech (junior)
  73. Danny Wolf, F/C, Michigan (junior)
  74. Hansen Yang, C, China (born 2005)
  75. Rocco Zikarsky, C, Australia (born 2006)

It’s worth noting that the NBA and the NBPA agreed to several combine-related changes in their latest Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here are a few of those changes:

  • A player who is invited to the draft combine and declines to attend without an excused absence will be ineligible to be drafted. He would become eligible the following year by attending the combine. There will be exceptions made for a player whose FIBA season is ongoing, who is injured, or who is dealing with a family matter (such as a tragedy or the birth of a child).
  • Players who attend the draft combine will be required to undergo physical exams, share medical history, participate in strength, agility, and performance testing, take part in shooting drills, receive anthropometric measurements, and conduct interviews with teams and the media. Scrimmages won’t be mandatory.
  • Medical results from the combine will be distributed to select teams based on where the player is projected to be drafted. Only teams drafting in the top 10 would get access to medical info for the projected No. 1 pick; teams in the top 15 would receive medical info for players in the 2-6 range, while teams in the top 25 would get access to info for the players in the 7-10 range.

Liam McNeeley To Enter 2025 NBA Draft

UConn forward Liam McNeeley is entering the 2025 NBA draft, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link).

McNeeley, a 19-year-old coming off his freshman year, averaged 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 32.1 minutes per game across 27 outings (26 starts) for the Huskies. He was the Big East Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Big East third team.

Although McNeeley was viewed entering his college career as an efficient outside shooter, the 6’7″ forward made just 38.1% of his attempts from the floor and 31.7% of his three-pointers during his freshman season. However, Givony and fellow ESPN draft expert Jeremy Woo still have McNeeley ranked 14th overall on their top-100 list, projecting him as a potential lottery pick.

Givony and Woo say that the youngster’s “positional size, feel for the game, toughness, and versatility” continue to appeal to NBA teams, adding that he was probably given too much shot-creating responsibility on a team that lacked dynamic ball handlers.

Givony’s report doesn’t mention anything about McNeeley testing the draft waters while retaining his NCAA eligibility, so it sounds like his intention is to go pro.

And-Ones: Flagg, 2025 Draft, Hayes, Kaminsky, Records, RoY

Duke forward Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick of the 2025 draft, sustained a left ankle injury after corralling a rebound and landing on an opponent’s foot in the first half on Thursday vs. Georgia Tech (YouTube link via ESPN).

Flagg was eventually helped to the locker room with the assistance of teammates, and while he was later ruled out for the remainder of the contest, he was at least able to return to the bench to cheer on the comeback victory.

He sprained his ankle,” head coach Jon Scheyer said (Twitter link via Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com). “X-rays were negative, which is great. We just have to understand there’s going to be swelling and to see how he recovers and how he goes from there.”

In their latest 2025 mock draft for ESPN.com, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo (Insider link) unsurprisingly have Flagg going first overall (to Washington). Two other Blue Devils — center Khaman Maluach and wing Kon Knueppel — also go in the lottery, coming off the board with back-to-back picks (seventh and eighth overall, respectively).

UConn’s Liam McNeeley is the final lottery pick of ESPN’s mock, going 14th to Atlanta (via Sacramento), while South East Melbourne forward Malique Lewis is the last player selected at No. 59 (Cleveland). Lewis, who spent last season in the G League with the Mexico City Capitanes, grew up in Trinidad and Tobago.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Killian Hayes has rejoined the Long Island Nets following a 10-day contract with Brooklyn, the G League team announced today in a press release. The former lottery pick averaged 9.0 points, 5.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds in six games with Brooklyn from February 20 – March 1. He has spent most of ’24/25 with Long Island.
  • Veteran NBA big man Frank Kaminsky is no longer on the Raptors 905 roster, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca, who points out (via Twitter) that the former Wisconsin star has been battling a knee injury and recently announced he and his wife are expecting a child. Kaminsky, who spent last season in Serbia, last played in the NBA with Houston in ’22/23. The 31-year-old appeared in 23 regular season games with Toronto’s NBAGL affiliate in ’24/25, averaging 12.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 4.1 APG on .483/.349/.769 shooting in 26.8 MPG.
  • ESPN’s Brian Windhorst takes a look at some of the NBA’s most unbreakable records. Some records are season-long (Wilt Chamberlain for multiple statistics in ’61/62), some are career-long (Moses Malone‘s 6,731 offensive rebounds), and some are for a single game.
  • Zach Harper of The Athletic checks in on the underwhelming Rookie of the Year race. Harper currently has Grizzlies wing Jaylen Wells as his top choice for the award, followed by Spurs guard Stephon Castle and Wells’ teammate Zach Edey.