2025 Draft Ranks: Bigs, Tier 2
The Basketball Notebook is back for the 2025 NBA draft. Over the course of the next month, I’ll be releasing tiered rankings by position, culminating in a final overall big board in mid to late June.
Links to Previously Released Rankings:
On-Ball Guard (Tier 1) / On-Ball Guard (Tier 2) / On-Ball Guard (Tier 3) / On-Ball Guard (Tier 4)
Wing Guard (Tier 1) / Wing Guard (Tier 2) / Wing Guard (Tier 3) / Wing Guard (Tier 4)
Wing Forward (Tier 1/1.5) / Wing Forward (Tier 2) / Wing Forward (Tier 3) / Wing Forward (Tier 4)
Click here for a few important reminders about how I structure my rankings and write-ups.
TIER 2:
Rasheer Fleming / St. Joseph’s
Height/Wingspan: 6’9” / 7’5”
Rookie Season Age: 21
Player Type: Stretch Four / Downhill Driver
Game Reminds Me Of: Naz Reid / Obi Toppin
Fleming tested the NBA draft waters last year but returned to St. Joe’s, a decision that likely made him quite a bit of money. He had a breakout junior season in ‘24-25, reaching new heights as a scorer and outside shooter. Despite spending three years in college, Fleming turns just 21 years old in July and offers legitimate floor spacing ability in the front court.
Fleming was highly efficient (64.1% true shooting) this past season. He’s a fluid straight-line mover, which makes him effective when running the floor. Fleming averaged 1.36 points per possession in transition, 90th percentile scoring efficiency among Division I players. He also quickly gets on top of the rim as a cutter, where he averaged a similarly excellent 1.61 points per possession (95th percentile efficiency). Fleming isn’t particularly explosive as a leaper (32.5” vertical), but he has long arms and gets off the ground easily. He had 47 dunks in 35 games this past season, and averaged 1.38 points per shot attempt at the rim overall (89th percentile efficiency).
While Fleming isn’t going to break down his man in isolation, he’s capable of getting to the rim with his right hand. He’s not going to string moves together as a ball handler, but he can put the ball on the floor well enough to attack sloppy closeouts. This is a critical skill for him because he’s a real threat as an outside shooter: Fleming made 39% of his threes while generating 5.2 attempts per 36 minutes. He shoots a true jump shot and gets good elevation, which allows him to get it off quickly. His upper body mechanics can be a bit choppy, but his assertiveness and success rate make me confident that his shooting will translate to the NBA. Fleming even shows some ability to make shots off of off-ball flare screens, and he made 41% of his pick-and-pop attempts this past season. He’s not going to create threes off the bounce (zero off-dribble attempts in ‘24-25), but he’s an asset as a spot-up shooter.
Defensively, Fleming is a bit of a power forward/center tweener. He’s a solid lateral mover in isolation, and his excellent length (7’5” wingspan) helps him contain drivers. That wingspan also shows up in passing lanes (1.6 steals per 36 minutes), where he routinely creates deflections. However, Fleming struggles to close out to the perimeter, and he can get caught off balance with his weight too far forward. He’ll also lose focus and engagement off the ball, and he’s not a particularly instinctive mover as a help defender. St. Joe’s typically played Fleming in drop coverage against ball screens, but I’m not sure he’s impactful enough around the rim to make a living at center in the NBA. His long arms mitigate his lack of size to some extent, but he can be outmuscled in the paint.
I’ll be surprised if Fleming doesn’t become an above-average contributor on the offensive end. With his ability to space the floor and get to the rim in transition, he’s the type of big that juices scoring whenever he’s on the floor. My guess is that he’s an average-ish defender at the four and a decidedly below-average defender at center, which limits his starter upside. Even still, I’m high on Fleming and could see him contributing to winning within the first couple years of his career.
Projected NBA Role: Quality Reserve
NBA Upside: High-End Reserve
Asa Newell / Georgia
Height/Wingspan: 6’10” / 6’11”
Rookie Season Age: 20
Player Type: Skilled Interior Scorer
Game Reminds Me Of: Marvin Bagley III / Bobby Portis
A consensus top-20 recruit in the high school class of 2024, Newell led Georgia in both points and rebounds per game as a freshman. He’s a skilled and physical scorer in the paint, but he’s a limited defender who also needs to make improvements as a shooter.
Newell was effective (62.5% true shooting) at Georgia thanks to his work around the basket. He averaged 1.46 points per shot attempt at the rim, 95th percentile efficiency among Division I players. Newell has soft hands and good footwork in the post, which allows him to work to spots where he feels comfortable. He averaged 1.08 points per possession out of post-ups (86th percentile efficiency), and consistently generated points from the free throw line (18.2% free throw attempt rate). His physicality also shines through on the offensive glass (3.3 ORB per game). A weakness of Newell’s is that he’s extremely left-hand dominant, which could be problematic against NBA defenders. He’s also not a dynamic mover, which forces him to rely on patience and craft rather than pure explosion as a roll man.
Newell took a decent volume of threes (3.3 per 36 minutes) at Georgia, but he wasn’t particularly effective (29.2% 3FG). He likes to work out of pick-and-pop and attack off the dribble, but his shot doesn’t currently command enough respect to generate off-balance closeouts. His lower-body mechanics are fine but he has a slow release and needs a completely stable base to get it off. I think Newell would really benefit from a consistent mid-range jumper so he could punish teams as a short roller, but he didn’t show much of that this past season.
Newell’s 6’11” wingspan and 8’11” standing reach are below the positional average and limit his defensive upside. He’s not particularly impactful around the rim (1.2 blocks per 36 minutes), nor does he have great instincts as a help defender. Newell also struggles to effectively close out to the three-point line. He’s prone to overextending himself, leading to straight line attacks on the rim. In isolation, Newell can hold his own on the perimeter because he moves his feet pretty well. His best option as a pick-and-roll defender may be to get out on the floor and double the ball, because he’s not going to survive as a rim protector in drop coverage. He’s also a poor defensive rebounder (3.5 DRB per game), further limiting his ability to play center.
Newell is a skilled enough interior scorer that he should be an offensive asset, particularly against reserve units. If he develops into a quality pick-and-pop shooter, he’ll be a dual threat from both the post and the perimeter who teams can run plays through. However, his lack of defensive upside is a major concern for me. It’s hard to see him being anything but a liability around the basket, and I don’t think he’s versatile enough for a full-time perimeter role.
Projected NBA Role: Quality Reserve
NBA Upside: High-End Reserve