2025 Draft Ranks: Center, 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)
Big (Tier 1) / Big (Tier 2) / Big (Tier 3)
Click here for a few important reminders about how I structure my rankings and write-ups.
TIER 2:
Thomas Sorber / Georgetown
Height/Wingspan: 6’10” / 7’6”
Rookie Season Age: 20
Player Type: Pick-and-Roll Finisher / Low-Post Bruiser / Drop Coverage Rim Protector
Game Reminds Me Of: Ivica Zubac / Deandre Ayton
Sorber is one of the more fascinating prospects in this draft. He’s a highly skilled youngster who had a productive freshman season at Georgetown, earning 3rd-team All-Big East honors. However, his season was ended in February by a foot injury that required surgery, a worrying sign for any big man. Without access to his medicals, I’m evaluating him purely based on his film, but NBA teams will need to take the long-term prognosis for his foot into account.
Sorber was less efficient as a scorer (58.7% true shooting) than you’d like to see from a center. His work from the perimeter played a large part in those struggles, as he made just six of his 37 three-point attempts (16.2%) for the season. Sorber’s shot has some long-term promise, but I wouldn’t expect it to be part of his NBA repertoire right away. He probably shouldn’t have had the green light with the Hoyas, as he’s got a slow release and some mechanical inconsistencies to work through.
Sorber is a load on the interior at 263 lbs. He does a nice job of battling for positioning in the low post, and has a quick drop step. He’s skilled enough to work over both shoulders and offers some shot creation out of post-ups, where he averaged 0.97 points per possession this past season (70th percentile efficiency). Sorber also has the potential to be an impactful offensive rebounder and foul-drawer (17.5% FTA rate), as he’s unafraid to throw his weight around. Overall, Sorber was effective at the basket, averaging 1.36 points per shot attempt at the rim (87th percentile efficiency). However, his footwork can be a bit clunky and he’ll run into issues when there’s multiple bodies clogging the paint. Sorber needs to get better with his balance and patience as a roll man, where he can be sped up and forced into wild shot attempts or turnovers.
Sorber flashes intriguing skills as a passer. He has good vision from the post and can punish double teams with kick outs to the perimeter or interior feeds to cutters. Sorber can also do some initiation out of dribble handoffs, although he is prone to setting illegal screens. His 15.2% turnover rate is an indicator of his youth and inconsistency, but his 14% assist rate shows his potential as a secondary/tertiary offensive hub.
With his strength and excellent length (7’6” wingspan), Sorber is very difficult to score on in the post. He allowed just 0.49 points per possession as a post-up defender, 95th percentile efficiency among qualified Division I players. He’s most effective in drop coverage against ball screens, as he has active hands (1.7 steals per 36 minutes) and feet. Sorber’s not atrocious as an isolation defender, but he struggles to close out from the paint to the perimeter. He’s susceptible to floor-spacing big men, and he will get blown by if forced into late closeouts. Sorber has some high-level moments as a rim protector, but he’s raw. He leaves his feet too easily, and can be beaten with quickness and/or craftiness.
Sorber is going to take some time to develop, but he’s a high-ceiling prospect. In time, he could become an above-average contributor on both ends of the court who doesn’t have many major weaknesses. For teams that can afford to bring him along slowly, he should be a target as a potential long-term starter.
Projected NBA Role: Quality Starter
NBA Upside: Priority Starter
Derik Queen / Maryland
Height/Wingspan: 6’10” / 7’0”
Rookie Season Age: 21
Player Type: Skilled Post Playmaker
Game Reminds Me Of: Zach Randolph / Montrezl Harrell / Alperen Şengün
Queen was Maryland’s top scorer and rebounder as a freshman, leading the Terrapins to the Sweet 16 while winning Big Ten Rookie of the Year. He’s a skilled and versatile offensive player but an underwhelming defensive center with question marks around his size and athleticism.
In a lead offensive role (26.6% usage), Queen was efficient (60% true shooting). He’s an excellent ball handler for a big, able to face up and isolate off the dribble from the elbows or mid-post. Although he’s not an explosive leaper (28” vertical), Queen has elite body control around the rim and finishes well with both hands. That allowed him to shoot 67.1% at the rim, and also helped him draw fouls on 21% of his possessions. Queen’s combination of bulk (248 lbs.) and skill allows him to target both smaller, quicker forwards and larger, slower bigs.
Because he’s not a lob threat, Queen isn’t a natural pick-and-roll partner. He shot just 46.7% on two-point field goals as a roll man, and he can get swallowed up by size and length at the basket. Queen will need to improve his touch and feel from the upper paint: He shot just 34.4% on hook shots and 41.7% on runners at Maryland.
Queen’s shot is another area that needs work, as he made just 19.4% of his threes (36 attempts). Although his ball handling ability allows him to create separation off the dribble, he also struggled on his self-created opportunities inside the arc, shooting 30.8% on off-dribble two-point jumpers. Queen has a slow release and shoots the ball from way out in front of his body, which makes me worry about the repeatability of his mechanics. Queen doesn’t need to be a knockdown shooter to be an effective offensive player, but it would open up opportunities for him to attack closeouts. Becoming an effective spot up shooter might also allow Queen to play more minutes at the four, which would help ease concerns about his defense.
Although Queen posted a modest 10.2% assist rate at Maryland, he’s got potential as a playmaker. He should be a weapon as a dribble handoff initiator, particularly if he improves his effectiveness out of the short roll. Queen has very good vision as an interior passer, and he’s able to kick out to shooters when his drives draw multiple defenders. He’s also comfortable bringing the ball up the floor off his own rebounds, although he needs to make better decisions in that role (25% turnover rate in transition).
Defensively, Queen reads the game well and does a nice job of anticipating offensive actions. However, he’s a low-effort player, particularly off the ball where he’s rarely in a stance. Even when Queen positions himself correctly and brings maximum intensity, there’s a limit on his impact because of his underwhelming athleticism and length (9’1” standing reach). Queen can get bullied in the post as well, as he often loses to both power and quickness. Against ball screens, Queen’s best option is probably to get up to the level of the screen and put pressure on the ball. It’s hard to envision him being an impactful NBA rim protector in either a primary or secondary role.
If Queen’s shooting progresses to the point where he can regularly play the four, he could become a highly impactful offensive player. Without that development, he might be better suited for a reserve role where his defensive issues will be easier to hide.
Projected NBA Role: High-End Reserve
NBA Upside: Fringe All-Star
Joan Beringer / KK Cedevita Olimpija (Slovenia)
Height/Wingspan: 6’10” / 7’3” (Unofficial)
Rookie Season Age: 19
Player Type: Athletic Finisher / Rangy Rim Protector
Game Reminds Me Of: Isaiah Jackson / Nic Claxton
Beringer is French, but he spent the ‘24-25 season with Olimpija, a Slovenian club that plays in the highly competitive Adriatic League. Beringer is raw and in need of both skill and physical development, but he won’t turn 19 until November. He’s a plus athlete with good size and impact potential on both ends of the court.
Beringer played a supporting role with Olimpija, posting a 12.3% usage rate and playing less than 20 minutes per game. He’s an explosive leaper and also gets off the ground pretty quickly, which makes him an effective play finisher around the rim. Beringer averaged 1.15 points per possession as a roll man (74th percentile efficiency) and racked up 65 dunks in just 45 games. He’s quite fast and runs the floor hard. Beringer averaged 1.49 points per possession in transition (94th percentile efficiency), shooting 76% from the field and getting to the line at a 24.2% rate.
In the half court, Beringer is still learning how to operate within a structured offense. He tends to slip out of screens before it’s warranted, and he struggles to time his runs to the rim. Beringer needs more reps to figure out the finer points of space and pace, as he often finds himself out of position and mucking up actions. Early in his career, Beringer shouldn’t be expected to have any offense run through him. He had only 16 post-up possessions with Olimpija, five of which ended in turnovers. Beringer has little to offer from outside the paint: Of his 167 total field goal attempts, 146 of them came at the rim.
Beringer is skinny and can be overpowered on the interior, but he’s a high-upside defensive prospect. He plays with great energy, and covers a ton of ground thanks to his length and athleticism. Beringer moves his feet well on the perimeter and could potentially be useful in a variety of different ball screen coverage schemes. He’s foul-prone (4.5 per 36 minutes), which will likely be an issue early in his NBA career. However, he moves well enough to where he could eventually be effective switching onto opposing ball handlers. Even if he gets beat off the dribble, he can recover against drivers and alter shots at the rim (2.7 blocks per 36 minutes). Beringer is better as a secondary shot blocker than when asked to meet drives out of drop coverage, but I expect him to improve in that area with age and experience.
From a size and athleticism perspective, Beringer has the tools to be an effective run-and-jump center on both ends of the court. He shouldn’t be expected to contribute at a high level as a rookie, but he’s not too far off from being able to provide 20-25 minutes of quality lob catching and shot blocking on a nightly basis.
Projected NBA Role: Quality Reserve
NBA Upside: Quality Starter