2025 Draft Ranks: Wing Forwards, Tier 4
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)
Click here for a few important reminders about how I structure my rankings and write-ups.
TIER 4:
Hugo González / Real Madrid (Spain)
Height/Wingspan: 6’6” / 6’7”* (Unofficial)
Rookie Season Age: 20
Player Type: Athletic Slasher / On-Ball Perimeter Defender
Game Reminds Me Of: Cody Martin / Vince Williams Jr.
One of Spain’s top young players, González has been working his way through Real Madrid’s development program for the last few years. He’s averaging just 11 minutes per game with the senior team this season, but Madrid is perennially one of the world’s best non-NBA teams. González is raw and may even be a draft-and-stash candidate, but he offers a well-rounded and versatile skill set on both ends of the court.
González is a capable ball handler with a quick first step and decent lateral shift off the bounce. He’s not an otherworldly athlete, but he gets downhill quickly and plays at the level of the rim. He does a good job of seeking contact and drawing fouls (15.8% free throw attempt rate), and he’s been pretty efficient around the basket (64.4% FG). González has a nice euro-step that he uses to keep himself on balance, but I do worry that he’ll struggle when regularly facing NBA size and athleticism. One area where he really excels is as a cutter: He’s averaging 1.67 points per possession on cuts, and he has a great feel for playing out of split screens and reading over-aggressive defenders.
González has underwhelmed as a shooter, shooting just 27.1% from three on 4.1 attempts per 36 minutes. He shoots a moon ball and has difficulty repeating his mechanics, particularly in his lower half. I do like that González is an aggressive shooter off the catch, and I don’t think his form is beyond repair, but he’s not an NBA-caliber three-point threat right now. He hasn’t shown much of an ability to attack a closeout and pull up from the mid-range either, as he’s just 2-13 (15.4%) on off-dribble jumpers for the season.
González can be wild with the ball (14.1% turnover rate), but he’s an instinctual passer who should thrive in a ball and player movement-focused offensive system. He reads the floor well from above the break, and he’s a pretty good playmaker as a pick-and-roll initiator as well. González should also be an asset in transition, where he’s an above-average outlet passer and keeps his eyes up the floor in search of advantage situations.
The defensive end of the floor is where González has made his greatest impact with Real Madrid. In his limited minutes, he’s often been entrusted to guard the opposing team’s primary on-ball perimeter threat. He’s very aggressive with ball pressure, moves his feet well and fights over ball screens. He has a tendency to get too handsy, and he’s committed fouls at a ridiculous rate (6 per 36 minutes). I expect that to be an issue early in his career, as veteran NBA guards will be able to bait him into reach-in fouls. González also doesn’t offer much as a help defender, as he doesn’t have great length or off-ball awareness.
Developing into a capable threat as a spot up shooter will be critical for González, as it will be hard for him to survive in a complementary role otherwise. If he can make threes at a reasonable rate, he should provide value as a reserve wing who offers solid perimeter defense and above-average ball skills on the offensive end.
Projected NBA Role: Rotational Reserve
NBA Upside: Quality Reserve
Sion James / Duke
Height/Wingspan: 6’6” / 6’6”
Rookie Season Age: 23
Player Type: Bruising Driver / Secondary Ball Handler / Switchable Perimeter Defender
Game Reminds Me Of: Terance Mann / Jae’Sean Tate
A four-year starter at Tulane, James transferred to DUke for his final collegiate season and became an integral complementary piece. He’s undersized on the wing, but James is smart, tough and skilled in a number of areas.
James wasn’t asked to do much scoring (16.1% usage) with the Blue Devils, but he was very efficient (64.1% true shooting) in his limited opportunities. He doesn’t have a particularly explosive first step, but he’s an above-average ball handler who is very rarely off-balance as a driver. At a very muscular 218 lbs., James bounces off defenders with spin moves and plays through contact with shot fakes. He was able to generate 59.7% of his field goal attempts at the rim and drew free throws at an 18.4% rate. James isn’t a threat to break his man down in isolation and create shots, as he’s got very little to offer in the mid-range. However, he should be a definite asset attacking closeouts and playing in transition, where he can be a capable secondary ball handler and playmaker.
James made 41.3% of his threes at Duke, but he averaged just 2.1 attempts per 36 minutes. He shoots a true set shot, so he requires time and space to get it off. He’s not a threat off the dribble or on the move, as he really needs to have his feet perfectly square to feel comfortable letting it fly. I expect James to make his threes at an acceptable rate in the NBA, but he’s probably not going to be a true spacing asset as a low-volume shooter.
He was buoyed by having capable playmakers around him, but James assumed a de facto point guard role for the Blue Devils early in the regular season. He turned the ball over a bit too much (14.8% TOV rate), but he also posted a very impressive 26% assist rate. He’s an excellent post-entry passer and transition decision maker, and he understands timing within an offense at an advanced rate. James isn’t dynamic enough to be a lead initiator - he turned it over at a 19.2% rate as a pick-and-roll ball handler - but as a second side attacker he’s an asset. He’s more than capable of beating a closeout, taking multiple dribbles and finding the open man.
James was one of the better on-ball perimeter defenders in the country this past season. He puts pressure on the ball and can’t be muscled out of position. He works to get through screens and understands angles of attack. He’s an above-average lateral mover, and it’s very rare that he won’t be able to keep his chest in front of his man. Because of his below-average length (6’6” wingspan), James is probably going to be more useful on guards than forwards who can score over the top of him. He’s also limited as a help defender, as although he’s often in the right spot there’s only so much impact he can have as a rim protector due to his lack of size.
It’s possible that James is a very well-rounded college player who isn’t special enough in any one area to carve out an NBA role. However, I’m willing to bet that his basketball IQ and versatility on both ends outweigh his limitations. James isn’t a high-upside prospect, but he should be able to contribute to winning in some capacity right away.
Projected NBA Role: Rotational Reserve
NBA Upside: High-End Reserve
Adou Thiero / Arkansas
Height/Wingspan: 6’7” / 7’0”
Rookie Season Age: 21
Player Type: Explosive Athlete / Bruising Finisher / Defensive Playmaker
Game Reminds Me Of: Josh Okogie
After spending his first two college seasons at Kentucky, Thiero followed John Calipari to Arkansas and had a breakout junior campaign. A knee injury in late February largely kept Thiero from postseason play, but he was the Razorbacks' leading scorer and most consistent player prior to getting hurt. Thiero is a freakish leaper with impressive physical traits, but his limitations as a shooter are a major concern when projecting his NBA future.
Although defenses would regularly pack the paint against him in an effort to keep him from the basket, Thiero was still an efficient scorer (61.4% true shooting). He’s got an explosive first step, and he’s a good enough ball handler to take advantage of the runway provided by defenders daring him to shoot. Thiero was exceptionally proficient at getting to the free throw line (25.2% free throw attempt rate), which is how he did his damage in the half court. He routinely puts defenses on the back foot with his athleticism, and he does a great job of seeking contact and getting his shoulder into the body of his defender. When given a lane to the rim, Thiero is extremely difficult to defend. He’s very dangerous in transition (68.5% true shooting, 29.8% FTAr), and an elite cutter (87.8% true shooting, 35.9% FTAr). In addition to his finishing ability, he’s got great touch on floaters and runners (58.6% FG), and good footwork out of jump stops in the paint.
Thiero’s shot (27.9% 3FG on 2.1 attempts per 36 min.) is an issue. He’s got a low release and awkward, inconsistent mechanics. He’s also very tentative with it even when he’s spotted up on the perimeter, which further empowers defenses to ignore him. Because he’s such a phenomenal straight-line athlete, Thiero can still be an off-ball threat as a cutter and offensive rebounder. However, he’s likely to be a major spacing liability, which limits his appeal to teams with the ability to put very specific lineup combinations around him.
Thiero is a reasonably proficient passer, particularly when he can draw multiple defenders off the dribble and kick out to shooters. One area where he might be useful in the NBA is as a screener. With his ability to both get downhill and threaten defenses from floater range, he could be an effective short roll playmaker.
Thiero’s physical tools scream defensive upside, and he averaged a block and two steals per 36 minutes at Arkansas. However, he’s far more flashy than consistently impactful. He doesn’t navigate screens well at all, which limits his effectiveness on the perimeter despite his lateral quickness and long arms. He’s also late to recognize actions as a help defender and can be too quick to leave his feet. Thiero is very difficult to beat in pure isolation, but his overall court awareness is mediocre at best.
Thiero is a standout athlete even by NBA standards, which makes him a tempting prospect to bet on. If deployed properly, I could see a path to him being an effective role player due to his physical tools and fluidity as a finisher. However, Thiero’s weaknesses as a shooter limit his utility, and there may only be a select number of teams that can deploy the right personnel around him.
Projected NBA Role: Rotational Reserve
NBA Upside: Quality Reserve
WING FORWARD RANKINGS:
Honorable Mentions: Neoklis Avdalas (Greece), Kobe Sanders (Nevada), RJ Luis (St. John’s), Micah Peavy (Georgetown), Dink Pate (G-League), Payton Sandfort (Iowa)