NBA mock draft 2025: Meta AI prediction for every first round pick
The 2025 NBA draft is less than a month away and the mock drafts are beginning to come into focus now that the league's early entry withdrawal deadline passed. It would be a stunner if Cooper Flagg isn't the No. 1 pick by the Dallas Mavericks on June 25, and there seems to be a consensus forming for the next selections below him. That includes the various AI platforms currently capable of weighing in on the NBA draft. USA TODAY Sports asked Meta AI to produce a simulation of every first-round pick during the 2025 NBA draft, and the top four selections went according to most recent NBA mock drafts and previous first-round simulations using Microsoft Copilot AI and Google Gemini AI. Flagg, Rutgers teammates Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, and Baylor one-and-done star VJ Edgecombe were all off the board quickly.
Unexpected Outcomes
After that, though, some of the choices by Meta AI veer from expected outcomes and other AI programs. Meta AI notably had Duke's Khaman Maluach falling out of the lottery and Michigan State's Jase Richardson falling out of the top 20. Auburn's Johnni Broome moved into a first-round slot and Missouri's Tamar Bates, currently No. 100 in ESPN's 2025 draft prospect rankings, also got an unlikely first-round nod. There was still a significant international presence of prospects from overseas and the college ranks.
2025 NBA Draft Schedule
Here's a breakdown of the 2025 NBA draft first-round picks made by a Meta AI simulation, as well as how to watch when the league's teams gather in Brooklyn on June 25-26 to make their actual selections:
First-round picks were generated by a Meta AI simulation of the 2025 NBA draft. The 2025 NBA draft is scheduled to take place over two days, with the first round scheduled for Wednesday, June 25 beginning at 8 p.m. ET, and the second round slated to happen on Thursday, June 26 starting at 8 p.m. ET. Thursday's first round will be televised by ABC and ESPN. Friday's second round will be broadcast nationally by ESPN.
You can also stream both days of the 2025 NBA draft with Fubo.
