Three players with ties to the Lone Star State are expected to be picked in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night.
Baylor's VJ Edgecombe and Texas's Tre Johnson could both be top-five picks. Richardson's Liam McNeeley, who plays forward for UConn, is projected to be picked late in the first round.
The Dallas Mavericks are picking first and have been expected to take Duke forward Cooper Flagg since the draft lottery in May. The Spurs, 76ers, Hornets and Jazz will follow the Mavs to round out the top five.
Baylor's VJ Edgecombe
VJ Edgecombe’s name wasn’t always at the top of draft boards, but on Wednesday night, he’s expected to become one of the NBA’s most promising young stars. NBC Sports' Kurt Helin projected Edgecombe will be taken third in the draft by Philadelphia. A mock draft from the AP also has Edgecombe going to the 76ers.
Born in Bimini, The Bahamas, Edgecombe moved to the United States to pursue basketball, first attending Victory International Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida, before transferring to Long Island Lutheran in Brookville, New York. It was there that his game and his profile took off. A McDonald’s All-American and five-star recruit, Edgecombe quickly became one of the top-ranked players in the country.
As a freshman guard at Baylor, Edgecombe started in all 33 games played and averaged 32.8 minutes on the court. He was 166/381 from the field, 52/153 on 3s and made 111/142 free throws. Edgecombe, who turns 20 in July, is 6 feet 4 inches and weighs 193 pounds.
If taken third, Helin said Edgecombe would help the 76ers with his "two-way potential, rim-attacking athleticism and 3-point shooting."
"Edgecombe is an elite athlete and uses that to be a fierce defender and projects as a strong cutter and finisher off the ball. However, what has impressed teams is how much his shot has improved from the start of the season through the combine. He’s going to become a high-level starter wherever he lands," Helin said.
Texas's Tre Johnson
Rotoworld's Raphielle Johnson thinks Garland's Tre Johnson could end up with the Brooklyn Nets as the eighth pick. The Associated Press thinks he may go a little higher, to the Utah Jazz as the No. 5 pick.
Tre is a 6-foot-5-inch, 190-pound freshman for the Texas Longhorns who averaged 19.9 points to lead the SEC while shooting 39.7% on 3s. He broke Kevin Durant's freshman Longhorns record when he scored 39 points against Arkansas in February.
For the Longhorns, Tre averaged 36.6 minutes on the court and shot 40% from the field and made 87% of his free throws.
Tre played at Lake Highlands High School in Dallas between his freshman and junior seasons before transferring to Link Academy in Branson, Missouri, for his senior year. While at Lake Highlands, Tre was on the team that went 34-3 and won the Class 6A state title.
Raphielle Johnson said Tre is one of the best scorers in the draft and the Nets could grab him to improve on their 28th-ranked offense and 29th-ranked PPG.
UConn's Liam McNeeley
Richardson's Liam McNeeley, a 6-foot-7-inch, 215-pound forward at UConn, is also expected to go in the first round.
McNeeley began his high school career in Texas, playing at JJ Pearce and John Paul II before transferring to Montverde Academy in Florida for his junior and senior seasons. McNeeley was selected for the 2024 McDonald's All-American Game, was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class.
At UConn, McNeeley started as a freshman for the two-time reigning champs, where he averaged 14.5 points per game, six rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
Both the AP and NBC Sports had McNeeley going 20th to the Miami Heat. Rotoworld said McNeeley is a "very good shooter" and that coming from a winning program like UConn should help him adjust to playing for the Heat.