UConn Huskies Liam McNeeley Receives Intriguing Projections For NBA Draft

With the 2025 NBA Draft just around the corner, UConn Huskie fans are beginning to see where former freshman star Liam McNeeley may land on draft night.

In ESPN's latest mock draft, writers Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo made it a dual-mock, with Givony selecting based on needs and Woo targeting value. Woo was the first to select McNeeley at pick No. 18 to the Washington Wizards, as he believes the former Huskie matches the team's current youth movement.

"McNeeley entered the season in the late lottery mix and continues to receive looks in the top 20 thanks to his shooting potential, perimeter versatility and strong pre-college pedigree," Woo wrote. "The dearth of quality wings in the middle of the first round would make him a valid play here for the Wizards, who are in full youth movement mode and covet positional size and basketball IQ."

The Wizards have been a prominent landing spot for McNeeley in multiple mock drafts, which makes sense with the current state of their roster. Outside of shooting guard Jordan Poole, Washington lacks a true scorer from all three levels of the court. McNeeley would offer that for the struggling franchise while also being able to come off the bench year one.

It didn't take long for Givony to select McNeeley in his needs-based mock, as he would be taken one pick later to the Brooklyn Nets.

"The Nets' wing depth isn't particularly impressive, with them starting the likes of Keon Johnson and Ziaire Williams for 101 games this past season," Givony wrote. "They were one of the league's worst shooting teams in 2024-25, so a player such as McNeeley -- a career 38% 3-point shooter (136 games) at 6-8 who has deep range, can shoot running off screens, and brings a little more to the table with his toughness and smarts -- could be attractive at this stage of the draft."

Like the Wizards, McNeeley's ability to score would give the Nets a young player that can be a contributor early in his career. In his one season with UConn, McNeeley led the team in points per game with 14.5, along with averaging six rebounds per game. What the young prospect lacks experience, he makes up for it in potential.

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