UConn's Liam McNeeley Projected to Land With Playoff Contender in NBA Draft

With the 2025 NBA Draft just around the corner, UConn Huskies' star Liam McNeeley will soon find his future home at the professional level after dominating in college.

NBA Draft on SI's Nick Crain recently did a two-round NBA mock draft on Monday, in which he had McNeeley being selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the No. 17 pick.

After finishing the 2024-25 regular season with a 49-33 record, Minnesota went on a shocking run through the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Led by star guard Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves managed to take down LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in round one, followed by a 4-1 series victory over Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. However, their underdog run as the No. 6 seed ended in the Western Conference Finals after being defeated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games.

If the Timberwolves do decide to take a swing on McNeeley, he would be a perfect scoring threat off the bench in year one. Looking at their roster, Edwards was the main scorer last season for Minnesota, but their rotation could benefit from McNeeley's offensive abilities. Both Donte DiVincenzo and Nickeil Alexander-Walker averaged over 20 minutes a game last year and were the team's main contributors off the bench, but with Alexander-Walker becoming a free agent this offseason, McNeeley could fill his role for the future.

At 6-foot-7, 210 lbs., the Richardson, TX native quickly impressed in his lone season with the Huskies. McNeeley displayed his ability to score from all three levels of the court, averaging a team-high 14.5 points per game during the 2024-25 season. He also did a phenominal job down low, racking up an average of six rebounds per game.

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