Best Team Fits for 2025 NBA Rookies: Top Three Pairings

The 2025 NBA Draft brought a multitude of talented players into situations that will allow them to grow as players, thrive when needed, and contribute to a play style and system that fits them.

Let's take a look at three 2025 NBA rookies, outside of the top three picks in the draft, who landed on ideal teams.

Walter Clayton Jr., Utah Jazz

Apr 7, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) celebrates after winning the national championship game of the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Most Outstanding Player on the 2025 National Champion Florida Gators team, Walter Clayton Jr., may have found himself in another ideal situation on the Utah Jazz.

To start, the direction of the Utah Jazz is unclear. On paper, Utah has virtually no ties to anyone on the roster past this season besides Lauri Markkanen, Ace Bailey, and Clayton Jr. himself -- and Markkanen is now eligible to be traded again.

Now, you may be wondering, why is this ideal? Well, for a player who's proven his ability as an off-ball shooter (including off the catch, off movement, off screens, etc.) and ability as a score-first guard, Clayton Jr.'s upside lies in his potential as a secondary or even primary ball-handler. On the Jazz, he'll have an opportunity to make mistakes with the ball in his hands and improve vastly on a roster looking for playmakers.

In addition to growth opportunities, Clayton Jr. fits into Will Hardy's current offensive schemes if the Jazz decide to pursue competitiveness sooner rather than later. The Jazz were sixth in three-point attempts last season, but only 22nd in 3P%. Enter Clayton Jr: a prolific three-point shooter. Not to mention, the Jazz were 2nd in Off Screen play type frequency percentage and 4th in Handoff play type frequency percentage -- two "play types" Clayton Jr. thrives in as both a shooter and advantage creator.

Look for the No. 16 overall pick from the 2025 NBA Draft to make an impact on the Jazz, both short-term and in long-term.

Liam McNeeley, Charlotte Hornets

Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Liam McNeeley stands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the 29th pick by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

An ankle injury hindered McNeeley for much of this past season at UConn, limiting him from showcasing some of the ball-handling, driving and playmaking ability off screens, and overall production he could have showcased during his freshman season.

Meanwhile, one of the Hornets' biggest needs this offseason was to bring in shooters to improve floor spacing. Charlotte addressed this incredibly, drafting two of the best shooters in the class in Knueppel and McNeeley. While his numbers weren't great this past season, McNeeley shot 45% from three his junior season at Montverde (114 attempts), 44% from three his senior season at Montverde (155 attempts), and 79% from the free throw line over those two seasons (143 attempts). The 6-foot-7, 215-pound wing also converted 86.6% of his free throws this past season at UConn (127 attempts).

McNeeley can provide value by simply hitting catch-and-shoot threes, attacking closeouts, and providing shooting gravity for one of the best playmakers in college basketball in LaMelo Ball. The Hornets were 11th in three-point attempts this past season but only 28th in three-point percentage. Additionally, Charlotte was seventh in Off Screen play type frequency this past season, boding well for McNeeley if he has an opportunity to grow with on-ball reps as well.

Look for the No. 29 overall pick to outperform expectations -- based on where he was selected -- by the end of his rookie season.

Kam Jones, Indiana Pacers

Marquette guard Kam Jones (1) scores on Georgetown forward Drew Fielder (20) during the first half of their game Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 6-foot-5, 205-pound guard played all four of his seasons at Marquette. As a junior, he was more of a score-first secondary ball-handler alongside Tyler Kolek. This past season, however, Jones developed into a primary ball-handler for Marquette, who created his own shot a fair amount while recording a high 38.1 assist percentage and low 9.6 turnover percentage.

With Tyrese Haliburton unfortunately suffering a devastating injury during the 2025 NBA Finals, the Pacers will be without their star primary ball-handler for likely the entire season. While players like Nembhard and McConnell can and will handle more primary ball-handler reps and Mathurin and Siakam can handle the ball at times, No. 38 overall pick Kam Jones will be a combo guard the Pacers can add to the rotation who can help facilitate the offense.

Additionally, when the Pacers aren't running in transition, they're relying heavily on ball screens. The Pacers were 8th in the NBA in Pick-and-Roll Ball Handler play type frequency percentage and 2nd in the NBA in Pick-and-Roll Roll Man play type frequency percentage this past season. Jones, meanwhile, was one of the highest-usage pick-and-roll ball-handlers in all of college basketball last season.

Look for Jones to bring a scoring and playmaking punch to the Pacers while he adjusts his game to the NBA over time.