2025 NBA Draft: Brooklyn Nets Pick Essengue, Wolf, Powell in Updated Mock

Bleacher Report’s updated 2025 NBA Draft mock sees the Brooklyn Nets drafting Noa Essengue with the No. 8 overall pick.

The French prospect is averaging 10.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.5 ‘stocks’ in 58 games across all competitions for Ratiopharm Ulm this season. Ulm’s campaign is still ongoing. Essengue is currently participating in the German league playoff finals against Bayern Munich and might miss the actual night of the draft at Barclays Center. The same applies to his teammate Ben Saraf, the Israeli combo guard broadly projected to be a late first-round pick.

Essengue is a rangy and fluid forward/wing who is very active off-the-ball, comes up with two-way plays and produces at an impressive level despite being the second-youngest player in this draft class behind Cooper Flagg. His half-court offense, three-point shooting and strength still need improvements.

B/R’s pitch on the 18-year-old is as follows: “A rebuilding team that can afford to be patient could see a strong upside bet in Essengue if his growth continues at its current rate.”

French point guard Nolan Traoré would join his compatriot in Brooklyn with the No. 19 pick, per B/R’s mock. Traoré’s explosive first step off the dribble makes him a constant paint touch, but his efficiency needs to improve. He is always looking to turn the corner on defenders out of the pick-and-roll, and he has a lot of potential attacking slower bigs in space. The Saint-Quentin prospect is also more of a below-the-rim finisher, but his touch and toughness are solid despite his thin musculature. Traoré will have to expand his range and knock down threes with greater consistency (31.4 3P% on 175 attempts this season).

Traoré has great passing numbers, but they are inflated by the system he plays in. Still, he uses his size and quickness effectively, and he can deliver accurate kickout and pocket passes. If he turns a corner with regards to his strength and efficiency, Traoré could return lottery value. The Nets basically played without a point guard for most of the season, and head coach Jordi Fernández has proven he can get the most out of ballhandlers.

Brooklyn’s No. 26 pick in this mock is Danny Wolf. The Michigan prospect can dribble, pass and shoot at around 7-feet. The Wolverines had Wolf running pick-and-rolls this season, bringing the ball up and generally empowering him to make a smattering of playmaking decisions. However, the 21-year-old lacks shot-blocking instincts, needs to keep proving himself off-ball and is a trickier fit than his skillset suggests.

Wolf averaged 13.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.4 blocks per game on 49.7/33.6/59.4 shooting splits. He spent two seasons at Yale before transferring to Michigan. Wolf was 6-foot-3 as a high school freshman, 6-foot-6 by his sophomore year, 6-foot-9 as a junior and most recently measured at 6-foot-10½ at the Draft Combine. Wolf’s teammate, Vlad Goldin, a Russian center who developed dangerous chemistry with the American-born Israeli playmaker, could get drafted in the second round.

Drake Powell, the Nets’ theoretical No. 27 pick, projects as a defensive stalwart in the NBA. Powell was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, but his sole season at North Carolina caused his stock to drop. Powell is really a swingman still, but he leans more towards being a guard. Hubert Davis used him as more of a wing — and he was kept off-ball during most of the year.

The 19-year-old averaged 7.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.4 ‘stocks’ in 25.6 minutes per game over 37 contests. Powell’s usage rate was a minuscule 13.3 USG%. He was basically asked to take spot-ups, and that was it. Then, down the other end, Powell was used at the point of attack and across various positions. In the NBA, he profiles as someone who will defend 1-through-3, with the possibility of adding some 4s in the case of strength gains.

Brooklyn’s No. 36 pick, its only second-rounder in this draft right now, would be Jamir Watkins. The Florida State prospect is essentially a plug-and-play fit. He’s experienced, athletic enough and can make some decisions. Watkins was his school’s point guard this season, but he’ll be an off-ball wing in the NBA.

The 23-year-old, who turns 24 on July 6, will be tasked with defending the other teams’ best players and making the correct reads off-ball. In some ways, Watkins would be a similar bet to Powell, although older and less athletic. At the same time, he's much more proven. Watkins posted 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game this season. He is a career 33% three-point shooter, which needs to improve.