4 NBA Projected Lottery Picks Who Dropped

A few first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft saw their stocks plummet compared to where they once were.

While all of them were still able to hear their names called last night, some saw their landing spots fall deep in the lottery or outside it altogether.

Here are four projected lottery talents who saw some slippage from their previous projections earlier in the pre-draft process.

Ace Bailey Slides Outside The Top Four

There were rumblings throughout the pre-draft process that Rutgers freshman Airious “Ace” Bailey and his agency weren’t receptive towards playing for NBA environments that didn’t maximize Bailey’s potential. He reportedly refused to work out with the Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets for these alleged reasons, which caused a perceived top-three talent to fall outside the top four on draft night.

Bailey didn’t conduct a pre-draft workout for the Utah Jazz due to similar concerns, but Utah still selected him anyway with its fifth overall pick. His reaction to the selection wasn’t the most positive on national TV, and he was somewhat reluctant to embrace his new NBA fate during post-draft interviews.

Contrary to how Bailey feels, his landing spot with the Jazz may be the best case for his young career. The 6’7 wing possesses special tools as a scorer, athletic driver and transition player that fit Utah’s up-and-down offensive style, led by head coach Will Hardy.

Khaman Maluach Nearly Falls Outside The Top-10

Many draft scouts perceived Duke’s Khaman Maluach as the best center prospect in this year’s class. Mock drafts had him pegged to go as high as sixth to the Washington Wizards, with others not expecting him to fall past the Toronto Raptors at ninth overall.

Maluach instead fell nearly outside the top 10 before the Phoenix Suns selected him with its recently obtained pick from the Houston Rockets through the Kevin Durant trade. Concerns surrounding his underwhelming combine testing and athletic limitations as a 7’2 big man may have contributed to his draft night slide.

Phoenix adding Maluach and trading for Hornets center Mark Williams on draft night bolsters a big man lineup that was one of the worst in basketball a season ago. While the two differ as rim protectors, each provides the capability to be a quality plate finisher and productive rebounder in a Suns offense that will feature tons of shot attempts from guards Devin Booker and Jalen Green.

Derik Queen Dives Into Fringe Lottery Pick Territory

In terms of pure offensive skill at the center position, Derik Queen arguably was in a league of his own throughout the pre-draft process. He possesses a soft touch, quality hands and a playmaking ability that likens his skillset to that of an Alperen Sengun.

Issues regarding Queens’ conditioning, his undersized nature at 6’9″, and inconsistent jump shot likely contributed to his fall outside the top 10. It took the New Orleans Pelicans trading into the lottery with the Atlanta Hawks for him to be selected inside the lottery at 13th overall.

The Maryland product’s fit within the current Pelicans’ team is a clunky one. In a projected starting lineup, he wouldn’t be the tallest man on the floor and would occupy a spot alongside power forward Zion Williamson, whose game is primarily paint-oriented.

If the plan is for New Orleans to start a rebuild without Zion Williamson and around a quartet of young talent that includes guard Jeremiah Fears, forward Herb Jones, forward Trey Murphy and center Derik Queen, then the outlook on this pick has legitimate promise. Until then, it’s an overlapping asset on a team littered with overlapping, talented fits.

Kasparas Jakucionis Falls Outside The Lottery

Illinois’ Kasparas Jakucionis was seen as a lottery-level talent throughout the pre-draft process due to his frame, playmaking ability and effectiveness in pick-and-roll guard play.

The downside of Jakucionis is his limited athleticism, shot creation outside of the pick-and-rolls and high turnover rate as a primary playmaking guard. All of these deficiencies likely contributed to his slide to the Miami Heat at 20th overall.

Jakucionis’s fit with the Heat is a unique one, as it pertains to the potential of him and Tyler Herro manning the backcourt together as two underwhelming on-ball defenders. However, they’ve done a solid job in the post-LeBron era of maximizing their draft selections, and it’s expected they can do the same for a high-floor guy like Jakucionis.