Updated 2nd Round Mock per The Athletic

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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Updated 2nd Round Mock per The Athletic:

31. Minnesota Timberwolves (via UTA)​

Rasheer Fleming | 6-8 forward | 20 years old | Saint Joseph’s​

Fleming fits the Tim Connelly archetype that he’s previously drafted in the second round, as a toolsy, athletic big at 6-foot-8 with a 7-5 wingspan (see: Josh Minott and Leonard Miller). I think he’s a bit more of a big than a wing and might be position locked at power forward, but Fleming improved as a shooter this year and has some real athleticism that allows him to make a big impact. He needs to improve his overall feel for the game and continue to grow as a passer and decision-maker.

www.nytimes.com

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www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

Howl Wolves!!
 

CBS chimes in:

Round 2 - Pick 31


player headshot
Rasheer Fleming PF
Saint Joseph's • Jr • 6'8" / 232 lbs

Projected Team​

Minnesota

PROSPECT RNK​

24th

POSITION RNK​

5th

PPG​

14.7

RPG​

8.5

APG​

1.3

3P%​

39%
Fleming is a glove-in-hand fit for any team with its lead playmaker established. He's a rangy wing who is among the best spot-up shooters in this class and is coming off a big senior season as the alpha at St. Joseph's.

www.cbssports.com

2025 NBA mock draft: Johni Broome, Ryan Kalkbrenner go early in second-round projection

With one round down and one to go, we take one final stab at a mock draft with projections for the final 29 picks on Thursday
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com

Howl Wolves!!
 

would be pretty surprising if they don't go Fleming. Though they could also try corral this into a trade depending on what they know of the plans for Naz and Randle
 

It seems that Fleming is highly coveted and the Wolves are being offered a future protected FRP by a few teams.
 

Slim Tubby said:
It seems that Fleming is highly coveted and the Wolves are being offered a future protected FRP by a few teams.
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Wow. Depending on the terms, this is intriguing. And honestly, first pick of the 2nd round may be better than the last couple of picks of the 1st round because teams have a night to think about needing more assets after Night 1.

Nice spot to be.

Howl Wolves!!
 


BleedGopher said:
Wow. Depending on the terms, this is intriguing. And honestly, first pick of the 2nd round may be better than the last couple of picks of the 1st round because teams have a night to think about needing more assets after Night 1.

Nice spot to be.

Howl Wolves!!
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I think the first pick in the second is absolutely more valuable than the last pick in the first.

It's not only for the contract flexibility but the teams get a breath to really sit and think about guys like Fleming/Theiro/etc.
 

upnorthkid said:
would be pretty surprising if they don't go Fleming. Though they could also try corral this into a trade depending on what they know of the plans for Naz and Randle
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I really hope it's Reynaud. He just seems like such a low ceiling guy - at a minimum we know he's a 7" who can score. He might be a poor man's hedge on Naz becoming too expensive. I know it's two french 7 footers, but they couldn't be more different.

I'm not sure if I like Fleming much more than Minott or Miller. But then again, Fleming does kind of remind me of a poor man's Jalen WIlliams.
 

Wolves trade back to 36 and pick up two seconds next year from phoenix.
 





kg21 said:
traded for 45 and cash

Fuk this schit

pick 31 turned into 45 and cash

Nice work, Wolves!
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And a couple future seconds right? I’m just seeing your messages. Don’t have Twitter and not watching draft
 






The f are the wolves doing picking two foreign centers? They need a guard and someone who can score. They should have taken Clayton jr. at 17. The center they took probably would have been there at 31. I want to trust Connelly and he gets some runway due to what he has built but this draft feels like the old wolves trying to be the smartest guy in the room or just dumping picks for money. Please tell me the plan isn't just running it back minus NAW.
 

GopherGuy82 said:
The f are the wolves doing picking two foreign centers? They need a guard and someone who can score. They should have taken Clayton jr. at 17. The center they took probably would have been there at 31. I want to trust Connelly and he gets some runway due to what he has built but this draft feels like the old wolves trying to be the smartest guy in the room or just dumping picks for money. Please tell me the plan isn't just running it back minus NAW.
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He would not have been there at 31. Rudy is getting old and we have nothing behind him. NOTHING

I get that pick.

I still say the wolves are trading for a point guard.

If they are starting Conley yet again........I'm going to be casual as a fan.
 



BOS got more for trading #32 than we did for #31. Then trading back nine (9) spots for cash is a great look for new Owners. Apparently they needed the money so they don't have to ask MN taxpayers to help with a new arena.

We committed all those assets to trade for Rudy and justified it as a "win now" approach. It worked...but then we immediately proceed to trade KAT for effectively a salary dump. Then we draft two (2) guys that might be ready for meaningful minutes in 2-3 years.

Not impressed with our waste of resources and draft capital to say the least.
 

Slim Tubby said:
BOS got more for trading #32 than we did for #31. Then trading back nine (9) spots for cash is a great look for new Owners. Apparently they needed the money so they don't have to ask MN taxpayers to help with a new arena.

We committed all those assets to trade for Rudy and justified it as a "win now" approach. It worked...but then we immediately proceed to trade KAT for effectively a salary dump. Then we draft two (2) guys that might be ready for meaningful minutes in 2-3 years.

Not impressed with our waste of resources and draft capital to say the least.
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To be fair, it wasn't to save money because they are cheap. It was to make sure they get under the 2nd apron. 2-way guys don't count towards the cap. I would still rather cut Minot and/or Garza and keep the 36th pick, but maybe those two are included in a trade.
 

tikited said:
To be fair, it wasn't to save money because they are cheap. It was to make sure they get under the 2nd apron. 2-way guys don't count towards the cap. I would still rather cut Minot and/or Garza and keep the 36th pick, but maybe those two are included in a trade.
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The money received for selling a draft pick goes directly to the Owners and has no affect on the team's Salary Cap/Apron. However, you are 100% correct that 31 potentially has a Salary Cap hit and 45 doesn't.

In my mind, we mismanaged our Cap, wasted resources trading for Gobert by essentially having to sacrifice KAT for it and then completely devalued a great asset in Pick #31.
 

The message of this draft is that the wolves have punted on challenging OKC next year. I don't have too much of a problem with Beringer, except he's two years away from being an impact player.

The wolves decided to David Kahn the second round. Rasheer Fleming is a player who could have leapfrogged Miller and Minott on a very cheap contract. Instead the wolves traded back twice, took a redundant player who is two years away from being two years away as the cliche goes, and got some cash for Lore and ARod. It doesn't inspire confidence that these new owners are anything other than what we've always known--a couple of under capitalized guys scrounging for nickels under couch cushions who fell into the deal of a lifetime. (Yes, I know about Schmidt and Bloomberg. Let's see some actual evidence of their time, talent and cash.)
 

tikited said:
Stupid. I thought the pick at 36 was solid. Made me think they did as well as they could have. Now...
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I'd guess they clearly wanted a a stash player. There is not a roster spot for another rookie. Even Fleming, would you rather have him or Minott or Miller?

I hate when they just trade for cash, but I think, at most, we were going to come out with a stash prospect.
 

jamiche said:
The message of this draft is that the wolves have punted on challenging OKC next year. I don't have too much of a problem with Beringer, except he's two years away from being an impact player.

The wolves decided to David Kahn the second round. Rasheer Fleming is a player who could have leapfrogged Miller and Minott on a very cheap contract. Instead the wolves traded back twice, took a redundant player who is two years away from being two years away as the cliche goes, and got some cash for Lore and ARod. It doesn't inspire confidence that these new owners are anything other than what we've always known--a couple of under capitalized guys scrounging for nickels under couch cushions who fell into the deal of a lifetime. (Yes, I know about Schmidt and Bloomberg. Let's see some actual evidence of their time, talent and cash.)
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Fleming was going to help us contend with OKC next year because he might leap frog Minott and Miller? That's a crazy take.

If we are going to try to legitimately compete with OKC next year, we'll find out with free agency/trade market. It will have nothing to do with what we did with the 31st pick.
 

Slim Tubby said:
BOS got more for trading #32 than we did for #31. Then trading back nine (9) spots for cash is a great look for new Owners. Apparently they needed the money so they don't have to ask MN taxpayers to help with a new arena.

We committed all those assets to trade for Rudy and justified it as a "win now" approach. It worked...but then we immediately proceed to trade KAT for effectively a salary dump. Then we draft two (2) guys that might be ready for meaningful minutes in 2-3 years.

Not impressed with our waste of resources and draft capital to say the least.
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Everyone is trading to get out from under the second apron. Boston just dumped assets. We got a lot more back than most of the teams you're seeing make this move. Brad Stevens just talked about how impactful it is. It's more than a Pohlad-esque salary dump, it's a crippling penalty and not just financially. If you're a second apron team for three years, you lose your first round pick. You can't use the MLE if you're a second apron.

Unless you have three superstars and you just need to keep that team together, it's going to be extremely hard to build if you're in the second apron.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
Fleming was going to help us contend with OKC next year because he might leap frog Minott and Miller? That's a crazy take.

If we are going to try to legitimately compete with OKC next year, we'll find out with free agency/trade market. It will have nothing to do with what we did with the 31st pick.
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Nope. There was nothing the wolves did in the draft that strengthened the team for next year. Neither of these guys are rotation players in 25-26. With the potential departures of of Reid and NAW, Fleming could have been a rotation player. Conley will be 38 and Dillingham is undersized, doesn't play defense and didn't earn PT. Yet the wolves didn't draft a pg.

One or both of the guys they drafted could turn out to be really good but neither is projected to make a difference next year.

Because of their salary cap situation the wolves won't have much money to spend on free agents externally. They didn't use the draft to position themselves for 25-26. The best they can do in free agency is hold serve. That leaves the trade market.
 

jamiche said:
Nope. There was nothing the wolves did in the draft that strengthened the team for next year. Neither of these guys are rotation players in 25-26. With the potential departures of of Reid and NAW, Fleming could have been a rotation player. Conley will be 38 and Dillingham is undersized, doesn't play defense and didn't earn PT. Yet the wolves didn't draft a pg.

One or both of the guys they drafted could turn out to be really good but neither is projected to make a difference next year.

Because of their salary cap situation the wolves won't have much money to spend on free agents externally. They didn't use the draft to position themselves for 25-26. The best they can do in free agency is hold serve. That leaves the trade market.
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If you're looking to get better next season by drafting in the late teens and twenties, then you're screwed because you're not going to get better that way.

Almost no team can improve in the short-term via the draft, except for those that are fortunate enough to draft in the top 3.

Most players drafted are backups. Rookies are at the end of rotations because they're young and/or inexperienced.

This isn't the NFL where many rookies can contribute right away. Basketball requires too much skill and knowledge unless you're a truly unicorn prospect.
 

jamiche said:
Nope. There was nothing the wolves did in the draft that strengthened the team for next year. Neither of these guys are rotation players in 25-26. With the potential departures of of Reid and NAW, Fleming could have been a rotation player. Conley will be 38 and Dillingham is undersized, doesn't play defense and didn't earn PT. Yet the wolves didn't draft a pg.

One or both of the guys they drafted could turn out to be really good but neither is projected to make a difference next year.

Because of their salary cap situation the wolves won't have much money to spend on free agents externally. They didn't use the draft to position themselves for 25-26. The best they can do in free agency is hold serve. That leaves the trade market.
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You said you didn't have a problem with Belinger and it sounds like you do? If you're issue was that we should have added someone at #17 (or through trading up) to get someone instead of Belenger who could help now, I don't necessarily disagree. It was just highly unlikely that we would add a player at #31 who was going to get enough run to help us.

My ideal draft would have been to draft Clayton Jr., but for NEXT season, I don't even know if that makes sense. Rookie PGs struggle and there are ton of competent free agent PGs that we could add for one of the exceptions. If we start next season with Conley and Dillingham as our only true PGs, that's a problem. I just don't think that's going to happen.

I could certainly be wrong on Fleming but I see an undersized 4 with a bit of a jump shot. He could potentially help us, but I would be surprised if he's better next year than Minott or Miller. Straight up, I think i'd rather have Miller than him. This might not be you, but I've seen Jalen Williams comparisons (non-P5, big wing), but I don't think Fleming has that skillset. He was only a plus shooter for one season, he's a bad free throw shooter, and he had more TOs than assists. He strikes me more like a 4 that's somewhat toolsy (like Miller) than a big wing (like Jalen Williams).
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
You said you didn't have a problem with Belinger and it sounds like you do? If you're issue was that we should have added someone at #17 (or through trading up) to get someone instead of Belenger who could help now, I don't necessarily disagree. It was just highly unlikely that we would add a player at #31 who was going to get enough run to help us.

My ideal draft would have been to draft Clayton Jr., but for NEXT season, I don't even know if that makes sense. Rookie PGs struggle and there are ton of competent free agent PGs that we could add for one of the exceptions. If we start next season with Conley and Dillingham as our only true PGs, that's a problem. I just don't think that's going to happen.

I could certainly be wrong on Fleming but I see an undersized 4 with a bit of a jump shot. He could potentially help us, but I would be surprised if he's better next year than Minott or Miller. Straight up, I think i'd rather have Miller than him. This might not be you, but I've seen Jalen Williams comparisons (non-P5, big wing), but I don't think Fleming has that skillset. He was only a plus shooter for one season, he's a bad free throw shooter, and he had more TOs than assists. He strikes me more like a 4 that's somewhat toolsy (like Miller) than a big wing (like Jalen Williams).
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I think many people are going to be a bit peeved due to the idea that we have made the finals 2 straight years and are going to take a step back because of the apron (which I think is probably the right call)

We went win now in what we did with Rudy and it got 2 conf finals trips, which is fun but hopefully not the goal.

As far as Clayton, I think he'll probably be ok. He's way older than your average guy coming in (Dilly is still younger and been in the league 2 years now). Upside is way lower for him, but think his floor is much higher.

Agree that Fleming offensively probably not massive add, but all projections had him as a 3 and D role guy which you need in spades in today's NBA. Don't think he'd be the scoring threat right away like Williams.

Part of the problem is we've never found out with many of these guys. OKC is 2 years removed from being 40-42 and 3 from 50+ loss seasons. They just built this way more sustainably through draft picks versus we traded for a home run and, in my opinion as the chip is all that mattered, came up short. It's still part of why I still don't know if you can say we "won" the Rudy trade given the end results. Finals are fun and the Jazz have sucked, but does it look different if you'd kept Kessler and had the money to stay under apron with KAT and Ant while adding more through the draft?

Don't think there was really much we could've done that takes us past OKC this year in the draft.
 

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