He looked like he wanted nothing to do with Dusty May. Emotional family...brother, mother, him.
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2025 NBA Draft Thread
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And now all players invited got drafted.
Plus the guy who paid admission?
With the 30th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Clippers select Yanic Konan Niederhauser, C, Penn State.
Crazy path for Yanic, good for him
Neiderhauser began his college career at NIU before transferring to Penn State. He is also the first 1st round pick in Penn State basketball history.
Great night for Illinois!
(I still wouldn't have minded if thiero had left the draft and come to Illinois )
(I still wouldn't have minded if thiero had left the draft and come to Illinois )
Chuck Nuggets
Dip your nuggets in my staff source sauce.
Fears jumped out immediately when I saw his highlights. From May 2024.
blackdog
- Champaign
New leadership is doing a total rebuild so lots of playing time available. He also will get to learn from Kris Middleton who kind of has a similar game and is reportedly a great mentor with championship experience. The team is going to be absolutely terrible for awhile but that's mostly because the entire team is 22 and younger.
I honestly dont know if you can ask for any better if your Illinois. Yes KJ took a slide, but with both going back to back got plenty of soundbite from ESPN 
..
..The Galloping Ghost
- Washington, DC
Yup. I've waited a long time for this WizKids total rebuild. Ted Leonsis, the owner, kept delaying it, mandating the team wouldn't tank until the cap finally became untenable with Bradley Beal's albatross of a max contract. While the team will struggle for the foreseeable future, and there isn't a surefire star-to-be yet, there are a fair number of very young and intriguing pieces, as well as a few veterans to guide the way. Not to mention, a ton of money under the cap going into the '26-27 season. This franchise isn't the dumpster fire it once was. The GM, Will Dawkins, comes from OKC and is using the same playbook.
Will is going to get his chance. And the second he's able to establish himself in the league, I know what my next jersey is.
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uiba99
I'd rather be at Allerton
IIRC Brian Randle is still on staff too, right? Another Illini connection there.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
I don't follow the NBA at all but am jacked enough about Will's arrival in DC that I may actually attend a Wizards game to see him! (The last time I did that I saw Shawn Bradley of the Sixers go up against Manute Bol!!)
Man, just absolutely splendid to see these two go in the first round. For them foremost, but for Illini fans, too.
blackdog
- Champaign
Both of the Illini first-round draftees have a high ceiling of potential. Even at their young age they have no trouble taking charge on the floor as we saw many times during their Illini season. Both of them also seem to be nice guys off the floor. Goes to the ball talent and personal character that the Illini recruiters found in them. These are the type of guys that the Illini should always seek to find and build around.
Both also had an element of being a bit careless in their decision making at times -- sometimes panicky. This should greatly reduce itself as their game matures and they feel even more at home on the floor.
The NBA – slowly turning Orange & Blue one team at a time...
Both also had an element of being a bit careless in their decision making at times -- sometimes panicky. This should greatly reduce itself as their game matures and they feel even more at home on the floor.
The NBA – slowly turning Orange & Blue one team at a time...
Also of note:
Jeremiah Fears to NOLA - B-
Demin to Nets - C
Essengue to Bulls - B-
Queen to NOLA - D
Yang Hansen to Portland - D
Jase Richardson to Magic - A-
Danny Wolf to Nets - A-
Yanic Niederhauser to LAC - B-
There's a lot of surprise amongst NBA analysts about the Yang Hansen pick. Most expected him to be mid second round, meaning Portland reached by an entire round to get him. The more I think about it, the more I wonder if this pick is more for financial reasons than basketball reasons. The NBA is popular in China and Yao Ming's popularity brought in a lot of dough for the Rockets.
It seemed like his issue with Queen was less about the player and more about the team making quite the trade to get him.
To some degree but a lot of people don't like Queen much at all. Vecinie, who likes Queen a lot, has described him as being polarizing for NBA scouts.. Some don't like his defense, weak shooting, and lack of athleticism. Others think he's the next Sengun.
But yeah, even those that like him don't think he's a good fit paired with Zion.
MDchicago
- Lake Norman NC
Great to see....
Big Ten: 8 picks, including players from Illinois (2), Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, and Rutgers (2).
International: 6 picks, with players from China, France (3), Israel, and Spain.
SEC: 5 picks, with players from Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas.
ACC: 4 picks, including players from Duke (3) and North Carolina.
Big 12: 3 picks, featuring players from Arizona, Baylor, and BYU.
Big East: 2 picks, with players from Georgetown and UConn.
Mountain West: 1 pick from Colorado State.
WCC: 1 pick from Washington State.
1st Round by Conference
Big Ten: 8 picks, including players from Illinois (2), Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, and Rutgers (2).
International: 6 picks, with players from China, France (3), Israel, and Spain.
SEC: 5 picks, with players from Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas.
ACC: 4 picks, including players from Duke (3) and North Carolina.
Big 12: 3 picks, featuring players from Arizona, Baylor, and BYU.
Big East: 2 picks, with players from Georgetown and UConn.
Mountain West: 1 pick from Colorado State.
WCC: 1 pick from Washington State.
1st Round by Conference
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Don't follow the Wizards at all since they suck and will continue to be bad for a while so hopefully Will Riley will get playing time. As for KJ, he could contribute right away since the Heat backcourt don't have much depth. More importantly, it will be interesting to see KJ's playstyle in the league and to find out what the NBA scouts were talking about when they said that Brad and the coaching staff were utilizing him wrong.
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