We have finally reached the fateful day. The 2025 NBA Draft is upon us. It is going to be a night where everyone is going to overreact one way or another to just about every pick, and we’re all going to look dumb in the future. The draft starts at 8:00 tonight. To hold us over until then, we’ve rounded up some prominent mock drafts from around the Internet to see what might transpire this evening.

ESPN

4: Kon Knueppel, wing, Duke
33: Yanic Konan Niederhauser, big, Penn State
34: Tyrese Proctor, guard, Duke

ESPN has been mocking Knueppel to the Hornets for a while, though there have been some reports that the team’s interest in him might be a smokescreen. If he ultimately is the pick, he brings an elite 3-point shot and underrated all around offensive game.

In the second round, the Hornets add a very large, rim running big to replace the departed Nick Richards and an experienced guard to fill out the guard depth.

Yahoo

4: Kon Knueppel, wing, Duke
33: Hugo Gonzalez, wing, Real Madrid
34: Jamir Watkins, wing, Florida State

Kevin O’Connor has the Hornets loading up on wings throughout the draft. To complement the sharpshooting of Knueppel, he adds a couple of versatile slashers with defensive upside in the second round.

The Athletic

4: Kon Knueppel, wing, Duke
33: Sion James, guard, Duke
34: Ben Saraf: guard, Ratiopharm Ulm

Another mock, another Knuerppel ending up in purple. The Hornets double dip on Dukies getting Sion James as a defensive minded guard in the second round. They go international with the Saraf selection, adding a big, crafty guard to backup LaMelo Ball and company.

The Ringer

4: VJ Edgecombe, guard, Baylor

One of the few mocks in which Edgecombe’s spot at four has survived all the hemming and hawing about the value of Ace Bailey. He’d add a jolt of athleticism and defense to the Hornets while sporting offensive upside as a spot up shooter and downhill slasher.

USA Today

4: Ace Bailey, forward, Rutgers

Bailey has had one of the more volatile pre-draft processes I’ve seen in a long time. There’s been a lot of posturing from his camp to try to get him to land in a favorable situation, and that hasn’t jibed well with questions about Bailey’s mentality relative to his ability. At his best, he’s a big bucket getter with a chance to grow into a good defender.

CBS Sports

4: Kon Knueppel, wing, Duke
33: Johni Broome, big, Auburn
34: Adou Thiero, forward, Arkansas

Another mock with Knueppel staying in North Carolina to play for the Hornets. In the second round, the Hornet target a pair of high caliber defenders out of the SEC. Broome was arguably the second best player in college basketball last year, but he’s an old prospect with sever athletic limitations. Thiero has no such athletic limitations, but he can’t shoot.

Tankathon

4: Kon Knueppel, wing, Duke
33: Adou Thiero, forward, Arkansas
34: Ryan Kalkbrenner, big, Creighton

After Knueppel, Tankathon goes with the same picks that Hornets fans did in the community mock draft. Thiero brings athleticism and a dogged attitude while Kalkbrenner is a big dude that blocks shots, dunks everything, and can maybe shoot a little bit.

NBA Draft Net

4: Kon Knueppel, wing, Duke
33: Bogoljub Markovic, forward, Serbia
34: Hansen Yang, big, China

After the using the first pick to draft Knueppel the midwesterner, the Hornets go international in the second round. Markovic is a slender fella but is one of the better shooters in the draft. Yang is a very large throwback center with terrific passing instincts and shooting touch but questionable athletic traits.