The Australian and NBL stars in NBA Draft mix

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

next stars

Will dreams turn to reality for some of Australia’s and the NBL’s brightest stars?

The 2025 NBA Draft begins on Thursday and will turn dreams into reality for some of Australia’s and the NBL’s brightest stars.

With the final round of mock drafts complete, all eyes will be on Barclays Center, when Adam Silver walks out to the podium to kick things off with the overwhelming favourite Cooper Flagg as the first pick.

After Flagg and Dylan Harper, the rest of the draft begins to heat up with many of Australia’s very own looking to hear their name called. Just where could they land? Let’s take a look.

Alex Toohey‍

Toohey has been busy in the pre-draft process, showing NBA teams that he can contribute on both ends of the floor and use his size to his advantage. An Eastern Conference executive recently stated that Toohey is "an extremely smart player. He has improved as a shooter, which was what he really needed to do. He’s been playing with men. Someone will get him on their roster, and he’ll probably outplay his draft slot".

The Sydney Kings’ Next Star is floating around the early second round in many of the latest mock drafts.

Rocco Zikarsky

Zikarsky turned heads at the draft combine, measuring as the tallest player amongst all prospects and still performing incredibly well in all of the drills.

His size combined with being just 18-years-old, has the Brisbane Bullets’ Next Star being an ideal prospect in the second round for teams who want to see what his ceiling can be.

Lachlan Olbrich

The Illawarra Hawks young star has been one of the best stories of the last few months, as he closes in on achieving something special when the draft begins.

Fresh off a Championship with the Hawks, the 21-year-old was a standout at the G League Ignite Camp, which earnt him a call-up to the NBA Draft Combine, where he quickly became a hot commodity.

Olbrich is currently projected to be a late second round pick and many are starting to believe he may have played his last game in the NBL for the foreseeable future.

Izan Almansa

The Spanish Next Star has completed a handful of workouts with NBA teams ahead of the draft and has impressed with his improved shooting throughout.

Fresh off his 20th birthday, Almansa has had a strong last few weeks and is pushing strongly for a second-round pick in the draft, allowing him the chance to show his true potential.

Tyrese Proctor

Sydney born guard Tyrese Proctor chose to return to Duke last season after an injury riddled year prior and has put himself in a great position ahead of draft night.

From all reports, the 21-year-old has impressed in the pre-draft process and could be one of those picks that rises quickly on the night, depending what happens early on.