2025 NBA Draft: Best wings in the class ft. Kon Knueppel and Miles Byrd

For the second to last edition of our 2025 NBA Draft player rankings, we’ll tackle the wings of the class. We’re covering prospects based on the position groupings in our Mock Draft Simulator. While the NBA is more “positionless” than ever, it’s still useful to think about prospects in terms of their projected roles and archetypes.

Our simulator separates “wings” from “forwards,” which we covered in the first ranking of the series. While forwards tend to lean more towards interior play, wings swing more towards the outside. Wings often operate from the perimeter but lack the size or skills to play on the interior. They’ll often take on some ballhandling responsibility but aren’t as potent with the basketball as the guards and points are.

Jaylen Brown and Franz Wagner both represent star-level wings, given their proficiency in many areas and their frequency of operation on the perimeter. Lower-level examples of wing players in the NBA include Cameron Johnson, Taurean Prince, and Jaylen Wells.

This is the weakest position group in the 2025 draft, with none of the top wings featuring in my lottery. There are still plenty of valuable bets here, so let’s rank the top five wings in the 2025 NBA Draft.

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2025 NBA Draft's Best Wings

1. Kon Knueppel, Duke

NCAA Basketball: Wake Forest at Duke - Source: Imagn

Of all the wings in this class, Knueppel has the best chance to develop into a perimeter creator. The 6’7 freshman took on a primarily offensive role for the Blue Devils this season, operating as an initiator for a solid portion of their plays. He’s an excellent pick-and-roll passer, capable of probing defenses with his handle and tossing lobs and kick outs for easy shots.

Knueppel is at his best off the ball given his dynamic shooting. He’s arguably the best shooter in the entire class, especially considering his elite pre-NCAA shooting record. An elite high-volume shooter (39.3% from deep on 11.6 attempts per 100 possessions), Knueppel pulls off of screens, off of the dribble,e and from well beyond NBA range.

His athletic tools limit Knueppel’s viability as an interior scorer and defender, which could limit his positional versatility, especially on defense. He’ll spend most of his time on that end guarding off of the ball, checking other wing shooters. But Knueppel has the ceiling to become a genuine creator on the wing who can scale up and down depending on lineup and roster construction. That’s a valuable commodity and one that could command a lottery pick in this draft.

2. Liam McNeeley, UConn

NCAA Basketball: Georgetown at Connecticut - Source: Imagn

McNeeley represents the platonic ideal of a floor-spacing wing. Similar to Knueppel, the 6’7 freshman thrives as an off-ball shotmaker, running off of motion and spotting up from all over the floor. He’s not the passer Knueppel is, but McNeeley has him beat as a driver. Despite McNeeley’s weak finishing (52% at the rim), he’s an excellent foul-creator with his craft and size.

Scouts will question what McNeeley brings to an offense outside of his off-ball shooting. Floor spacing is incredibly valuable but elite complementary wings must bring other skills to the table. Improving as a handler and passer will help McNeeley add more offensive value on top of his interior craft and shooting.

As he does on offense, McNeeley will rely on his smarts and solid agility to survive on the defensive end. His lack of turnover generation and physical limits could lead to great offenses targeting McNeeley. If he can improve as a defender, there’s a role for McNeeley as a valuable 3-and-D rotation wing.

3. Miles Byrd, San Diego State

NCAA Basketball: San Diego State at Colorado State - Source: Imagn

The 2025 class doesn’t feature many easy 3-and-D wing bets. Byrd is the closest thing to a bankable two-way wing in the class as one of the draft’s breakout players. The sophomore is shooting just 31.4% from deep this season, but his excellent indicators — 11.9 threes per 100 possessions and 83.7% at the line — give Byrd a good chance to develop into a reliable spacer.

Byrd couples excellent secondary playmaking with his 3-point shooting. He initiates secondary pick-and-rolls, manipulating defenses and zipping passes into tight windows to create easy shots. His 2-point scoring is his main offensive concern, especially his poor finishing at the rim (53.6%), but floor spacing and passing are a valuable combination of skills.

Defense is Byrd’s side of the floor, though, as he dominates as an on and off-ball defender. Byrd’s 4.1% steal rate and 4.2% block rate are both elite for a wing as he jumps passing lanes, blocks shots and defends the ball. If Byrd can make necessary strides on the offensive end, it’s easy to imagine him developing into a complementary wing piece.

4. Darrion Williams, Texas Tech

NCAA Basketball: Texas Tech at Oklahoma State - Source: Imagn

Williams is one of the more versatile wings of this group, boasting a myriad of on and off-ball skills on offense and defense. He’s not tall or springy enough to defend the interior reliably, but Williams’s strength, instincts, and positioning help him thrive on the perimeter. At the NBA level, Williams projects to defend multiple positions and succeed as a rotational defender on the weak side.

At Texas Tech, Williams functions as a high-usage on-ball creator. He won’t see nearly as many post-ups and isolations in the NBA, but Williams should see some pick-and-roll usage. He’s a phenomenal passer from all over the floor, capable of running pick and rolls and passing off-ball as a useful connector.

As is the case for many college wings, Williams must prove himself an outside shooting threat. He’s a solid college shooter at 35% on average volume, but Williams must draw closeouts to thrive as an off-ball spacer. If he can improve his shooting, Williams’s passing, strength, and defensive versatility are all valuable NBA traits.

5. Nique Clifford, Colorado State

NCAA Basketball: Utah State at Colorado State - Source: Imagn

Clifford is the strongest on-ball defender of this wing group, stopping several different-sized players on the ball. He detaches his hips from his upper body, fluidity turning to chase players while maintaining physicality. Clifford can function as a weak-side helper, but he’ll shut down opposing wing-sized players when his team needs him.

Significant improvements in Clifford’s final year only help his NBA projection. He’s assisting on a career-high 26.1% of his team’s shots, turning his passing flashes from previous seasons into consistent playmaking impact. Clifford has improved as an interior scorer, capable of scoring away from the basket

His shooting growth over the past few seasons will help teams feel confident in his projection as a 3-and-D wing. After spending his first three college seasons as a low-volume shooter, Clifford has shot above 37% on increasing volume across his previous two seasons. Maintaining that shooting excellence will help Clifford stick in the league as a two-way rotation wing.x

Honorable Mentions: Will Riley, Hugo Gonzalez, Jamir Watkins, Drake Powell

All stats via Synergy and Bart Torvik