FSU Basketball Star Listed In Top 30 of 2025 NBA Big Board

After testing NBA Draft waters in 2024, could this Seminole possibly go in the first round of the 2025 NBA draft?

Mar 2, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Naithan George (2) fouls Florida State Seminoles forward Jamir Watkins (2) in the first half at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 NBA Draft came and went without any Florida State players selected for the third consecutive year. While Jamir Watkins and Baba Miller both tested the waters, they removed their names from the draft to go back to school, with Watkins returning to FSU and Miller transferring to Florida Atlantic.

Watkins seems to have made an impression among NBA Draft experts and insiders, as he went from a borderline draftable player last year to a borderline first-round pick next season.

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Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, their lead scout and NBA Draft insider, released his initial 2025 NBA Draft Big Board and listed Jamir Watkins as a potential first-round pick, placing him 24th.

"Jamir Watkins' combine invite indicated NBA interest, but he didn't do enough there to stand out or further sell himself for the 2024 draft. One more year of improved shotmaking should do the trick. His wing size and positional strength, handle, playmaking, and defensive tools create a coveted archetype. One jump as a shooter should push Watkins into the first-round discussion."

Watkins' three-point shot started to fall towards the end of the season, shooting 36.6% from deep over the final 13 games. If he can expand on that small sample size to the full course of the season, he could make that jump to being a first-round pick. His age and an ACL tear at VCU could hold him back in the eyes of some evaluators, but teams needing an older prospect who can play instantly should be interested in Watkins.

2025 is also projected to be a much stronger draft class, at least at the top, highlighted by incoming Duke freshman Cooper Flagg. 2024 didn't have a lot of top-end talent but had depth down the board. Players like Watkins, who has only had one good year of tape, likely just need to show more and he can enter those first-round discussions.

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