Syracuse basketball 5-star commit Donnie Freeman a lottery pick in mock 2025 NBA Draft

In the wake of the 2024 NBA Draft taking place late last month, experts are starting to unveil super early mock drafts for next summer, with Syracuse basketball incoming freshman Donnie Freeman getting some love.

The 6-foot-9 Freeman, a five-star power forward from Washington, D.C., who was fabulous as a senior in the 2023-24 campaign for the powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., is showing up in several first-round projections for the 2025 NBA Draft, including one forecasting him as a lottery pick.

Now, I'm the first to readily acknowledge that these sorts of mock NBA Drafts for 2025 are super early and don't mean a whole lot at this time. Adam Finkelstein, the director of scouting at 247Sports, even had a post on his X page echoing this sentiment.

So yes, talking about Donnie and the 2025 NBA Draft is perhaps a bit premature, since he's yet to play an official game for the Orange. Simultaneously, I think it's pretty darn cool that NBA Draft analysts appear to view him as a legit pro prospect, whether after one season on the Hill or multiple years with the 'Cuse.

Here are way-too-early mock draft projections for Syracuse basketball freshman Donnie Freeman.

Krysten Peek, NBA Draft analyst for Yahoo Sports
Peek has Freeman in the No. 14 spot of the first round, which would prove the last pick of the lottery. Peek writes, "Freeman was the biggest surprise in the best way possible during the postseason All-Star games, leaving a lasting impression on NBA scouts who got a chance to see him at IMG Academy. The 6-9 forward showed more promise as an outside jump shooter in the pick-and-pop and his shot-blocking off the weak-side block was impressive."

James Fletcher III, On3 associate editor and NBA Draft coverage for 5 GOATs
In his ranking of the top-30 prospects for the 2025 NBA Draft, Fletcher currently has Freeman at No. 16 overall.

Isaac Trotter, national writer at 247Sports and CBS Sports
Trotter, for now, lists Freeman as a second-round selection in the 2025 NBA Draft, writing, "A 4-man who can pass, dribble and shoot is the archetype that can be a cheat code. Donnie Freeman has some of those tools in his bag. Syracuse is expected to give Freeman every opportunity to start at the 4 and be one of the more impactful freshmen in the ACC. The 6-foot-10, 190-pound forward is a big man honing his perimeter skills, not vice versa. It's easy to see a dribble hand-off game with Freeman and JJ Starling being a tough action to guard."

Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, NBA Draft analysts at ESPN
The ESPN experts, based on social media posts and other online reports, have Freeman just outside the lottery of the first round, at No. 15 overall.

As a senior for IMG in 2023-24, Freeman was a top-10 scorer and a top-two rebounder in the country's toughest high school hoops conference, the 14-team Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic (“EYBL Scholastic”).

He helped guide the Ascenders to a berth at this April's Chipotle Nationals in Brownsburg, Ind., as well as a final top-10 national ranking, per MaxPreps.

Freeman, who also played a key role last July as the D.C.-based Team Takeover captured the 17U Peach Jam title on the EYBL circuit, gained some future NBA Draft buzz as he played well at various All-America showcases in the spring, including the prestigious McDonald’s All-America game that was held in Houston.

In final 2024 rankings from the primary recruiting services, Freeman is a consensus five-star, top-15 national prospect. He's rated as high as No. 6 nationally, and several recruiting Web sites deem him the No. 1 power forward in the senior class.