Syracuse men’s basketball: Donnie Freeman projected as first-round pick in ESPN’s first 2025 mock draft

With the 2024 NBA Draft now gone, attention is already going to next year with one notable Syracuse Orange men’s basketball player beginning on a strong note.

Donnie Freeman — a consensus five-star recruit and All-American player — is projected to go No. 15 overall to the Indiana Pacers in ESPN’s first mock for the 2025 NBA Draft. The mock draft is the first ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo has published.

Freeman’s stock as a prospect continued to grow throughout the spring, and it’s a promising sign as Syracuse’s most promising addition will look to make an immediate impact for the program during the 2024 season.

For context, this is a significant leap for Freeman. In a previous 2025 NBA mock draft from ESPN, which was released back in February, Freeman’s name did not appear at all.

Since then, Freeman made notable leaps across the board on pretty much all of the class of 2024 prospect rankings among the major recruiting sites.

He is currently a five-star prospect on ESPN, On3, 247Sports and Rivals. Both ESPN and On3 currently have Freeman ranked No. 6 overall among the class of 2024, while Rivals and 247Sports placed him at No. 11 and No. 15 overall, respectively.

Momentum for Freeman particularly grew in April, where he was able to showcase some of his potential during an All-American game practice. Reporters at other outlets are clearly invested as well in what Freeman can bring to the table for Syracuse.

Obviously, a mock draft in late-June is months early before the 2025 draft, or even when the Orange will take the court for the 2024-25 season. A lot can happen between now and then, but this latest mock draft certainly is a very promising sign of what Freeman could bring to the program next year.

Former Orange guard Michael Carter-Williams, who was drafted No. 11 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2013, marks the last time a Syracuse player was taken in the top-14 in the NBA Draft.

Freeman will be participating with the Bahamas National Team as they begin Olympic qualifying today in Spain.