Image Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Ryan Kalkbrenner Draft Projection- Where is Four-Time Big East Defensive Player of the Year Expected to Land in 2025 NBA Draft?

Which team will pick Ryan Kalkbrenner in 2025 NBA Draft?

Image Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Ryan Kalkbrenner, a four-star recruit, is expected to be a top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. He started his basketball journey at Trinity Catholic High School in St. Louis in Missouri. As a junior, he averaged 13.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.9 blocks per game and earned the AAA Player of the Year as well as Class 3 All-State honors. He competed for Mac Irvin Fire of the Amateur Athletic Union circuit. In addition, he was named Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Defensive of the Year in 2019.

In the freshman season of his collegiate career, Kalkrbrenner earned Honorable Mention All-Big East as well as Defensive Player of the Year. The 7-foot-one was named the 2024-25 Big East Conference Preseason Player of the Year. His career-high score of 49 points came in a win over the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros in November 2024.

After spending five seasons at Creighton, he finished his collegiate career with an average of 14.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.

Think this remains one of my favorite draft prospect clips of the year from 7-1 center Ryan Kalkbrenner. Legit think I pulled off my glasses and wiped them off while watching live.

Straight pump fake into attacking a closeout with a one-hand gather and finger roll finish lol. pic.twitter.com/OPp4bK3i9G
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) May 21, 2025

Ryan Kalkbrenner Scouting Report- Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths-

The 23-year-old has emerged as a reliable finisher, who has time and again thrived on lobs, putbacks, and drop-offs.
He is extremely well with his catching skills, and he is known to catch every pass. With his explosive vertical, Kalbrenner has emerged as a constant threat to dunk the ball.
Having spent five years as a collegiate player, Kalbrenner will enter the NBA as a veteran with immense experience and strong senses.
Kalkbrenner made more than 30% of his threes at Creighton, which proves him as a low-volume 3-point shooter.
His 7-foot-6 wingspan makes him one of the best shot-blockers in college basketball.

Weaknesses-

Ryan Kalkbrenner is known for his high dependence on teammates to set him up. His lack of an advanced post game.
He is not a high leaper which makes it difficult to recover or impact shots after being pulled out of position.
He lacks natural passing as well as playmaking skills, and his average of 1.3 assists per game in his entire college career is a strong testament to it.

Ryan Kalkbrenner Stats and Accomplishments

The Florissant-native finished his final year in college with an average of 19.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists per game.

He earned Second-Team All-American- USBWA, NABC honors in 2025.
Kalkbrenner won the Big East Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore, and went on to win it three more times.
In addition to it, he earned All-Big East Honorable Mention as a sophomore.
In his junior year, the 23-year-old was named to the All-Big East First Team and was an AP All-American Honorable Mention.
Following his senior season, he once again received All-American Honorable Mention and made All-Big East Second Team, plus was part of the Hall of Fame Classic All-Tournament Team.
During his second senior year, he won the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award. In addition, he was also named AP All-American Third Team and was voted the NABC Defensive Player of the Year.

Ryan Kalkbrenner Draft Projection

Ryan Kalkbrenner is a four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, and is known as an excellent paint defender and shot-blocker. A prototypical big man on offense, he is expected to be a safe late first-round pick or an early second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

2025 NBA Draft

Ryan Kalkbrenner

Garima Ranawat

Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.