Australian Alex Toohey announced on X yesterday that he has declared for the 2025 NBA Draft. Toohey is very familiar with the NBA despite spending his entire life in Australia. What are the 20-year-old’s athletic strengths and weaknesses, and where could he get drafted?
Toohey has been part of Australia’s NBL Next Star program with the Sydney Kings for the last two seasons. The Canberra (Australia) native was also part of the NBA Global Academy while in high school. He participated in the 2022 NBA Academy Games and the Nike Hoopfest in 2023.
Australian Sensation Declares For 2025 NBA Draft, Where Is The Athletic Forward Projected To Be Selected?
According to AAP, the 6-8 forward has developed nicely in his second season with the Kings and was one of the team’s bright spots this season. Sydney finished fifth in the NBL with a 16-13 record and then fell in the first round of the playoffs.
Toohey averaged 11.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.4 steals in 32 games this season. Toohey averaged one three-pointer with shooting splits of 46.5/34.0/ 73.8. The 2025 NBL Next Generation Award, given to the league’s top under-25 player, winner also scored in double-figures 18 times, topping the 20-point five times, and produced one double-double.
Toohey committed to join Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs in 2022. But instead of heading to Spokane (Washington), he opted to be part of the NBL Rising Star program. The NBL Rising Star program has produced nine NBA draft picks: LaMelo Ball (No. 3, 2020), R.J. Hampton (No. 24, 2020), Josh Giddey (No. 6 2021), Ousmane Dieng (No. 11, 2022), Rayan Rupert (No. 43, 2023), Alex Sarr (No. 2, 2024), AJ Johnson (No. 23, 2024), Bobi Klintman (No. 37, 2024) and Ariel Hukporti (No. 58, 2024).
Alex Toohey Scouting Report
Strengths: Length, Moves well without the ball, Basketball IQ, Good passer, Slasher who finishes well at rim with variety of finishes,
Solid mid-range game, Physicality, Offensive versatility
Weakness: Lacks Elite athleticism and Explosiveness, Shooting, Ball-handling, and Rebounding. Defense
Looking at the film, Toohey is a very intriguing prospect due to his skill. A good comp at the same stage that Toohey is currently at is Josh Giddey. Giddey was with Australia’s Adelaide 36ers for one season in 2020-21 before being selected with the No. 6 overall pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2021.
Granted, Giddey is more gifted than Toohey, but their games are relatively similar, and they appear to have the same intangibles. An NBA team can only hope that Toohey develops as a shooter like Giddey.
Toohey is stronger and more physical than Giddey, but not as athletic. Besides his basketball instincts and motor, the best thing Toohey has going for him is his length. He stands at 6-foot-8 but has a 6-11 wingspan, which aids him on both ends of the floor.
Other than the intangibles and his improvement from last year to this past season, what stands out about Toohey is his versatility and ability to create space. He can score inside and out, whether slashing to the basket, cutting, in the post, or in the mid-range off the dribble. In addition, he is effective in transition and finishes well through contact.
While Toohey did improve from beyond the arc from last year to this season, he still has a lot of growing to do. He is not a great ball-handler, though he is a good passer.
There are questions about his defensive acumen, and he gets torched by quicker players. But Toohey does recover well, and his length is a huge asset on that end of the floor. Toohey also plays the passing lane extremely well, though he needs to do a better job hitting the boards on that end.
Will Toohey Get Drafted?
While there is plenty of time for Toohey to decide if he will remain in the 2025 Draft, a lot of it will likely depend on whether he gets invited to the G-League Elite Combine or NBA Draft Combine. More than likely, Toohey will get an invite to the G-League Elite Combine and have a chance of playing his way into an NBA Combine spot.
At this point, Toohey appears to be a mid-to-late second-round pick. However, a team could fall in love with his potential and draft him early in the second round.
In a difference of opinion, Chris Pongrass, who is the Kings’ chief executive and formerly head of basketball operations at the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, shared his thoughts with the AAP:
“I might be biased with this, but I think he’s a first-round pick. It’s all based on what the team needs and what they might prioritise, but I truly think he’s a late first-round pick, and if he’s a late first-round or early second-round, it’s all semantics at that point. He should be picked within the first 35 picks.”
Toohey is ranked as the No. 37 prospect by ESPN, No. 39 by Sports Illustrated’s Draft Digest, No. 31 by The Athletic, No. 49 by Tankathon, and No. 47 by On3.
Other Australian Prospects
As part of the NBL’s Rising Star program, three other players could also declare for the 2025 NBA draft. Rocco Zikarsky, Malique Lewis, and Izan Alamansa have yet to declare their draft intentions, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if they do, particularly Lewis and Alamansa. Karim Lewis of the New Zealand Breakers is not eligible for the draft until next season.
Rocco Zikarsky
Zikarsky is not yet 19 but finished his second year with Brisbane in 2024-25. The 7-2 center saw a little more regular playing time and increased his production. But he still needs more time to develop.
Zikarsky averaged 4.3 points and 3.5 rebounds over 12.2 minutes in 20 appearances. He scored in double-figures on four occasions.
Malique Lewis
Lewis moved to South East Melbourne this past offseason after spending last year with the G-League Mexico City Capitanes. Despite being just 20, Lewis has four years of professional basketball under his belt. He didn’t have a great season in Australia, but it was a good step in the right direction.
Lewis scored in double-figures 14 times and averaged 6.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 37 games. He also comprised shooting splits of .429/.311/.667.
Izan Alamansa
Alamansa played for the G-League Ignite last season and had a productive season. He moved to Perth this year, and while the not-yet-20-year-old didn’t receive as much playing time as the previous season, he improved his efficiency.
The 6-10 big averaged 7.2 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting .520/.304/.594 in 17 minutes over 36 appearances. He scored in double-figures eight times and increased his production as a starter to 9.4 points and 5.4 boards in fewer than 20 minutes per contest.
