Looking ahead to the 2025 NBA Draft: Cooper Flag, Ace Bailey and other top prospects to follow
It's never too early to think about the next wave of youngsters who are primed to enter the NBA.
Basketball
The men's collegiate basketball season starts next week (Monday, 4 November), and international seasons are underway (including in the vaunted EuroLeague), meaning the 2025 NBA Draft cycle has arrived.
For the next six months and right up until day one of the draft in June, NBA scouts and executives will analyse hundreds of players worldwide to find prospects to bolster their teams. Some may even uncover the next big star of the league.
The 2025 draft is being billed as one of the best in years, with the expected top-five of the class already generating a lot of buzz.
Below, we give you a succinct rundown of who these young athletes are, their skills and weaknesses, and where they are expected to be taken in the draft next summer.
5. Nolan Traoré | 6-foot-3 (1.91m) guard | Saint-Quentin | France
Outside of the USA, is there a nation in the world producing more high-end basketball talent than France right now?
Following Victor Wembanyama in 2023 and Zaccharie Risacher in 2024, Traoré is the latest rising French star projected to go in the top five of the draft. But while his two predecessors were No.1 picks, Traoré - at this early stage - is a bit lower on the board.
That's because, at this point in his career, he has been proven to be a bit of a streaky shooter, and though he has good measurements for a point guard (6-foot-3 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan), he doesn't have the explosiveness of a Ja Morant that will enable him to consistently finish around the rim.
With that being said, the 19-year-old has shown that he can be a fantastic floor general (he was the top assist-maker at the European Under-18 Championships, where France finished fourth) and defensive stopper, and has had two huge games for Saint-Quentin thus far this season (a 20-point, 10-assist performance against Nancy and a 27-point showing against Kolossos).
Comparisons to a faster, taller version of NBA champion and compatriot Tony Parker are already being whispered among basketball analysts, but that's only if Traoré can reach his full potential.
4. Dylan Harper | 6-foot-6 (1.98m) guard | Rutgers University | USA
Harper comes from a talented basketball family, with both his father and brother former NBA pros. What he lacks in elite athleticism he makes up for with intelligence and physical play, utlising his 6-foot-6 frame (and 6-foot-10 wingspan) to bully smaller defenders, absorb contact, and knock down shots.
He's a creative attacker with sublime ballhandling skills and the footwork to match it, meaning he's a playmaking threat on every trip down the floor. There are still questions about the consistency of his jump shot, but that's something that can be honed and developed throughout his freshman year at Rutgers.
3. V.J. Edgecombe | 6-foot-3 (1.91m) guard | Baylor University | Bahamas
The third guard on this list, Edgecombe is the most explosive of the trio, utilising his 40-inch-plus vertical to slash into the lane and throw down powerful dunks, or conversely swat away any weak attempts at the rim.
Edgecombe also has unique international experience; during the FIBA 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournament, the 19-year-old helped lead the Bahamas all the way to the final, pouring in 16.5 points per game on a very efficient 57.1 per cent shooting from the field. The Bahamas' bid to qualify for Paris 2024 was ultimately ended by Spain, but by playing (and succeeding) against NBA-calibre opposition, Edgecombe proved he is more than capable of succeeding in the top professional league in the world.
The one issue that Edgecombe will need to continue to work on is the development of his weak hand (his left). Turn that into a strength, and he could easily be the first guards chosen in the 2025 draft.
2. Ace Bailey | 6-foot-10 (2.08m) forward | Rutgers University | USA
While Cooper Flag might be the near conseus No.1 pick in next year's draft (more on him shortly), Bailey is often cited as the most likely candidate to challenge him for the top spot.
That's because Bailey, at 6-foot-10 with a seven-foot wingspan, is a fantastic athlete and jump shooter, who utliises his height and reach to shoot over defenders - similar to NBA stars Paul George and Kevin Durant, both of whom Bailey is drawing comparisons to.
Ace Bailey #4 of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
The knocks on him come down to his ball-handling ability and presumed inability to create easy shots for himself, but Bailey just needs to polish the tools he already has to essentially ensure a move into the NBA next year.
1. Cooper Flagg | 6-foot-9 (2.06m) forward | Duke University | USA
The conversation surrounding Flagg as a future NBA star started in 2023, when he was just a 16-year-old playing at the famous Monteverde Academy in Monteverde, Florida (notable alumni of the school include Joel Embiid, D'Angelo Russell, and Ben Simmons).
Flagg dominated in high school, displaying a defensive intensity and versatile offensive skill set that earned him multiple offers from major collegiate programs including Duke University, which is where the 17-year-old (Flagg turns 18 in December) will play his freshman season.
The excitement surrounding Flagg reached new levels during a USA Basketball minicamp over the summer, when the young phenom impressed NBA stars during a scrimmage against the U.S. Olympic team as they prepared for Paris 2024.
It should be an indication of how special the Maine native is that he was the only member of the camp without college or professional experience. And yet, there were times in the game when Flagg appeared to be the best player on the floor.
“He’s a special young man,” said Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley, who coached the select team, to NBA.com. “His talent level, his basketball IQ, his level of toughness, not afraid of those moments, protect the rim, make the right play, make the right read. He had all that.”
What makes Flagg the likely No.1 pick is his all-around game. He can guard multiple positions, create and score off the dribble, find open teammates, rebound at a high level, and seemingly never runs out of gas.
It will be exciting to watch him grow and develop at Duke and in the NBA.