2025 NBA Draft: Who are the best prospects available this year not named Cooper Flagg?
The Oklahoma City Thunder are your 2024-25 NBA champions, which means it's time for every other team to gear up and start improving if they want to dethrone Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company.
While free agency or trades can certainly help − after all, the Houston Rockets already have the trade train going after making a deal for Kevin Durant − a standout rookie always provides a huge burst. The NBA Draft is tomorrow, and with the Dallas Mavericks lined up to select Duke's Cooper Flagg, the onus of finding the next best NBA talent falls on the other 29 teams.
Here are the top NBA prospects in this year's class not named Cooper Flagg.
Best 2025 NBA Draft prospects
Immediately following Flagg, the draft pool is carried by a pair of players out of Rutgers: Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey. After that pair, the college basketball scene dominates the top-10 with only one international player in ESPN's top-10: French star Noa Essengue.
Only one other international player ranks in the top-20: Joan Beringer, France. For perspective, there are three players from Duke in that same range. Here's a quick look at the top-20 NBA Draft prospects outside of Cooper Flagg.
1) Dylan Harper, Rutgers
- Position: G
- Height: 6'5"
- Weight: 213
- Strengths: Big frame for a guard, great playmaker, good shot creator, solid finisher
2) Ace Bailey, Rutgers
- Position: G
- Height: 6'8"
- Weight: 203
- Strengths: Long frame, elite scorer from all around the court, high-energy defender
3) VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
- Position: G
- Height: 6'4"
- Weight: 193
- Strengths: Athleticism, great on-ball defender
4) Tre Johnson, Texas
- Position: G
- Height: 6'5"
- Weight: 190
- Strengths: Scoring, high-energy defender
5) Kon Knueppel, Duke
- Position: G
- Height: 6'5"
- Weight: 219
- Strengths: Shooting, solid playmaker and defender, can fit into practically any role placed on him
6) Khaman Maluach, Duke
- Position: C
- Height: 7'1"
- Weight: 253
- Strengths: Physicality, elite rim protector
7) Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma
- Position: G
- Height: 6'3"
- Weight: 180
- Strengths: Elite playmaker
8) Noa Essengue, France
- Position: F
- Height: 6'10"
- Weight: 204
- Strengths: high-end scoring and defensive upside, solid playmaker, young
9) Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois
- Position: G
- Height: 6'5"
- Weight: 205
- Strengths: Good size for a guard, high basketball IQ, great playmaker, shooting
10) Egor Demin, BYU
- Position: G
- Height: 6'8"
- Weight: 199
- Strengths: Arguably the best playmaker in the draft, very high basketball IQ
11) Carter Bryant, Arizona
- Position: F
- Height: 6'7"
- Weight: 215
- Strengths: High-upside scoring and defense from the wing, size
12) Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina
- Position: F
- Height: 6'7"
- Weight: 239
- Strengths: Toughness, can play many defensive positions, surprisingly strong playmaker
13) Derik Queen, Maryland
- Position: C
- Height: 6'9"
- Weight: 248
- Strengths: Shot creation, passing
14) Joan Beringer, France
- Position: C
- Height: 6'11"
- Weight: 235
- Strengths: Length, rim protection
15) Thomas Sorber, Georgetown
- Position: C
- Height: 6'9"
- Weight: 263
- Strengths: Length, high defensive upside
16) Liam McNeeley, UConn
- Position: G
- Height: 6'7"
- Weight: 215
- Strengths: Pull-up shooting, toughness
17) Jase Richardson, Michigan State
- Position: G
- Height: 6'1"
- Weight: 178
- Strengths: Ball security, shot creation, defensive upside
18) Asa Newell, Georgia
- Position: F
- Height: 6'9"
- Weight: 224
- Strengths: Agility, defensive intensity
19) Nique Clifford, Colorado State
- Position: G
- Height: 6'5"
- Weight: 202
- Strengths: Offensive and defensive upside, all-around talent
20) Cedric Coward, Washington State
- Position: F
- Height: 6'5"
- Weight: 213
- Strengths: Length, shooting, scoring upside