My 2025 NBA Draft player rankings 1-30.
- Cooper Flagg- Duke
- Dylan Harper- Rutgers
- Ace Bailey- Rutgers
- VJ Edgecombe- Baylor
- Tre Johnson- Texas
- Jeremiah Fears- Oklahoma
- Kon Knueppel- Duke
- Khaman Maluach- Duke
- Kasparas Jakucionis- Illinois
- Carter Bryant- Arizona
Notes: Before the 2024-25 season, it could have been easy to already mark down Cooper Flagg as the #1 pick. However, offensive efficiency for me was an area I had a couple questions about (41.8% FG/22.4% 3-PT/76.3% FT during the first 11 games for Duke). By the end of the season though (50.9% FG/44.7% 3-PT/87.0% FT in last 26 games), it was clear that the 18-year-old should be the 2025 NBA Draft’s 1st selection. As for the second best player in this draft, it’s got to be Dylan Harper. There were so many moments when the Rutgers freshman looked like a future NBA starter who could lead a team. At #3, Harper’s teammate Ace Bailey definitely has the potential to end up being this class’s 1st or 2nd best player, but Flagg & Harper are the safer bets career-wise. I took a very long time to decide between guards VJ Edgecombe, Tre Johnson, and Jeremiah Fears because I had questions about Edgecombe’s offense as a top option, but when I looked back at what he did for the Bahamas men’s national team during the 2024 Olympic Qualifiers, I felt way less worried. Kon Knueppel has a chance to end up as the best shooter in this draft while Khaman Maluach could become the best center. Kasparas Jakucionis can run point guard at 6′ 6″ and make big plays down the stretch while 19-year-old defensive stopper Carter Bryant thinks he can be a star.
- Derik Queen- Maryland
- Egor Demin- BYU
- Noa Essengue- Ratiopharm Ulm
- Cedric Coward- Washington State
- Nique Clifford- Colorado State
- Collin Murray-Boyles- South Carolina
- Rasheer Fleming- Saint Joseph’s
- Thomas Sorber- Georgetown
- Walter Clayton Jr- Florida
- Ben Saraf- Ratiopharm Ulm
Notes: At #11, I see Derik Queen’s polished offensive skillset and underrated defense helping him have a long career (three-point shot got better at the end of the season). Egor Demin is a crafty 6′ 9″ guard that can clearly pass the basketball, so hopefully he can find efficiency at the next level (41.2% FG/27.3% FT/69.5% FT last year at BYU). Noa Essengue has potential to become quite a versatile player one day. My biggest question with him is how aggressive of a scorer he’ll evolve into because the moves are there from time to time. Cedric Coward and Nique Clifford were two seniors I can see having an impact right away thanks to their builds and two-way play. Besides not knocking down shooting threes (has a nice looking jumper though), Collin Murray-Boyles can pass, screen, rebound, post-up, get to the free throw line, and defend (averaged 1.3 SPG/1.2 BPG in college). Rasheer Fleming looks to me like an OG Anunoby type strong forward that has a better offensive game than people think. I believe that my 18th ranked player Thomas Sorber has the chance to start at either power forward or center in the NBA (impressive IQ and strength). What Walter Clayton Jr. did as a playmaker and clutch shotmaker for the national champion Florida Gators was super impressive. And to close out the top 20, I had to put Ben Saraf. He has some Goran Dragic in him, and we all know how good Dragic was as a tall lefty point guard.
- Jase Richardson- Michigan State
- Danny Wolf- Michigan
- Maxime Raynaud- Stanford
- Asa Newell- Georgia
- Nolan Traore- Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball
- Will Riley- Illinois
- Ryan Kalkbrenner- Creighton
- Liam McNeeley- UConn
- Joan Beringer- Cedevita Olimpija
- Hugo Gonzalez- Real Madrid
Notes: It’s going to be interesting watching Jase Richardson settle into being more of a facilitator at the NBA level. He looked great off the ball this past year, so the luxury of having played both guard positions can only help him going forward. Playmaker Danny Wolf makes reads that most 7-footers can’t, but I do have concerns about his lack of athleticism. Maxime Raynaud could end up being way better than the 23rd best player in this draft, as his scoring, shooting, rebounding, and shot blocking were impressive during 2024-25. Asa Newell and Nolan Traore have many intangibles that can help teams. My question for them is how impactful they can be as scorers. At 26, Will Riley looks to me like a bucket getter off the bench who keeps the game simple. Shot blocking translated right away for Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler, and that’s exactly what I see happening with 4x Big East Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner (better offensive skillset than Kessler). Hopefully Liam McNeeley can shoot better than 38.1% from the field and 31.7% from three. Those inefficient college numbers made me rank him lower. And to end my rankings, Joan Beringer and Hugo Gonzalez seem to be international mysteries with very high upside if they can find a situation that lets them develop.
