2025 NBA Mock Draft: Duke’s Cooper Flagg projected to go No. 1 to Jazz capping dominant season

Flagg exceeded all reasonable expectations at Duke — becoming the youngest Wooden Award winner in history while leading the Blue Devils to their 18th Final Four in program history. Simply put, no matter how the ping pong balls fall, the one-and-done star who led Duke in all five major statistical categories will be the first player selected. And he should be.

It’s fair to call Harper’s freshman year a disappointment, on some level, considering how his team struggled to a 15-17 record. But the lead guard did nothing to actually damage his status as an elite prospect. He should be a lock to be a top-three pick barring any concerns that might emerge during the pre-draft process.

Johnson is a scoring guard with good positional size who shot 39.7% from 3 on 6.8 attempts per game in his one season at Texas. He averaged 21.6 points over his final 10 outings and projects as a high-level shooter and scorer at the next level.

Edgecombe is a top-shelf athlete capable of creating posters in transition. He’s the type of prospect who is both safe and filled with upside after helping Baylor make what was a sixth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.

More evidence that Rutgers should’ve been better than it was is the fact that the Scarlet Knights finished with a losing record despite having two projected top-five picks. Bailey’s upside is tremendous given that he’s an electric shot-creator and shot-maker. It’s just a matter of being more consistent with everything — and becoming more than just a scorer.

Knueppel was mostly excellent through Duke’s run to the Final Four, averaging 19.0 points while shooting 63.6% from beyond the arc. He’s an elite shooter, obviously, but far from only a shooter. Anybody labeling him as little more than a catch-and-shoot threat is wildly underestimating his versatility as a basketball player.

What Jakucionis lacks in explosiveness he makes up for with his diverse skill-set and high basketball IQ. The Lithuanian only shot 31.8% from 3 in one season at Illinois. That shouldn’t be ignored, obviously. But Jackucionis has previously shown to be enough of a reliable shooter that his poor percentage at Illinois won’t send him tumbling on draft night.

Fears is set to join the relatively short list of one-and-done lottery picks who were ranked outside of the top 60 of their high school classes. His unique ability to change speeds and keep defenders off balance is too much to ignore — even if his subpar 3-point percentage is a legitimate source of concern.

Queen is a super-skilled forward who offsets some of his physical limitations with skill and smarts. He hit the buzzer-beater against Colorado State in the Round of 32, scored 27 against the eventual national champion (Florida) in the Sweet 16 and solidified himself down the stretch of his freshman season as an intriguing lottery option.

Fleming is a 6-9 athlete with a 7-5 wingspan who shot 39% from 3 on 4.5 attempts per game as a 20 year-old at Saint Joseph’s. That sentence alone should make him a lottery pick.

Murray-Boyles is a non-shooting and undersized front-court player, which makes him a somewhat divisive prospect. But he’s impactful in multiple ways on both ends of the court, and his feel for the game and instincts have many evaluators on board with the 19 year-old being selected somewhere in the bottom half of the lottery.

Maluach’s truly great freshman year ended horribly with a zero-rebound effort in 21 minutes during Duke’s season-ending loss to Houston. But that was just one game against an older and stronger team, and it shouldn’t sour front offices too much on an 18 year-old who can move unusually well for a man his size.

McNeeley only shot 31.7% from 3-point range in his one year at UConn — but scouts are largely unconcerned and still view him as a strong-shooting wing at the next level. An ankle sprain cost him more than a month of his freshman season, but McNeeley showed enough while on the court to convince evaluators he’s worthy of being selected in the lottery.

Richardson didn’t emerge as a starter at Michigan State until halfway through the season but quickly showed himself to be the team’s most dynamic scorer. He’s the son of 14-year NBA veteran Jason Richardson, which is viewed as a positive. The combo guard is a high-energy prospect with the type of basketball IQ children of players often possess.

Clifford, 23, is older than the type of prospects some front offices prefer to select with top-20 picks — but he checks a lot of other boxes. Good positional size? Yes. A competent shooter? Yes. Versatile defender? Yes. He could be the next nice NBA player to emerge from the Mountain West Conference.

Wolf moved from the Ivy League to the Big Ten and, statistically, arguably performed even better. He’s a 7-footer with guard skills who is a better defender than some realize.

Demin is a backcourt player with tremendous size — but one who turned it over 2.9 times per game this season, which should be at least a little concerning for franchises viewing him as a ball-in-his-hands guard. The 3-point percentage is also an issue. So it’s easy to understand why the one-and-done prospect from Russia is a divisive prospect, but there’s still little chance he goes much lower than the middle of the first round.

Can Newell keep the floor spaced as a legitimate 3-point threat? If so, he should go higher. If not, he should go lower. Either way, that’s the swing-skill for the one-and-done prospect who performed quite well as a freshman in an SEC filled with much older and stronger players.

Essengue is a French prospect with great positional size. As one of the youngest players available, he’s a long-term bet. But if the shot develops, and the defensive versatility becomes undeniable, the 18 year-old could be a steal at this point in the draft.

Beringer is a frontcourt prospect with a 7-4 wingspan who provides defensive versatility and the ability to rim-protect. Is he ready to contribute in the NBA next season? Probably not. But there’s a lot to like with this 18 year-old from Serbia.

Traore does enough good things with the ball in his hands to secure a spot in the first round— but his inefficiency, and lack of shooting, are non-starters for some front offices. At 18, there are still many years of development for the French native. Any franchise selecting him has to do so with that understanding.

Bryant was a top-30 prospect in the Class of 2024 who shot 37.1% from 3-point range in his freshman year at Arizona. He projects as a 3-and-D wing and has the requisite athleticism to develop into a really good one over time.

Sorber seemed ahead of schedule for a one-and-done prospect before suffering a season-ending left-foot injury on Feb. 15. Regardless, he did enough in 24 games to show he’d either spend next season as a Big East Player of the Year candidate or as a rookie in the NBA. The foot-injury is concerning, if only because big men with foot injuries don’t have the best stories. But Sorber should still go in the first round of this draft.

Saraf is another international prospect with nice positional size. Concerns about his shooting and athleticism should keep him out of the lottery — but there’s enough pick-and-roll playmaking ability already in place to ensure his name is called.

Gonzalez hasn’t played or produced much for Real Madrid this season, which is mostly the byproduct of being a 19 year-old on a first-place team in a legitimate professional league. But the athleticism and high-motor that’s made him an intriguing prospect for years still exists and will likely be enough to get Gonzalez selected in the first round.

Riley didn’t get as much attention as some other freshmen — but he was a reliable double-digit scorer for an NCAA Tournament team from start to finish. At Illinois, the long-and-lean wing showed playmaking ability. But the jumper is still more streaky than reliable, and he also needs to add strength.

Raynaud improved statistically in four straight years at Stanford — going from somebody who averaged 4.5 points as a freshman to somebody who averaged 20.2 as a senior. His ability to stretch the floor and pass at his size are considered strengths that are emphasized in the modern-NBA.

Broome is an older prospect who might not be a target of franchises rebuilding. But any contender selecting in the 20s in need of a low-cost rookie who can help immediately should consider the consensus First Team All-American who helped Auburn secure the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Broome will be plug-and-play from Day 1.

Clayton was the star of Florida’s national title run while averaging 22.3 points on 43.5% shooting from beyond the arc in those six NCAA Tournament games. There are concerns about his decision-making and approach to defense, but the Most Outstanding Player of the 2025 Final Four is such a skilled and unique shotmaker that he’s worthy of serious looks deep in the first round.

Kalkbrenner is a four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year He’s far from what anybody would call a modern NBA center. But if Zach Edey went in the top 10 of the 2025 NBA Draft, there’s no reason Kalkbrenner can’t go in the top 30 of the 2025 NBA Draft.