Cooper Flagg was two wins away from pulling an Anthony Davis.
What's pulling an Anthony Davis, you ask?
That's when the No. 1 prospect in a high school class enrolls in college and wins a national championship and national player of the year award before becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the subsequent NBA Draft. Davis checked all of those boxes in the 2011-12 season at Kentucky -- and Flagg was this close to doing the same this season at Duke.
Then Houston happened.
The Cougars stormed back in the national semifinals, flipped the game completely and ended Flagg's college career two wins short of where Davis' college career ended. So the 18-year-old will never have the national championship. But he was the No. 1 player in his high school class and the CBS Sports National Player of the Year as a freshman -- and now he's going to also become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
NBA Draft decisions: Will the top 2025 transfer portal stars stay or go?
Adam Finkelstein
There's no suspense here.
It doesn't matter which franchise picks first, that franchise is picking Flagg. Will he ever be the face of an organization that wins a championship? Honestly, who knows? That's a high bar to set. But all indications are that he's going to be great. And Flagg will find out where he'll spend the first few years of his career when the lottery order is set May 12.
Mock Draft
Round 1
Round 1 - Pick 1
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.
| |||||||
Round 1 - Pick 2
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.
| |||||||
Round 1 - Pick 3
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.
| |||||||
Round 1 - Pick 4
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.
| |||||||
Round 1 - Pick 5
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.
| |||||||
Round 1 - Pick 6
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.
| |||||||
Round 1 - Pick 7
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.
| |||||||
Round 1 - Pick 8
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.
| |||||||
From
Phoenix Suns
Round 1 - Pick 9
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.
| |||||||
Round 1 - Pick 10
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.
| |||||||
Round 1 - Pick 11
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.
| |||||||
Round 1 - Pick 12
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.
| |||||||
From
Sacramento Kings
Round 1 - Pick 13
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.
| |||||||
From
Atlanta Hawks
Round 1 - Pick 14
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.
| |||||||
From
Miami Heat
Round 1 - Pick 15
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.
| |||||||
Round 1 - Pick 16
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.
| |||||||
From
Detroit Pistons
Round 1 - Pick 17
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.
| |||||||
From
Memphis Grizzlies
Round 1 - Pick 18
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.
| |||||||
From
Milwaukee Bucks
Round 1 - Pick 19
 
Noa Essengue
PF
France
• 6'10"
/ 200 lbs
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.
| |||||||
Round 1 - Pick 20
 
Joan Beringer
C
France
• 6'11"
/ 235 lbs
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.
| |||||||
Round 1 - Pick 21
 
Nolan Traore
PG
France
• 6'4"
/ 175 lbs
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.
| |||||||
From
Los Angeles Lakers
Round 1 - Pick 22
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.
| |||||||
Round 1 - Pick 23
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.
| |||||||
From
Los Angeles Clippers
Round 1 - Pick 24
 
Ben Saraf
PG
Israel
• 6'5"
/ 200 lbs
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.
| |||||||
From
Denver Nuggets
Round 1 - Pick 25
 
Hugo Gonzalez
SF
Spain
• 6'6"
/ 205 lbs
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.
| |||||||
From
New York Knicks
Round 1 - Pick 26
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.
| |||||||
From
Houston Rockets
Round 1 - Pick 27
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.
| |||||||
Round 1 - Pick 28
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.
| |||||||
From
Cleveland Cavaliers
Round 1 - Pick 29
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.
| |||||||
Round 1 - Pick 30
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.
|
