2025 NBA Mock Draft: Duke’s Cooper Flagg the better pro prospect than Auburn’s Johni Broome

Whichever franchise secures the No. 1 pick would be wise to seriously consider all options, obviously. But, ultimately, they should land on Flagg, who would then become the first player born and raised in Maine to ever be selected first overall in the NBA Draft — and the sixth Blue Devil to do it following Art Heyman (1963), Elton Brand (1999), Kyrie Irving (2011), Zion Williamson (2019) and Paolo Banchero (2022).

Reasonable minds can disagree on which of Rutgers’ two five-star freshmen is the superior prospect — but I lean slightly toward Bailey, the 6-10 wing who has a chance to be the best scorer from this class. As folks sometimes say, Bailey simply does some things you cannot teach most players his size, and his shot-making ability is unmatched in college basketball (although the inconsistency connected to it can be concerning, specifically the way he might have a 13-of-15 effort from the field one week, then a 3-of-15 effort the next).

Big lead guards are desirable in the NBA — and Harper is the best one in the class. He’s the son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper and a 6-6 playmaker who is still averaging 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game even though an ankle injury suffered in late January limited him on the court before ultimately sidelining him for each of Rutgers’ past two contests.

Another lead guard with size who should go in the top five is Jakucionis, the 6-6 Lithuanian who projects as this class’s best foreign-born prospect. Athleticism concerns might keep Jakucionis out of the conversation to go first overall, but it shouldn’t lead to too many franchises passing on the 18 year-old.

Edgecombe started the season as more of a prospect than a player but has been flourishing in recent weeks — starting with a 30-point effort in a win over Kansas State. He’s an explosive athlete who has averaged 3.5 made 3-pointers over Baylor’s past four games to help get the Bears a single-digit seed in Jerry Palm’s latest projected bracket for the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Maluach is a 7-2, 250-pound center shooting 74.7% from the field and showing the ability to guard in space. Those things alone make him a reasonable option in the top 10, especially considering he’s one of the youngest prospects in the draft with lots of room for growth.

Newell was a 5-star prospect in the Class of 2024 who is now the leading scorer for a Georgia program that entered the AP poll earlier this season for the first time in 14 years. He has shown the ability to move his feet well enough on defense to switch, and is comfortable shooting jumpers even if the 3-point percentage isn’t great.

Knueppel is shooting 37.7% from 3 on 6.2 attempts per game — and most scouts will tell you he’s a better shooter than that. The 6-7 guard is Duke’s second-leading scorer at 13.5 points, and even if he never develops into a better-than-average shot-creator in the NBA, his elite jumpshot and solid defensive instincts have turned him into a top-10 option.

Johnson got 29 points in the season opener, 28 more four nights later and is now leading the SEC in scoring at 19.0 points while making 37.7% of the 6.5 3-pointers he’s attempting a game. If Bailey is the best scorer in this class, Johnson might be next on that list, and there are always millions of dollars waiting for guards with size who can get buckets like him.

In a break from recent norms, I have each of the first 10 picks in this mock projected as college players — but Saraf should be the prospect who breaks the string. The guard from Israel doesn’t possess elite athleticism or a great body, but he’s effective with the ball in his hands as a playmaker and consistently performing well as a professional in Germany at the age of 18, which has bolstered his status with evaluators.

Fears has gone from the 65th-best prospect in the Class of 2024, according to 247Sports, to a serious lottery option. The guard plays at a different speed than most prospects, which is among the reasons he’s rising on some draft boards despite shooting below 28% from beyond the arc.

McNeeley has been sidelined for a month but was starting to get comfortable in UConn’s offense prior to the ankle injury that’s complicated the Huskies’ season. He entered college with a reputation as a solid all-around prospect who can really shoot it, and nearly everything he did in UConn’s first 14 games supported that assessment.

BYU should have the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft (AJ Dybantsa) — and perhaps a top-10 pick in this one thanks to the presence of Demin, a freshman from Russia who is averaging 10.7 points and 5.9 assists. The vision and playmaking ability at his size is clearly intriguing, but subpar shooting, basically from anywhere outside of the paint, including at the free throw line, leaves some questions.

Fears might be the only freshman who has helped himself more this season than Sorber, who has gone from a borderline top-50 prospect in the Class of 2024 to a one-and-done lottery option. Georgetown has had lots of great bigs — among them Patrick Ewing and Roy Hibbert — and Sorber, a New Jersey native, looks like he could be the next.

Jones has long been established as a long-distance threat — but this season has seen him emerge as a real playmaker who is averaging 6.2 assists per game with a better than 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Most juniors who return to college for their senior years barely improve their draft stock, if at all, but Jones has gone from a projected second-round pick to a possible top-20 pick through the first three months of Marquette’s season.

Fleming played at Camden High in New Jersey with multiple five-star prospects and also on the EYBL circuit — point being he was very visible but still a zero-star recruit, according to 247Sports. That should illustrate how much the 6-9 forward has developed under Billy Lange at Saint Joseph’s, where he’s now averaging 15.5 points while shooting 40.7% from 3-point range and emerging as a legitimate option in the top 20.

Traore has mostly experienced a rough season in France as an 18 year-old playing against professionals. He likely won’t be picked in June where he would’ve been picked in October — but somewhere in the top 20 remains a possibility.

Jackson had a terrific seven-game stretch from late December to mid-January in which he averaged 19.9 points while North Carolina went 6-1. The 6-4 guard hasn’t shown much playmaking ability, but he’s an obvious scorer off the bounce or from beyond the 3-point line, where he’s making 37.6% of his 4.6 attempts per contest.

It’s been an up and down season for Richardson, the son of former top-five pick Jason Richardson, who helped the Spartans win the 2000 NCAA Tournament. But big performances here and there (like his 20-point outing at Rutgers against Bailey and Harper), and a 3-point percentage of 42.9, should get him picked in the first round.

Philon isn’t Alabama’s best player — but he is the Crimson Tide’s best prospect, averaging 10.5 points for a Final Four contender. His creativity with the ball and effectiveness on defense are the reasons he’s a one-and-done prospect, but his bad 3-point percentage (27.8%) and small frame (175 pounds) are areas of concern.

Fland is likely done as a college player after suffering a thumb injury last month — and that’s unfortunate. But before he was sidelined he showed enough as a shotmaker and playmaker to convince scouts he’s worthy of a first-round pick even if he’s on the smaller size.

Essengue just turned 18 in December and has shown promising flashes as a native of France playing professionally in Germany. He’s a switchable wing with a good motor who just makes positive things happen and has plenty of room to grow as one of the youngest prospects available.

Queen isn’t a stretch-5, that’s for sure. But a 6-10, 246-pound center averaging 15.0 points and 8.3 rebounds as a freshman should be considered in this range, even if he comes with questions connected to whether he’ll be able to adequately handle ball-screens at the next level.

Broome’s age will work against him with some front offices — but, in my opinion, he’s worth a pick in the 20s. Perhaps he doesn’t have the same kind of perceived upside that younger prospects might possess, but Broome should be a plug-and-play option for any franchise in win-now mode and in need of rotation players on small contracts.

Murray-Boyles is a productive offensive player and plus-defender who should go in the first round somewhere — either in the teens or 20s — but that will probably be determined by whether executives believe he can develop a perimeter shot. Right now, he doesn’t have one, evidence being how he takes less than one 3-pointer per game and has only made five through his first 50 appearances at South Carolina.

Penda possesses good defensive instincts and is strong and versatile enough to guard multiple positions. His 3-point shot remains the swing-skill, but it has appeared improved this season in France’s top professional league.

Gonzales doesn’t project as a member of any All-Rookie teams, as he’s more of an 18-year-old project than a teenager ready to flourish in an NBA rotation. But there are enough interesting things that the Real Madrid wing brings to the table — passing, intensity, etc., — to make him a first-round option.

A rough shooting stretch from Byrd has lowered his 3-point percentage to 36.3. But a wing who has made at least three 3-pointers eight different times through 19 games is the type of prospect all franchises are trying to add at some point in any draft.

Clifford is an older prospect like Broome whose age makes it more likely he’ll go outside of the top 20 than inside of the top 15. But the wing is averaging 17.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists, and his versatility and shooting potential give him a chance to stick at the next level.

Karaban, with an expanded role, is statistically a similar player to what he was last season when he helped UConn win a second straight national title. Karaban has proven to be a reliable 3-point shooter with defensive toughness and intangibles that impact winning, and that’s among the reasons he’ll be the fifth starter from the 2024 Huskies to eventually play in the NBA.