Bilas: Eight prospects I like in this NBA draft

The 2025 NBA draft volition people my 23rd consecutive twelvemonth sitting connected the main table for ESPN. In each of those years, determination person been hits and misses, we've been close and wrong, but each year, I summation much respect for the process. When I archetypal started, aft spending agelong hours connected subordinate evaluations, I astir apt thought I knew which prospects would hit. I rapidly learned that I didn't know. Nobody knows.

All anyone does is "believe." Hands up each for immoderate of those who thought Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was a aboriginal MVP erstwhile helium was drafted No. 11 retired of Kentucky? How galore pegged Jalen Brunson arsenic All-NBA and Clutch Player of the Year erstwhile helium came retired of Villanova? Almost each draft, we volition look backmost successful 5 years and fertile the players acold otherwise than connected draught night. Maybe that is existent successful each sport, but it is particularly existent successful basketball, wherever decisions are made connected abbreviated way records of 18- and 19-year-olds.

Players basal retired successful each draft. There are ne'er guarantees -- though this year's draught (Wednesday and Thursday nights, 8 ET connected ABC and ESPN) has arsenic adjacent to a definite happening arsenic we've seen successful a agelong clip -- but erstwhile you spot thing from these players, they marque you a believer. Here are a fewer successful this draught whom I truly like.

The no-brainer

This is the Cooper Flagg Draft. If immoderate of the 30 NBA teams had the apical prime successful the 2025 draught lottery, each 30 would instrumentality Flagg and ne'er look back. Flagg is the champion Duke freshman ever and the astir implicit subordinate successful this draft.

Though Flagg has country to amended successful definite areas, nary different subordinate checks arsenic galore boxes. Few players I person scouted implicit the past 30 years are arsenic proficient successful arsenic galore areas arsenic Flagg. He is simply a legit 6-8 with a 7-0 wingspan. He is athletic, long, tin determination his feet laterally and has bully speed. Defensively, helium has large awareness, gets steals and blocks, and is precise bully connected the glass. Flagg is an elite modulation finisher and playmaker. He is simply a terrific operator and finisher, and an fantabulous cutter.

The sound connected him aboriginal was his shooting ... is helium a accordant perimeter shooter? During ACC play, Flagg changeable 44% from heavy and astir 39% past season. Can helium tighten up his handle? Yes, but his changeable is hardly a problem; it conscionable isn't the pb story.

Flagg has All-NBA potential, and I judge that helium volition scope it. As agelong arsenic helium stays healthy, helium volition not neglect successful the NBA. He is conscionable different. Putting speech the skills and measurable traits, Flagg is 1 of the astir competitory players I person seen astatine this age. Yes, a batch of prospects are competitive, but this feline is connected the highest tier of competitors. At lone 18, Flagg is mature beyond his years -- acold beyond astir 22-year-old prospects successful this draft.

Flagg does not spell into a crippled looking for numbers. Instead, helium strives to marque the close play -- and by stacking the close play implicit and over, helium puts up awesome numbers crossed the board.

The shooters

This draught has its stock of fantabulous shooters, and freshmen entries Tre Johnson of Texas and Kon Knueppel of Duke pb the way.

Johnson is the amended shotmaker and athlete. With a 6-10 wingspan, helium led the SEC successful scoring astatine 19.9 points per crippled and changeable 39.7% from beyond the arc, hitting 89 3-pointers past season.

Despite his magnitude and carnal traits, Johnson did not person the expected antiaircraft impact, but his velocity and agility volition service him good successful the NBA. Knueppel is the champion catch-and-shoot defender successful the draft.

He deed astir 41% from heavy arsenic a freshman successful Durham, N.C., making 84 3s. Last season, Knueppel deed 48% connected country 3s, and canned 91.4% of his escaped throws. Kneuppel's defence and carnal tools are the questions. But though Kneuppel is improbable to beryllium named to the NBA's All-Defensive Team, helium isn't a pushover and is ever getting escaped balls.

The 3-and-D guys

Length seems to construe good to the NBA, and its value cannot beryllium overstated. A subordinate who tin defender aggregate positions, switch, disrupt and get deflections, steals and blocks tin find playing clip for immoderate NBA team. Add successful a reliable perimeter shot, and you are adjacent much valuable. This year, 3 3-and-D guys are somewhat nether the radar but volition beryllium coveted connected draught night.

Carter Bryant of Arizona, Rasheer Fleming of Saint Joseph's and Cedric Coward of Washington State are the astir tantalizing prospects successful this invaluable category. Bryant is expected to beryllium archetypal disconnected the committee among the three. Bryant, 19, is an outstanding jock who finished successful the apical 5 successful vertical leap and sprint clip astatine the combine. He has size and awesome magnitude and tin deed a standstill 3-pointer. Almost fractional of his points past play came from made 3s, and 82% of his changeable attempts were catch-and-shoot 3s oregon finishes astatine the rim.

Fleming, 20, has large versatility and a 7-5 wingspan. He's a multi-positional defender and level spacer who deed 62 3s connected 39% shooting. His changeable mentation is good, helium tin truly alteration ends, and he's an outstanding rebounder.

Coward is the enigma man. After starting his vocation arsenic a Division III player, helium transferred to Eastern Washington, past to Washington State. Coward played lone six games successful Pullman, but helium scored 20 oregon much successful three, including 30 points against Northern Colorado. Coward is not arsenic gangly arsenic Fleming, but he's got a 7-2 wingspan, speed, spot and large instincts connected some ends of the floor. Coward was terrific astatine the combine, finishing successful the apical 6 successful the sprint, vertical leap and lasting vertical leap.

The chaotic cards

Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey would spell No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, if endowment and upside imaginable were the lone variables. But the 2 champion prospects aft Flagg played unneurotic astatine Rutgers and had a losing record. The Scarlet Knights went 15-17 and 8-12 successful the Big Ten. Though it is just to question wherefore neither contributed much to winning, particularly with a talented constituent defender successful Harper, I uncertainty the team's grounds volition origin into the draught presumption of either prospect.

Harper is the second-best imaginable successful this draught -- a long-armed, three-level scorer who is simply a polished violative subordinate with large footwork and a changeable creator. Harper is precise bully successful pick-and-roll situations and makes large reads. He is not a accordant heavy shooter, hitting lone 33% from 3-point distance, but helium has bully mechanics. He is simply a worker, but not yet an impactful defender, contempt his magnitude and body.

Bailey is 1 of the high-risk, high-reward guys successful the draft. Few person a higher ceiling and fewer tin lucifer his shotmaking ability, particularly tough, pull-up jumpers nether pressure. Bailey had 39 points against Indiana and 38 against Northwestern. Bailey has faced questions astir his maturity, but helium is conscionable 18 years old, and his endowment is undeniable. With Harper's endowment and accomplishment profile, cipher passes him up astatine No. 2 -- not adjacent San Antonio, which needs shooting, thing Harper does not provide. Bailey should travel him shortly, going anyplace from No. 3 to No. 8.