Which rookies should you roster in 2025-26?

The NBA draught is wherever the league's aboriginal takes shape. On Wednesday nighttime -- Day 1 of the two-day draught -- the adjacent question of stars began their journey.

Headlining the people is Cooper Flagg, the long-hyped Duke phenom who present officially joins the Dallas Mavericks arsenic the No. 1 wide pick. While Flagg's emergence to the apical was not a surprise, helium is acold from the lone rookie poised to marque an interaction successful twelvemonth one.

Let's interruption down the rookies that settled into the champion landing spots, and look astatine which players are champion positioned to present phantasy worth successful 2025-26.

Lottery picks worthy of drafting successful phantasy hoops

Cooper Flagg, SF, Dallas Mavericks: ESPN draught expert and Duke alum Jay Bilas touted Flagg connected draught nighttime arsenic the champion freshman subordinate successful Duke's illustrious history. Flagg led the Blue Devils successful points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks per crippled past season. At 6-foot-9, helium has fantabulous size for a tiny forward. Add to that the divers accomplishment acceptable and a large accidental to nutrient connected a Mavericks squad that volition beryllium missing starring playmaker Kyrie Irving (torn ACL) for the archetypal fractional of the season, and there's a batch to like. Here's more analysis from draught nighttime connected what past tells america astir however Flagg's rookie numbers could look.

Ace Bailey, SG/SF, Utah Jazz: Bailey was a statement top-3 endowment successful the draft, but helium slid a spot seemingly by plan aft helium became the lone American-born draught imaginable to garbage to enactment retired for immoderate teams. The Jazz took him anyway, contempt reports that helium whitethorn person preferred to spell to a squad drafting later, due to the fact that Bailey's endowment is undeniable. A 6-foot-8 helping with a 7-foot wingspan, Bailey is simply a big-time shot-maker that is talented successful isolation but besides fantabulous arsenic a catch-and-shoot player. He needs to enactment connected decision-making, changeable enactment and playmaking, but his size, athleticism and scoring quality springiness him agelong word star-power that could let him to go an interaction subordinate for the Jazz aboriginal on. The Jazz are a rebuilding squad with immoderate young talent, but nary 1 with a accomplishment acceptable akin to Bailey.

Tre Johnson, SG, Washington Wizards: Johnson is an elite shooter; according to Bilas, the champion wide shooter successful this draft. He is arsenic proficient arsenic a catch-and-shoot menace arsenic helium is disconnected the dribble. Johnson has agelong arms (6-foot-10 wingspan), is large moving without the shot but tin besides enactment disconnected the pick-and-roll. He's a earthy scorer that led the SEC successful scoring arsenic a freshman. He joins a Wizards squad that conscionable traded distant starring scorer Jordan Poole, and though they person veterans CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton connected the wing, the Wizards are a rebuilding squad that could diagnostic Johnson early.

Jeremiah Fears, PG, New Orleans Pelicans: Fears is an highly assured scoring constituent guard. ESPN draught expert Jonathan Givony utilized "gifted" arsenic his one-word statement of Fears, portion big Malika Andrews utilized the connection "swaggy". Fears is accelerated and carnal with large velocity and a knack for getting into the lane and drafting fouls, which helium knocks down astatine an elite rate. Fears joins a Pelicans squad that conscionable traded for Poole for 1 defender slot, but that volition beryllium missing starting defender Dejounte Murray for the archetypal fractional of the play arsenic helium recovers from a torn Achilles tendon. This could springiness Fears the accidental to situation for a starting spot and/or interaction minutes aboriginal successful his rookie campaign.

Egor Demin, PG, Brooklyn Nets: Demin is simply a immense defender astatine 6-foot-8 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, but helium is besides described arsenic the champion passer successful the draft. He signed a declaration with Real Madrid astatine property 15, past arsenic a freshman astatine BYU helium led the Big 12 successful assists portion mounting a BYU freshman record. Demin is an fantabulous ballhandler, his pick-and-roll imaginativeness is outstanding, and portion he's not a accordant 3-point shooter helium is consenting and tin get blistery from downtown arsenic well. The Nets are mounting disconnected a afloat rebuild, and Demin was the archetypal of their 5 archetypal circular draught picks this season. He could situation for a starting relation early, peculiarly due to the fact that his size could let him to support tiny forwards adjacent if helium plays constituent defender connected offense.

Lottery players to support an oculus on

Dylan Harper, PG, San Antonio Spurs: Harper was the statement second-best imaginable successful the Draft arsenic a young, scoring constituent defender with fantabulous size and toughness. The lad of NBA champion Ron Harper, Dylan acceptable the freshman scoring grounds astatine Rutgers aft winning the co-MVP grant successful the 2024 McDonalds All American game. Harper is simply a 3-level scorer with tremendous assemblage control, a shot-maker that is besides fantabulous astatine finishing done interaction astatine the rim. The Spurs already person beardown perimeter players with All-Star constituent defender De'Aaron Fox, Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and five-year seasoned Devin Vassell, truthful Harper whitethorn not get monolithic minutes from jump, but helium has a unsocial accomplishment acceptable and a agleam aboriginal erstwhile helium finds his role.

VJ Edgecombe, G, Philadelphia 76ers: Edgecombe is an amazingly diversion shooting defender that, connected draught night, drew comparisons to names similar Russell Westbrook, Victor Oladipo and Dwyane Wade portion comparing himself to favourite subordinate Anthony Edwards. Edgecombe is simply a beardown 3-and-D helping that plays supra the rim, tin sound down spot-up 3-pointers, and acceptable the Baylor grounds past play for the astir steals by a freshman successful schoolhouse history. The 76ers person immoderate talented players nether declaration connected the perimeter, including All Star constituent defender Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain, a shooter-scorer that was connected gait to situation for Rookie of the Year earlier wounded ended his season. Edgecombe has a skillset that is unsocial from his teammates and could complement them capable for him to gain interaction minutes aboriginal successful his career.

Kon Knueppel, SG/SF, Charlotte Hornets: Knueppel was the champion catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter successful the draught with unthinkable range. He besides has the quality to get into the lane connected straight-line drives and tin marque plays astir the rim wherever helium finishes disconnected 2 feet. Knueppel stays successful the authorities of North Carolina, joining a Hornets squad led by an fantabulous playmaker successful LaMelo Ball and scoring helping successful Brandon Miller, and helium could gain large minutes aboriginal arsenic the shooter connected the helping that plays disconnected of them.

Collin Murray-Boyles, SF/PF, Toronto Raptors: Murray-Boyles is simply a beardown antiaircraft imaginable astatine forward. He is an businesslike scorer and bully rebounder, but his calling paper is antiaircraft versatility. Murray-Boyles was 1 of Bilas' favourite prospects successful the draft, but helium could beryllium constricted arsenic a phantasy hoops imaginable some by his benignant of play but besides due to the fact that helium joins a Raptors squad that is afloat of frontcourt extent that whitethorn forestall him from getting impact-level minutes.

Khaman Maluach, C, Phoenix Suns: Maluach is an highly talented but earthy halfway prospect. Over 7-feet tall, Maluach didn't commencement playing hoops until helium was a teen and learned successful the NBA Academy successful Africa. Maluach was a large shot-blocker and violative rebounder astatine Duke, and his athleticism allows him to decorativeness successful the overgarment disconnected put-backs oregon lobs. He was 2nd successful D-1 with 81 dunks past season, 38 of them disconnected lobs. The Suns besides traded for halfway Mark Williams connected draught night, truthful Maluach whitethorn beryllium much of a developmental subordinate than an contiguous interaction feline from a phantasy hoops perspective.

Other picks that caught my attention

Derik Queen, C, New Orleans Pelicans: Queen was nicknamed "Baby Jokic" by his teammates. He's an fantabulous ball-handler and passer from the halfway position, successful summation to being a nightly double-double threat. He has a bully face-up game, a accomplishment acceptable that could nutrient phantasy numbers, and could beryllium a bully complement to past year's rookie large antheral Yves Messi's diversion defender-style game.

Walter Clayton Jr., PG/SG, Utah Jazz: Clayton electrified the NCAA tourney this play with 3 30-plus constituent scoring efforts, including starring each players with 35 crunch clip points. Clayton's NCAA show drew comparisons to Stephen Curry for his big-time and clutch shot-making connected his mode to being named the Most Outstanding Player successful the tournament. Clayton is considered undersized arsenic a shooting guard, but his speed, spot (was an elite shot enlistee arsenic a antiaircraft back) and scoring accomplishment acceptable could gain him a relation aboriginal connected for a Jazz squad that is successful rebuild mode.

Kasparas Jakucionis, PG/SG, Miami Heat: Jaskucionis was expected to beryllium a top-10 prime successful astir mock drafts, truthful his descent to the Heat was unexpected and makes him a late-round bargain candidate. Givony described KJ arsenic a combo betwixt Austin Reaves and Andrew Nembhard, and a subordinate that could beryllium the Heat's constituent defender of the future... and possibly of the contiguous arsenic well.

Rookie of the Year race

Leader: Cooper Flagg (-200)

In the hunt: Ace Bailey (+650), Tre Johnson (+750), Dylan Harper (+1200)

Longshots of interest: VJ Edgecombe (+2500), Derik Queen (+3000), Kasparas Jakucionis (+6000), Walter Clayton Jr. (+10,000)

Flagg is the runaway and odds-on favourite to triumph Rookie of the Year. He is considered a generational prospect, and he's joining a Mavericks squad wherever helium could beryllium featured and nutrient large stats connected a perchance winning team.

Bailey and Johnson are some talented scorers joining rebuilding teams wherever they could nutrient large stats early.

Harper and Edgecomb, the 2nd and 3rd picks successful the draught repsectively, person outstanding endowment but are joining teams with playoffs aspirations and established prima players that could bounds their idiosyncratic production.

Queen, Jakucionis and Clayton each had beardown assemblage careers with games that could nutrient attention-grabbing stats arsenic rookies if they gain the playing time.