NBA Draft: Cooper Flagg Still Top Prospect, But Ace Bailey, Others Have Time To Make Case

December 5, 2024

Duke freshman forward Cooper Flagg has the No. 1 spot in the 2025 NBA Draft locked up. For now, anyway.

If you talk to executives, scouts, or anyone who spent Thanksgiving week in Vegas watching the trio of Flagg, Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, and forward Ace Bailey, the message is loud and clear: Flagg is the gold standard.

“Safe pick, no question,” one executive told ESPN. “The basketball IQ, the defense, the intangibles — he’s just ahead of the curve at (age) 17. Hard to pass on that.”

Another exec summed it up with a little more punch: “Passing on Flagg? That’s a bold move, and not the good kind.”

Sure, Flagg has had his share of ups and downs as one of the youngest players in college hoops, but his consistency and defensive presence make him hard to bet against. Even if his offense doesn’t evolve into a full-on superstar toolkit, his versatility is enough to build around.

But don’t sleep on the challengers. Harper has been outstanding, showing flashes of elite playmaking and scoring. Then there’s Bailey, a prospect dripping with potential.

Both are generating plenty of buzz, even if Flagg feels like he’s standing on a sturdier foundation at the top of the draft heap.

Beyond the big three, the 2025 draft class is shaping up to be a scout’s dream. The freshman crop is loaded with potential one-and-done lottery picks, and the depth of international talent is eye-popping.

France, Spain, Australia, Israel, Croatia, Germany — up to a dozen players from these basketball hotbeds could hear their names in the first round.

For now, Flagg remains the headliner. But Harper, Bailey, and an unusually deep class of global prospects ensure this year’s draft talk is far from a one-man show.