The 2025 rookie class is off to a blazing hot start and is looking every bit as good as advertised. While not all the rookies have gotten real playing time yet we’ve seen enough from most of them to publish this early season update to the dynasty rookie rankings.
One of the biggest risers on this list is Cedric Coward who moves from no.11 all the way up to no.4. Coward has looked really good to start his NBA career, showing off awesome shooting touch and defensive instincts while impressing with his great size and length on the wing. The Grizzlies tend to draft well and they hit this one out of the park.
Another big riser is Golden State Warriors guard Will Richard who I didn’t have ranked in the top 30 on my last rankings. He moves up to no.18 after earning plenty of meaningful playing time for the contending Warriors.
Ryan Kalkbrenner moves from no.17 up to no.10 after his awesome start.
Ace Bailey drops to no.9 after his slow start. He looks raw and not very NBA ready, although the special flashes of talent are still there.
| # | Updated 11/8/25 |
|---|---|
| 1 | Cooper Flagg – PF – Dallas Mavericks – It’s been a somewhat up and down start to the season for Flagg but he’s still the top dog in the class and has elite two-way abilities. His shooting touch has been a bit off but will surely come around soon. In the meantime he’s grabbing boards, handing out assists and showing decent stocks numbers (with plenty of room for more). If anyone’s willing to sell low on Flagg you should jump all over it! |
| 2 | VJ Edgecombe – PG/SG – Philadelphia 76ers – VJ has had an awesome start to his career getting high usage in Philly and looking like a future (if not current) star. He’s a high scoring guard who is hitting the 3-ball better than expected and is also putting up some well-rounded stat lines. He’s a stud. |
| 3 | Dylan Harper – PG/SG – San Antonio Spurs – Harper is pretty much who we all thought he’d be, a NBA-ready guard who can get downhill, score from inside and out and make a lot of winning plays. He’s shooting the ball very well to start his career and is filling up the box score with rebounds and assists. He could easily be no.2 or maybe even no.1 on this list but I have VJ and Flagg just ahead of him. |
| 4 | Cedric Coward – SG – Memphis Grizzlies – Coward has been one of the hottest names in the NBA, not just the rookies, to start the season, shooting the cover off the ball and looking like an elite two-way wing. The Grizzlies have done it again, hitting a home run in the draft. |
| 5 | Kon Knueppel – SG – Charlotte Hornets – Kon is a machine; just super efficient, productive and lethal with the jumper. He’s going to give you a lot of 3’s and great shooting splits. I’m not sure what his fantasy ceiling is but he’s certainly got a high floor. |
| 6 | Jeremiah Fears – PG – New Orleans Pelicans – Fears has looked more poised and polished that expected as one of the youngest rookies in the class. He’s a gifted scorer who is at the best with the ball in his hands, meaning he’ll have lots of opportunities for points and assists. He’s also racking up lots of steals and has looked pretty good on that end. If the 3-ball ever starts falling for him he could be elite. |
| 7 | Tre Johnson – SG – Washington Wizards – Tre has shown that he’s every bit the scorer and perimeter shooter that we thought he’d be. He’s not as impactful all around as some of the guys above him on this list but he’s a professional scorer who will always give your team buckets. |
| 8 | Derik Queen – PF/C – New Orleans Pelicans – Queen hasn’t looked great to start his career but in terms of fantasy production he still has big time potential. He’s the type of player that can gobble up boards and score in bunches when given the opportunity. The Pelicans paid a ridiculous price to draft him but that shouldn’t take away from the fact that he can put up numbers. |
| 9 | Ryan Kalkbrenner – C – Charlotte Hornets – Kalkbrenner has been awesome early on, putting up incredibly efficient numbers, while grabbing boards and blocking shots. He never tries to do too much and just makes the right play and seems to always be in the right place at the right time. The Hornets got a steal. |
| 10 | Ace Bailey – SF – Utah Jazz – Bailey has been underwhelming to start the season but don’t be surprised if he puts up some really big games during his rookie season and shows flashes of why he was such a coveted prospect. There will be some rough times but the wait should be worth it. |
| 11 | Collin Murray-Boyles – SF/PF – Toronto Raptors – It’s tough to rank CMB because in many ways he’s a more impactful player than his numbers suggest…but he’s also capable of filling up the box score. He’s come out of the gates strong for the Raptors and is looking like a top 10 rookie. |
| 12 | Walter Clayton Jr. – SG – Utah Jazz – I’m not sure he’s star but I do like the upside and think he could end up with the ball in his hands a lot for the Jazz, as the season goes on. |
| 13 | Carter Bryant – SF – San Antonio Spurs – Minutes will be hard to come by on this talented Spurs team and so managers might have to wait a long time before seeing Bryant in all his glory. |
| 14 | Khaman Maluach – C – Phoenix Suns -Maluach has barely played so far and it looks like it’ll take some time for him to be ready to contribute much to the Suns. But he’s still got plenty of long-term promise as a rebounding, shot blocking big. |
| 15 | Yang Hansen – C – Portland Trail Blazers – Hansen has only seen a few minutes so far, so for now we’ll keep him ranked in this range based off his immense potential. Don’t expect much from him during his rookie season but if someone is willing to sell low on him, go get him. |
| 16 | Asa Newell – PF – Atlanta Hawks – The Hawks made a great pick getting Newell in the twenties. He should outplay that draft position and be a productive player for a long time, even if he’s never a star. |
| 17 | Egor Demin – PG – Brooklyn Nets – Demin has shown some good flashes but has also had plenty of rookie moments. He’s a very intriguing prospect who could be a key piece of the Nets future but has a lot of room for improvement with his shooting. |
| 18 | Will Richard – SG – Golden State Warriors – Richard has been a very pleasant surprise for the Warriors, looking very NBA ready and showing a toughness on both ends. He’s a smart off-the-ball player and is a really nice complimentary piece. |
| 19 | Sion James – SG – Charlotte Hornets – A second round steal for the Hornets, James has been really productive and gotten a lot of run. Congrats if you drafted him or picked him up off waivers. |
| 20 | Kasparas Jakucionis – PG/SG – Miami Heat – KJ hasn’t seen any time yet and is dealing with a groin injury. Hold steady. |
| 21 | Danny Wolf – PF/C – Brooklyn Nets – Wolf missed the start of the season with an ankle injury and we’re still waiting for him to make his NBA debut. There should be an opportunity for minutes in Brooklyn and, if Wolf can capitalize on it, this ranking could end up being too low. |
| 22 | Noa Essengue – PF – Chicago Bulls – Noa will spend a lot of time in the G League this season and is pretty far from being NBA ready but still has a lot of upside to develop and grow into. |
| 23 | Will Riley – SG – Washington Wizards – Riley can score the basketball and has great size for a shooter. I like his upside a lot. |
| 24 | Nique Clifford – SF – Kings – We’re still in wait-and-see mode with Nique. |
| 25 | Joan Beringer – C – Minnesota Timberwolves – There’s big potential here but the minutes probably won’t be there in year one. |
| 26 | Hugo Gonzalez – SG/SF – Boston Celtics – Hugo has gotten some run and shown some good things but is probably not much more than a role player in the league. |
| 27 | Thomas Sorber – C – Oklahoma City Thunder – (OUT FOR THE YEAR WITH AN INJURY) Although we won’t see Sorber this season he deserves a mention on this list for his long-term upside. And he even moves up a few spots after seeing some of the other rookies struggle. |
| 28 | Nolan Traore – PG – Brooklyn Nets – Nolan is behind some of the guards and other rookies in the rotation but will probably get more run as the season goes on. |
| 29 | Liam McNeeley – SF – Charlotte Hornets – With Kon and Sion James playing so well McNeeley’s minutes have been limited. Still, he’s a talented guy who should have a long NBA career. |
| 30 | Jase Richardson – PG/SG – Orlando Magic – So far Jase hasn’t seen many minutes. |
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Thanks for reading!
Here are the full 2025 NBA Draft results and a look at the 2026 class.