The Upcoming 2025 NBA Draft has been heralded as a very strong draft class and so far the top prospects have lived up to the hype. A number of NBA teams are tanking to “capture the Flagg” and/or target the other top prospects in the 2025 class. But if we look one year ahead we see another draft class that has a chance to special and could rival or even surpass the 2025 class in terms of elite talent. Today I want to compare the two classes to try to see (from this very early point of view) which is the better draft class.
For this comparison I’ll start with the players I consider the top 3 prospects in each class going head to head. Then I’ll compare the rest of the top ranked prospects by position (Lead Guards, Scoring Guards/Wings and Bigs). I won’t try to do a comparison of the depth of the late first round or beyond, since we have no idea which players will declare for this year’s draft and who will stay in school for another year. With that said it does appear that both draft classes have plenty of depth.
Cooper Flagg vs. AJ Dybansta
Both Flagg and Dybansta are truely elite talents but I’d have to give a very, very slight edge to Dybansta here. The recent BYU commit is a more natural shot creator and overall scorer than Flagg and has all the makings of being a dominant socring wing in the NBA. He’s just as impressive as Flagg when it comes to athleticsim, if not more so, and he’s an alpha dog on the court.
Flagg has elite defensive instincts and gets the edge on that side of the ball. Flagg is also very good on the offensive end but isn’t as polished of an iso-scorer. If they were in the same draft class I would rank AJ slightly higher but it would be a very tough choice. And, by the way, they are about the same age (AJ is just one month younger) despite being in different draft years.
Ace Bailey vs Cameron Boozer
This is a really interesting comparison of two elite big forwards who have very different games.
Ace is the higher upside prospect IMO, with his tantalizing mix of shot-making and off the charts athleticism, while Boozer is more of a safe bet. That’s not meant to be a knock against Boozer’s upside, as he could be a dominant scoring forward in the league.
Ace Bailey is like a mix of a rich man’s MPJ and a very rich man’s Jaden McDaniels whereas Cameron Boozer reminds me of a mix of Michael Beasley and Jason Tatum. This choice comes down to preference: do you want to swing for the elite upside of Ace or make a clear and obvious great investment in Boozer. At this point I’m giving a slight edge to Cameron Boozer but could really go either way.
Dylan Harper vs. Darryn Peterson
Both Harper and Peterson are 6-5-ish guards but they play very different games. Harper is a big-bodied power guard who uses his strength and elite feel for the game to get buckets and make plays. Peterson is a wiry, quick, agile and smooth guard who scores the ball effortlessly. He’s a three level scorer with a pretty jumper and a great feel for getting into the lane and scoring at the rim. He’s also a very feisty defender who has a big impact on that end of the floor. Both Dylan Harper and Darryn Peterson are legit No.1 overall level prospects. They are both special and it’s pretty much impossible at this point to choose between them.
So that’s a lot of words to say this: The top 3 prospects in the 2025 and 2026 draft classes are equally impressive. So far the draft classes are rated equally. And both are really, really good.
For prospects in the 4 to 14-ish range I’ll take them in groups: lead guards, wings and bigs.
Lead Guards – 2025 Prospects vs 2026 Prospects
The 2025 draft has a very strong group of lead guards. Besides Dylan Harper there’s at least four more lottery level talents in Egor Demin, Boogie Fland, Kasparas Jakucionis and Nolan Traore. All four could end up as high level starters (although Traore has been struggling lately).
The 2026 draft is not as loaded (at least so far) at the point guard position. Darius Acuff Jr and Jasper Johnson are nice prospects but still have some things to prove – and I’m not yet convinced that they’re one -and-done lottery level talents. I think Cayden Boozer will surprise to the upside and I’m a big fan of Kingston Flemings. Dash Daniels is also a very interesting guard prospect who projects as a potential lottery pick in 2026.
There are some really nice prospects in the 2026 draft class but the 2025 class is just loaded at the point guard position and this category clearly goes to the 2025 draft prospects.
Scoring Guards and Wings
| 2025 Scoring Guards/Wings | 2026 Scoring Guards/Wings |
|---|---|
| VJ Edgecombe | Nate Ament |
| Tre Johnson | Meleek Thomas |
| Liam McNeeley | Koa Peat |
| Kon Knueppel | Karim Lopez |
| Will Riley | Alijah Arenas |
| Ben Saraf | Brayden Burries |
| Josan Sanon | Isiah Harwell |
Both of these groups are stacked and I’d have to rate them evenly, or maybe a slight edge to the 2025 class, since they’ve more proven. Nate Ament might have the highest upside of any of these guys but 2025 also has some elite talents, and more apparent depth of talent (although the addition of Alijah Arenas strengthens the 2026 group). The wing position is loaded in both 2025 and 2026.
2025 Bigs vs 2026 Bigs
| 2025 Bigs | 2026 Bigs |
|---|---|
| Asa Newell | Caleb Wilson |
| Noa Essengue | Chris Cenac Jr. |
| Khaman Maluach | Miikka Muurinen |
| Derik Queen | Jayden Quaintance |
| Rocco Zikarsky | Bryson Tiller |
Although the 2025 NBA Draft has some solid big man prospects the 2026 draft has a number of elite talents and in my mind is the clear winner in this category.
I’m incredibly high on Caleb Wilson and very intrigued by Chris Cenac Jr. and Miikka Murrinen. Jayden Quaintance is already showing great stuff at Arizona State and would be a first rounder this year, if he were draft eligible.
It’s too early to tell if Flory Bidunga will be in 2025 or 2026, same for Donnie Freeman, Thomas Sorber and a few other high level prospects. But even if these guys enter the 2025 draft I’d still give the edge to the 2026 group.
In Summation
The long and short of it is this: we are looking at two really, really good draft classes coming up and it’s pretty much impossible to label one as the best. The top of each class has elite talent, the 2025 class has some elite point guards and the 2026 draft has some elite PF/C’s.
There’s a long time to go until the 2026 draft roles around, and we’re sure to see a few more elite talents emerge over the coming 18 months, to bolster an already very strong class. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the NBA is in very good hands going forward, with all of the elite talent coming up through the ranks.
Here are the latest 2025 and 2026 mock drafts