The 2025 draft class came in with a ton of hype and it has continued to live up to the high expectations. The top dozen or so players on this list have been hugely impressive to start their careers, while players lower on this list have yet to see meaningful minutes but still hold a lot of promise.
The biggest mover up in these latest rankings is Derik Queen who jumps to no.5 overall after a few weeks of stellar play. The Pelicans big man is making their front office look good, despite the huge ticket price they had to pay to draft him.
Kon Knueppel continues to shine and is looking like one of the best shooters in the whole league. He’s becoming a front-runner for ROY.
Flagg has had some ups and downs but is still clearly (in my mind) the top player in this class. The situation in Dallas is a mess and they could end up going for a full rebuild, which could land them one of the stars at the top of the 2026 draft, to pair with Flagg.
| # | Updated 11/29/25 |
|---|---|
| 1 | Cooper Flagg – PF – Dallas Mavericks – Flagg has had some ups and downs but is still clearly the top player in this class and deserves to hold on to the no.1 ranking. He’s still finding his footing as a shooter but the play-making has been beyond what we expected and of course his defense is elite. |
| 2 | VJ Edgecombe – PG/SG – Philadelphia 76ers – After a blazing hot start VJ has cooled off a bit but it’s still rank him solidly in the top 4 and would be hard pressed to let him fall past no.2. Kon is putting up a major challenge but for now I’d still go with the dynamic abilities and huge upside of Edgecombe. |
| 3 | 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. |
| 4 | 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 go a spot or two higher on this list but I have Kon, VJ and Flagg just ahead of him. Harper missed a bit of time with a calf injury but is ready to make his return. |
| 5 | Derik Queen – PF/C – New Orleans Pelicans – After a mixed start to the season Queen has come on strong and is looking like a potential star. He stuffs the stat sheet with points, rebounds, assists and some stocks as well. The Pelicans will always be judged by how much they gave up to draft Queen but the pick itself is looking really good at this point. |
| 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 | 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. |
| 8 | 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. |
| 9 | 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. |
| 10 | 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. |
| 11 | 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. |
| 12 | 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. |
| 13 | 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. So far he’s operated more as a point guard and his shooting touch/confidence has been a bit off but I think it’s only a matter of time before he starts to breakout. Be patient. |
| 14 | 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. This could be a multi-year hold before it pays off. |
| 15 | 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. |
| 16 | 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. Keep him stashed and he could pay off a year or so form now. |
| 17 | Maxime Raynaud – C – Sacramento Kings – Raynaud has shown flashes of his high-scoring ability and the promise he holds as a fantasy player. The minutes will be up and down this year but should increase over the course of the season. I like his long-term outlook as a floor-spacing big. |
| 18 | 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. |
| 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 | 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. |
| 21 | Jase Richardson – PG/SG – Orlando Magic – So far Jase hasn’t seen many minutes but when he has gotten some run he’s looked like he belongs. |
| 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 | Drake Powell – SF – Brooklyn Nets – The high-flying Powell has provided good minutes for the Nets and been effective on both ends. His offensive game is a work in progress but he knows his role and brings value as a transition player and half court finisher. |
| 24 | Nique Clifford – SF – Kings – We’re still in wait-and-see mode with Nique. He’s gotten some minutes and has looked ok but could be in line for bigger minutes if the Kings blow things up later this year. |
| 25 | Danny Wolf – PF/C – Brooklyn Nets – Wolf missed the start of the season with an ankle injury but could earn some minutes later in the year for the lowly Nets. He’s got some offensive upside but it very much remains to be seen how effective he can be against NBA level defenders. |
| 26 | Kasparas Jakucionis – PG/SG – Miami Heat – KJ hasn’t seen any time yet and is dealing with a groin injury. Hold steady. |
| 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 | 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. |
| 29 | Joan Beringer – C – Minnesota Timberwolves – There’s big potential here but the minutes probably won’t be there in year one. |
| 30 | 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. |
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Here are the full 2025 NBA Draft results and a look at the 2026 class.