The future of basketball is bright and growing brighter. It seems that with every passing year the talent level of the young, up-and-coming prospects gets more advanced and we see prospects emerge as national names at an earlier age. Kids are getting better training, growing up quicker and pursuing their basketball dreams from an earlier age – and it shows with the advanced skill and talent that these youngsters have.
There are a lot of elite talents on this list but the top three stand out as potential NBA superstars. Each of Cooper Flagg, Cameroon Boozer and AJ Dybansta all look to be franchise-altering talents with no.1 overall pick type of upside. At this point I project them to get drafted no.1 overall in the 2025, 2026 and 2027 drafts respectively but there’s a good chance AJ reclassifies, setting up a battle between him and Boozer for the top spot in 2026.
There is one freshman on this list, an elite talent who, even at this early stage deserves to be getting draft buzz. And the rest of the list is evenly spread out between class of ‘24, ‘25, and ’26 prospects. I’ve also included a few honorable mentions, since it’s too hard to limit this list to just 25 prospects.
Prospects who are not listed here are those that are playing in a professional setting (OTE or G League Ignite). That will be a separate article.
The Elite 25
- Cooper Flagg – SF/PF – Montverde – C’2024 – Flagg just keeps taking his game to new levels and has become such a dominant force at the high school and AAU level that it’s hard to remember that he’s still two years away from playing in the NBA. He’s one of the most talented and instinctual defenders I’ve ever seen, showing flashes of Andrei Kirilinko and Scottie Pippen in his game. And he’s just as lethal on the offensive end, with the ability to score from 3 levels and set up teammates for easy buckets. At 6-8 or 6-9 with good length he’s got great size on the wing and can play inside or out. He’s as complete of a prospect as you’ll ever find. He rises to no.1 on this list after coming in at no.3 last year.
- Cameroon Boozer – PF – Miami, FL – C’2025 – I go back and forth on ranking Boozer and Flagg. They are both elite. Boozer has more of a quiet demeanor on the court but don’t let that fool you. He’s an assassin with the ball in his hands who executes so efficiently that you could blink and miss him score 10 points. He’s nearly impossible to stop on the offensive end due to his combination of size, quickness and elite shooting touch. He gets it done from 3 levels and makes you guard him outside, allowing him to slash to the basket or get into his mid range game. He has indicated that he’ll be going to college, rather than a professional option, and Duke is an obvious favorite to land him.
- AJ Dybansta – SF – Prolific Prep – C’2026 – Heading into his sophomore season Dybansta already looks the part of a high level NBA scoring wing. It’s hard to overstate just how advanced and naturally talented he is. If it weren’t for the elite talents of Boozer and Flagg, Dybansta would be the easy choice to be no.1 on this list. In fact, even with those two currently listed above him, I’m still tempted to view Dybansta as the best pro prospect in high school ball. As a class of 2026 prospect he’s not draft eligible until 2027 and at this early juncture he easily projects as the no.1 pick in that year. He’s also old enough to re-class and join the 2026 draft class, so keep and eye out for that. This kid is elite.
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