By Tyler Morello
Staff Writer
The 2025 NBA Draft Class has the potential to become one of the best of all time. Not only was it headlined by 18-year-old forward Cooper Flagg, who is being viewed by some as the best American prospect since LeBron James, but it also boasts considerable depth towards the back end of the draft.
Most years, rookies spend most of their first seasons on the bench or even in their organization's G-League affiliate. This year, teams may see a lot of contributions from their draftees throughout the season.
With many of the league’s biggest stars and key players dealing with injuries, and dwindling teams searching for some sort of spark to ignite their franchise, here are some rookies to keep tabs on for the upcoming season.
1. Cooper Flagg, 6-foot-9-inches, SF, Dallas Mavericks
Reclassing up a year before his freshman year at Duke was a bold decision Flagg made, and he was still as advertised as the number one-ranked player in the 2024 High School class.
Flagg led the Blue Devils to a 35-4 record and was the focal point of the team on offense and defense. The offense ran through him, as Flagg averaged over 19 points and four assists per game as an 18-year-old who should have been a senior in high school.
He was also a catalyst on the defensive side of the ball, averaging 7.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks. Duke had the fifth-best defensive rating in the entire nation, and Flagg was a huge part of that accomplishment.
Regarding Flagg’s fit in the NBA, a team like the Dallas Mavericks did not expect to jump up ten spots in the draft lottery to pick Flagg first overall. After the groundbreaking Luka Doncic trade that shook the basketball world, it seemed the Mavericks were heading towards darker times as a franchise.
Star guard Kyrie Irving is expected to miss almost all of the season recovering from a torn ACL, leaving a large question mark for where the offense is going to generate for the Mavericks.
Head coach Jason Kidd has hinted numerous times that he wants to put the ball in Flagg’s hands a lot and even see him run point guard. This should be no tall task, as Flagg essentially ran Duke’s offense, which had the number one-ranked offensive rating in the country.
Dallas has a well put-together team, with multiple veteran and young role players filling in nicely around Flagg and All-NBA forward Anthony Davis, and expect Flagg to flourish, leading the way.
2. V.J. Edgecombe, 6-foot-5-inches, Guard, Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers are another team that was not expected to be selecting third overall back in June, but Baylor guard V.J. Edgecombe is someone to be quite excited about.
Edgecombe first made waves on social media back in the summer of 2024 when he was hooping for the Bahamian national team in their Olympic qualifiers as an 18-year-old. He followed this up with a stellar freshman season at Baylor, averaging 15 points, 5.6 rebounds, and over two steals per game.
The Sixers are coming off an extremely disappointing season as they finished with the fifth-worst record in the league despite being one of the favorites to win the championship coming into the year.
Typically, the third overall pick would see a larger role as a rookie, but Edgecombe may not even see the starting lineup come opening night. This is not a knock on Edgecombe, but rather the Sixers having a much more competitive roster than your usual team that would be picking third.
Despite this, Edgecombe’s ancillary skillset will be maximized by an aging team coming off a turbulent season.
3. Egor Demin, 6-foot-9-inches, Guard/Wing, Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets came into June 25 with a whopping five first-round picks and used all five of them, setting a new league record. The first of the five draftees came at pick eight, as Brooklyn selected freshman Egor Demin out of BYU.
From a base level, the idea of Demin as a player is very intriguing in today’s game. At 6-foot-9-inches, he played point guard for the Cougars while averaging over 10 points and five assists per game.
A tall point guard who can see over the opposing defense and hit open teammates sounds like a dream for an NBA front office. However, diving into his stats further tells a slightly different story.
Demin barely shot over 40% from the field, nearly 27% from three, and 69% from the free-throw line as a freshman, each concerning numbers. He also averaged roughly three turnovers per game, which ranks in the bottom 60 in all of Division I basketball.
Demin’s statistics also saw a significant drop off when the Cougars' competition got better. In Demin’s last 28 games of the season, he shot 22.1% from three with a 24.9% turnover percentage.
A player who is as great a passer as Demin still needs to be a threat on the offensive side of the ball to be effective at the professional level. There still is hope for Brooklyn, though.
The Nets drafted two other point guards in the first round, potentially hinting that they do not see Demin as a point guard at the next level and viewing him more as a connective wing.
The last time Demin was not the primary ball handler for his team was 2023, when he played overseas for Real Madrid’s U18 team and shot nearly 42% from three as a 17-year-old. If the Nets use him as more of a tertiary ball-handler rather than their lead guard, they could see some fun results with Demin’s long frame and stellar court vision.
4. Hansen Yang, 7-foot-2-inches, Center, Portland Trail Blazers
Perhaps the shock of the draft (to those unfamiliar with his game) was Chinese big man Hansen Yang going 16th overall to the Trail Blazers despite being projected by many to go in the second round.
Yang dominated the Chinese Basketball League as a 19-year-old with his high feel on offense and stout frame on defense. He averaged 16.2 points and 10 rebounds per game while also serving as his team’s playmaking hub, initiating the offense.
His level of passing at the center position has gotten comparisons to three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, while having the upside to anchor a defense at a high level. Yang averaged 2.7 blocks per game this past season and was the CBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in the 2023-2024 season.
The Trail Blazers have shown they value Yang quite highly by not only trading to 16th overall to select him, but also by buying out starting center DeAndre Ayton just days after the draft.
Second-year center Donovan Clingan should serve as their new starter, but Portland seems to have carved out a role for Yang on their team to make an impact this season and in the future.
5. Jase Richardson, 6-foot-2-inches, Guard, Orlando Magic
Jase Richardson had somewhat of an unconventional rise on draft boards before June. He came in as a freshman on a stacked Michigan State team, looking to get playing time anyway he could.
Richardson forced the Spartans' hand, though, as he tormented opposing teams in the limited minutes he got. His first start finally came in February, when he dropped 29 points in a win against Oregon.
The uber-efficient Richardson was effective from everywhere on the court, shooting nearly 50% from the field, 41% from three and 83% from the charity stripe. He also displayed a high sense of feel when playmaking, passing to teammates on drives while not turning the ball over often.
The sole concern with Richardson would be his slight physique, coming in at barely 6-foot-2-inches and 178 pounds. However, his 6-foot-6-inch wingspan and high IQ allow him to play adequate team defense, filling passing lanes and flying around the court.
Conveniently, the Orlando Magic have had a top-three defensive rating in each of the last two seasons and should be able to cover up any limitations Richardson has defensively.
Orlando has also been in the bottom eight in offensive rating over the last three years, last year finishing 27th overall. Richardson has the opportunity to provide a much-needed lift on offense to a team searching for answers on that side of the ball.
