With the NCAA men’s basketball season underway, draft experts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have updated their 2025 NBA mock draft at ESPN.com (Insider link), projecting next June’s top 30 picks based on their own scouting and intel from executives around the league.
There are no surprises at the top of ESPN’s latest mock draft. The projected picks at No. 1 (Cooper Flagg), No. 2 (Ace Bailey), and No. 3 (Dylan Harper) remain unchanged since Givony and Woo published a mock in June, and V.J. Edgecombe and Nolan Traore are still in the top five.
Still, there are some notable risers or fallers elsewhere in the first round. Duke freshman Kon Knueppel (No. 17 in June) is up to No. 6, while Ratiopharm Ulm guard Ben Saraf comes in at No. 13 after not showing up in June’s mock draft. Conversely, Real Madrid wing Hugo Gonzalez has slipped from seventh to 12th, while Miami freshman Jalil Bethea is down to 25th after having placed 13th in June.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- In a separate story for ESPN.com, Baxter Holmes takes a closer look at Flagg’s journey from growing up in a small town in Maine to becoming a Duke Blue Devil and basketball’s top prospect. Holmes’ feature includes several entertaining anecdotes, including one about how a 13-year-old Flagg “dominated” a Boston-area pickup game run by former NBA forward Brian Scalabrine.
- While commissioner Adam Silver recently acknowledged that the NBA is weighing the idea of using a new format for this season’s All-Star Game, veteran NBA insider Marc Stein (Substack link) says he doesn’t expect the league to opt for a U.S. vs. the World matchup in February. Still, sources tell Stein that format is a possibility that has been discussed within the league office, so it may still be in play for future seasons.
- Michael Scotto of HoopsHype spent 24 hours this fall behind the scenes with the Pacers‘ coaching staff and shares his takeaways and insights on what a day in the life of an NBA coach looks like.
Cooper Flagg is fraudulent. Not a franchise type at all. …. I told you guys a while back that Ace Bailey was absolutely legit. Bailey has all the tools. He is gonna be a big piece to turn a franchise around. Dylan Harper is also legit. Reminds me of what Jalen Brunson would look like as a player if he was 6’6 like Harper is. Another guy who is gonna absolutely be a big piece toward turning a franchise around.
I like Bailey too. Definitely a big upside talent.
Wrong about Cooper. What makes a player great. Is the talent. The nurturing. And basketball IQ. Cooper is a big IQ guy. Cooper is definitely top 3. But we all know what helps him be a top pick. That’s just business.
Cooper doesn’t have “franchise” player scoring ability. Watch how he gets his points, and then watch Ace Bailey get his. Cooper is NOT an IQ guy. Cooper has gotten away with being more physically and athletically dominate than his opponents to this point. He blocks shots, but his defensive IQ is lacking. Stays in foul trouble because he is always hunting highlight reel blocks.
Knueppel is the best shooter in college basketball. In todays version of the game that will get you into the Lottery. He comes from same travel team program pipeline in Wisconsin that produced Tyler Herro and Brandon Podziemzki. State of Wisconsin is on an upswing for talent. Jalen Johnson and Jordan Poole also Milwaukee kids.
Juni Mobley at Ohio State is the best shooter in the country…
No mention of cramping
Being the number one pick in the NBA draft doesn’t assure you of having a Hall of Fame career. my friend was the first pick in the 1977 draft. He played 12 years but was never really a starter.
USA vs World all star game would make it competitive and interesting, with Embiich now being an American.
Divided conferences doesn’t bring a genuine motivation for the players to compete like national teams does.
USA vs the World would be very embarrassing for the league and the US, so it won’t be done for a while, if ever.
We said years ago that the world was catching up.
Thing is, it has – and likely has surpassed.
The AAU thing has killed the overall basketball development of the youth coming thru that venue.
Athleticism rules now, rather than basketball skills and IQ.
People have made a lot of money off the kids, and the kids have gotten millions of social media “followers” and views.
That’s one of the biggest reasons why so many older players can still be in the league if they take care of their bodies… the young players (save for a FEW every year) that come into the league just don’t know how to play.
They should have 2 major gms during all star gm.
The all star game. The USA vs The World all star game. Add another three days to all star week.