We are roughly one week out from the 2025 NBA Draft. It's smokescreen season, as every team outside the top two has been connected to a million different outcomes depending on how the front office handles the next seven days of evaluation. In short, we don't know what on Earth will happen on Wednesday, June 25.
ESPN's newest mock draft dropped a bomb on expectations, citing newfound skepticism around Ace Bailey, slotting Kon Knueppel to the Hornets at No. 4 and generally mucking up what has already been a difficult lottery to get a handle on. We know Cooper Flagg will go No. 1 to Dallas. Dylan Harper to the Spurs at No. 2 is as close to a lock as you can get without being a lock.
The board really opens up at No. 3, and from there chaos shall reign. As we gear up for the main event and welcome a new generation of stars to the NBA stage, let's lay out the best prospects actually available next week after the final withdrawal deadline on June 15.
Here are FanSided's top 100 prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft, ranked.
Top 100 NBA Draft Prospect Rankings
Rank Name School Position Height Weight Age
1 Cooper Flagg Duke F 6'9 221 18
2 Dylan Harper Rutgers G 6'6 213 19
3 Collin Murray-Boyles South Carolina F 6'7 239 20
4 Noa Essengue France F 6'11 204 18
5 Kon Knueppel Duke F 6'6 219 19
6 VJ Edgecombe Baylor G 6'5 193 19
7 Derik Queen Maryland C 6'10 248 20
8 Jeremiah Fears Oklahoma G 6'4 180 18
9 Khaman Maluach Duke C 7'2 253 19
10 Thomas Sorber Georgetown C 6'10 262 19
11 Ace Bailey Rutgers F 6'9 203 18
12 Kasparas Jakučionis Illinois G 6'6 205 19
13 Jase Richardson Michigan State G 6'2 178 19
14 Tre Johnson Texas G 6'6 190 19
15 Nique Clifford Colorado State F 6'6 202 23
16 Adou Thiero Arkansas F 6'7 218 21
17 Noah Penda France F 6'8 242 20
18 Cedric Coward Washington State F 6'6 213 21
19 Nolan Traoré France G 6'4 175 19
20 Carter Bryant Arizona F 6'8 188 19
21 Rasheer Fleming St. Joseph's F 6'9 232 20
22 Asa Newell Georgia F 6'10 224 19
23 Ben Saraf Israel G 6'7 199 19
24 Walter Clayton Jr. Florida G 6'3 199 22
25 Ryan Kalkbrenner Creighton C 7'2 257 23
26 Kam Jones Marquette G 6'5 202 22
27 Johni Broome Auburn C 6'10 249 22
28 Danny Wolf Michigan C 7'0 252 21
29 Drake Powell North Carolina F 6'6 200 19
30 Eric Dixon Villanova F 6'9 259 24
31 Joan Beringer France C 7'0 235 19
32 Hansen Yang China C 7'2 253 20
33 Maxime Raynaud Stanford C 7'1 237 22
34 Hugo González Spain F 6'7 205 19
35 Will Riley Illinois F 6'8 186 19
36 Liam McNeeley UConn F 6'8 215 19
37 Egor Demin BYU F 6'9 199 19
38 Rocco Zikarsky Australia C 7'4 257 19
39 Bogoljub Marković Serbia F 6'11 216 19
40 Alex Toohey Australia F 6'9 223 21
41 Hunter Sallis Wake Forest G 6'5 181 22
42 Koby Brea Kentucky F 6'7 202 22
43 Alijah Martin Florida G 6'3 208 23
44 Jamir Watkins Florida State F 6'6 215 23
45 Sion James Duke F 6'6 218 23
46 Lachlan Olbrich Australia C 6'10 230 21
47 Micah Peavy Georgetown F 6'7 212 23
48 Tyrese Proctor Duke G 6'5 183 21
49 Ryan Nembhard Gonzaga G 6'0 176 22
50 Kobe Sanders Nevada F 6'8 203 23
51 Amari Williams Kentucky C 6'10 227 23
52 Brice Williams Nebraska F 6'6 205 23
53 Chaz Lanier Tennessee F 6'5 206 24
54 Javon Small West Virginia G 6'2 190 22
55 Max Shulga VCU G 6'5 206 23
56 Chucky Hepburn Louisville G 6'2 211 22
57 Viktor Lahkin Clemson C 7'0 252 23
58 Brook Barnhizer Northwestern F 6'6 215 23
59 Payton Sandfort Iowa F 6'7 215 22
60 John Poulakidas Yale G 6'5 195 22
61 Yanic Konan Niederhauser Penn State C 7'0 243 22
62 Lamont Butler Kentucky G 6'2 199 23
63 Mohamed Diawara France F 6'9 225 20
64 Jahmai Mashack Tennessee G 6'4 200 22
65 Keshon Gilbert Iowa State G 6'4 184 21
66 Igor Miličić Jr. Tennessee F 6'10 225 22
67 Dink Pate United States G 6'7 201 19
68 Mark Sears Alabama G 6'0 183 23
69 Arthur Kaluma Texas F 6'7 225 23
70 Clifford Omoruyi Alabama C 6'10 240 23
71 Matthew Cleveland Miami F 6'7 208 22
72 John Tonje Wisconsin F 6'6 212 23
73 Curtis Jones Iowa State G 6'4 183 23
74 Matthew Murrell Ole Miss G 6'4 200 23
75 Izan Almansa Spain C 6'10 220 20
76 Vladislav Goldin Michigan C 7'1 253 22
77 Sean Pedulla Ole Miss G 6'1 190 22
78 Jaxson Robinson Kentucky F 6'6 189 22
79 R.J. Luis Jr. St. John's F 6'7 210 22
80 Will Richard Florida G 6'5 195 22
81 Chase Hunter Clemson G 6'3 204 24
82 Dylan Cardwell Auburn C 6'11 250 23
83 Tamar Bates Missouri G 6'5 194 22
84 Caleb Love Arizona G 6'4 205 23
85 Miles Kelly Auburn G 6'4 171 22
86 Kobe Johnson UCLA F 6'6 200 22
87 Cameron Matthews Mississippi State F 6'7 235 23
88 Kadary Richmond St. John's G 6'5 180 23
89 Owen Foxwell Australia G 6'2 179 21
90 Caleb Grill Missouri G 6'3 195 25
91 Dawson Garcia Minnesota C 6'11 230 23
92 Obinna Anochili-Killen Marshall F 6'9 224 23
93 Jacksen Moni North Dakota State F 6'10 235 22
94 R.J. Davis North Carolina G 6'0 180 23
95 Norchad Omier Baylor F 6'7 230 23
96 Grant Nelson Alabama F 6'11 230 23
97 Andrew Carr Kentucky F 6'11 210 23
98 Gabe Madsen Utah G 6'5 195 24
99 Jahmyl Telfort Butler F 6'6 220 24
100 L.J. Cryer Houston G 6'1 185 23
Collin Murray-Boyles is far more than his shortcomings
The discourse around Collin Murray-Boyles boils down to this: He's an incredible defender and was undeniably impactful in college, but there just aren't players like him in the NBA. He's 6-foot-7, but played a lot of center at South Carolina. He doesn't really shoot, and the indicators aren't very strong moving forward.
And yet, despite the uniqueness of his profile, Murray-Boyles feels destined to transcend the labels currently being applied to him. He's not a "tweener"; he's a switchable defender who can smother guards on a switch or duke it out with bigs in the post. Offensively, he's one of the best interior scorers in recent draft history — a model of efficiency around the basket, with feather-soft touch that should, in time, translate to something approximating a passable 3-point stroke.
There may not be players "like" Murray-Boyles, but I'd consider him more of a unicorn than a black sheep. His strength, agility and craft around the basket is a rare blend. He locates advantages and exploits them with both brute force and pinpoint precision. He's a savvy playmaker in the frontcourt, a deadly driver and, again, he's a monster on defense — undoubtedly the most complete defensive prospect on the board, with the tools to earn multiple All-Defense bids over the next decade.
Buy your stock now, while it's still cheap.
Noa Essengue is the latest gem out of France
The NBA Draft has taken on an increasingly strong French flavor in recent years. France now has back-to-back No. 1 picks in Victor Wembanyama and Zaccharie Risacher, as well as other top-10 selections like Alex Sarr, Tidjane Salaun and Bilal Coulibaly. The infrastructure for prospect development in France is clearly growing, and while this year's draft skews far more toward the domestic stars, we cannot ignore 18-year-old Noa Essengue as a potential hidden gem.
Playing for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany, Essengue is the second-youngest player in the draft — only three days older than Cooper Flagg. Despite his youth and his fairly nascent stage of development, Essengue has been extremely productive for Ulm in the playoffs. He's feasting on easy points, such as backdoor cuts, lobs and offensive rebounds, while also smothering the perimeter and interior alike with his 7-foot-1 wingspan on defense.
While Essengue will require a certain measure of patience at the next level, he should grow quickly into his frame. Moreover, he's a lot sharper than he gets credit for. Essengue knows when and where to move without the ball. He kickstarts transition opportunities with heads-up outlet passes, he screens with a purpose despite his lack of strength and there are flashes — truly tantalizing flashes — of on-ball, downhill creation. Essengue's handle is rudimentary right now, but he can beat closeouts and attack the lane with long, coordinated strides, hanging midair for tough finishes around contact. The foundation is readily apparent, and his age gives him a long runway for future growth.
The Ace Bailey and Tre Johnson conundrum
Ace Bailey and Tre Johnson are both potential top-five picks next week. Both incite a wide range of opinions in draft circles, with each NBA front office — and fan base — consisting of strong fans and strong skeptics in equal measure. Both are immensely talented players who put together special scoring seasons as freshmen in Power Five conferences. So why all this debate? Why aren't either ranked in the top 10?
To be fair, in a tiered version of these rankings, Bailey and Johnson would be grouped right alongside the likes of Khaman Maluach and Thomas Sorber. Both possess incredible strengths and, in the right team context, can absolutely warrant top-10 selections. That said, those strengths are undercut by weaknesses that, in recent years, tend to inhibit NBA success.
Both Bailey and Johnson rely heavily on contested jump shots. Johnson is a far more efficient and prolific 3-point shooter at this stage, and his ability to warp a defense with movement 3s and deep range is valuable. That said, he doesn't put much pressure on the rim or generate many opportunities for teammates. Bailey is a taller, more versatile defensive presence, but his passing numbers are even worse — as is his handle, which consistently prevents Bailey from generating separation or getting downhill. Bailey's ability to shoot over the top of defenders does constitute an advantage — one he exploits often — but it also leads to head-scratching decisions that restrict offensive flow and ice teammates out of possessions.
Johnson is a more polished all-around player, Bailey probably has the higher ceiling. But, as things stand, my general preference among the best of the best lottery prospects tends to favor those with a stout defensive track record and a balanced offensive skill set that touches all areas of the game. Maluach is a titanic rim protector. Sorber is too, plus he's a legitimate playmaking hub at the five spot. Kasparas Jakučionis is a playmaking wizard and a dynamic, multifaceted shooter. These are the traits that set them apart when hairs are being split.
Other important NBA Draft notes
In the right situation, Arkansas' Adou Thiero might be the best star bet nobody is talking about. He's a bit older at 21, and he still doesn't shoot 3s at a high clip, but Thiero's strength and burst on the wing is special. He can slice right through the lane with a deadly first step and plow through defenders (or dunk over them) at the rim. His ability to self-create dunks and draw fouls is a strong positive indicator. He's also a plus defensive playmaker. Put him in a well-spaced offense, on a team with a strong development staff, and Thiero will outperform his eventual draft slot.
Colorado State's Nique Clifford begs an age-old question: What's more important, youth or day-one ability? Clifford could end up on the All-Rookie first team. Very few players in this class check more boxes across the board: He's an active defender, a hellacious rebounder for his position, a slick passer, a much improved ball-handler and driver, a legitimate shooting threat. Clifford didn't face much high-end competition in college and he's already 23, which historically means less development over the course of a rookie contract. We can look to recent examples like Jaime Jaquez, who made waves as a rookie only to stall relative to his peers as an NBA sophomore. Clifford's athleticism, feel and track record of constant growth could make him an exception to the rule, however.
Villanova's Eric Dixon led the NCAA in scoring as a senior. He was extremely productive across the board and a true analytics darling, so why is he slated as a late second-round pick in most mocks? Well, NBA teams tend to fade 24-year-olds with complicated defensive projections — often rightfully so. That said, Dixon is 6-foot-9 and 259 pounds with a prolific 3-point shot, an incredible strength advantage in the post and an exceptionally high feel for the game. He can create and extend advantages inside the arc and he's a genuine three-level scorer with a sharp eye for passing. The Julius Randle comps are right on the surface when watching him. Dixon feels like someone who will get on the floor and contribute as a rookie.
I am selling extremely low on BYU's Egor Demin. He is a projected lottery pick, with some mocks pegging him as high as Brooklyn or Toronto, but proceed with caution. There's a lot to like on the surface — a 6-foot-9 playmaking wizard with time to grow into his frame — but Demin's scoring chops are well behind the eight ball. He can't create separation or get downhill due to a lack of strength and quickness. He takes plenty of pull-up 3s and such, but he's a subpar shooter with bad touch indicators. The defense is nothing special, bordering on a real concern. If he can't threaten NBA defenses as a scorer, it's hard to envision him unlocking his ceiling as a jumbo playmaker. Even the Josh Giddey comps feel a bit overblown; Demin doesn't have the same wiggle as a ball-handler.