Duke star Cooper Flagg is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
For fans of subpar NBA teams, there were few signs of hope in last year’s NCAA tournament.
Six of the 14 lottery picks in the 2024 draft never played college basketball; two others played for teams that failed to qualify for March Madness. Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham were knocked out by Oakland in an epic first-round upset, and Colorado’s Cody Williams was eliminated in the second round. By the time Purdue’s Zach Edey and Connecticut’s Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan played key roles in an entertaining national championship game, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and the women’s tournament had already stolen most of the headlines.
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Draftniks will feast on much better fare over the next three weeks: This year’s top 10 draft picks could all come from the NCAA ranks, something that hasn’t happened since Zion Williamson and Ja Morant led the way in 2019. Indeed, the influx of name, image and likeness (NIL) money has helped consolidate talent that might have previously considered playing internationally, signing with the NBA’s defunct G League Ignite developmental team or playing for Overtime Elite.
Duke’s Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick, has a case as the most complete American prospect since Anthony Davis was drafted in 2012, and he plays for a loaded Blue Devils team that boasts two other possible top-10 prospects. Although highly touted freshmen Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey will be watching the tournament from home because Rutgers (15-17) missed the cut, here are five potential lottery picks for NBA fans to keep an eye once the first round tips off Thursday.
Cooper Flagg (Duke)
Flagg (18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game) has followed in the footsteps of well-rounded Duke forward such as Grant Hill and Jayson Tatum. The ACC player of the year can score in isolation and beat pressure defenses by making good reads, and he has made progress on his outside shot and late-game execution while leading Duke to the No. 1 seed in the East Region. His chief virtues remain an exceptional motor and a willingness to do the big things and the little things that contribute to wins.
While Flagg’s combination of natural athletic gifts, feel for the game and competitiveness is rare even among elite prospects, he enters the tournament facing questions about his health. During an ACC tournament win over Georgia Tech last week, Flagg rolled his left ankle by landing on an opponent’s foot after skying for a defensive rebound. Flagg was later seen riding in a wheelchair, but Duke Coach Jon Scheyer said this week that his star avoided a serious injury and is hoping to return for Duke’s tournament opener Friday. Of course, a healthy Flagg will be crucial to Duke’s hopes of capturing its first NCAA title since 2015 given that he leads the team in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals.
Barring a shocking turn of events, Flagg will become the fourth Blue Devil since 2011 to be selected with the top overall pick, joining Kyrie Irving, Williamson and Paolo Banchero. The 18-year-old Maine product, who graduated high school in three years, would also become the first White American player since Indiana’s Kent Benson in 1977 to be the No. 1 pick.
Khaman Maluach (Duke)
Flagg is flanked by Duke’s two other projected lottery picks: freshman scoring guard Kon Knueppel and Maluach, a freshman center from South Sudan who spent last season playing in the NBA’s Basketball Africa League. The 7-foot-2 Maluach’s impact extends well beyond his somewhat pedestrian box score numbers (8.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game): He’s a long, active and imposing presence on the defensive end, as well as a skilled lob finisher who commands attention whenever he dives through the paint.
Maluach needs to refine and expand his offensive game, but he is not a “project” because he already has a good understanding of spacing, competes hard for rebounds and doesn’t shy away from defending on the perimeter. With Maluach manning the back line and Flagg wreaking havoc, Duke’s defense ranks in the top 10 by points allowed and field goal percentage allowed.
Importantly, Maluach appears mobile and coordinated enough to survive in the modern NBA, and his dunking dexterity would be useful to any team with a lead playmaker who regularly attracts double teams.
VJ Edgecombe (Baylor)
Edgecombe, a native of the Bahamas, is a prototypical backcourt scorer with immense athleticism: The 6-foot-5 Baylor guard went viral in November with a thunderous poster dunk against Gonzaga, and he possesses the fearlessness and fluidity needed to deliver aerial highlights at a moment’s notice.
Although Anthony Edwards was a more prolific scorer at Georgia, Edgecombe (15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game) operates in a similar lane and has been a more efficient three-point shooter than the 2020 No. 1 overall pick was during his one-and-done season. Like Edwards, the 19-year-old Edgecombe prefers attacking and scoring to passing, but he can keep defenses honest when he draws a crowd.
The Big 12 freshman of the year could get a turn on center stage: If Baylor, the East Region’s No. 9 seed, can dispatch Mississippi State in the first round Friday, it would be on track for a second-round tilt against Duke on Sunday.
Jase Richardson (Michigan State)
Richardson, the 19-year-old son of former NBA player Jason Richardson, is a polished lefty guard with a reliable three-point shot and a practiced ability to manipulate defenders in isolation. Shorter and much skinnier than his father, the 6-foot-3 Richardson (12.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game) opened the season in a reserve role and wasn’t promoted into Michigan State’s starting lineup until February.
After the move, Richardson has generated real momentum, averaging 17.3 points per game and shooting 42.3 percent on three-pointers across his past 11 games. The Spartans lost to Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament semifinals last week, but Richardson scored a team-high 21 points and finished the season with a conference-leading 133.4 offensive rating.
Michigan State, which is making its 27th consecutive tournament appearance under Coach Tom Izzo, will be the South Region’s No. 2 seed and open against No. 15 Bryant on Friday. Richardson projects as a secondary scoring specialist rather than a lead offensive engine in the NBA, but he now appears likely to become the first Michigan State player drafted in the lottery since Jaren Jackson Jr. and Miles Bridges in 2018.
Kasparas Jakucionis (Illinois)
Jakucionis, 18, is a crafty Lithuanian point guard who developed in Barcelona’s youth system before joining Illinois last fall. There’s a lot to like: Jakucionis (15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game) has good size at 6-foot-6, and he is a confident pick-and-roll orchestrator with a knack for making flashy passes and hitting step-back three-pointers. Despite his youth, Jakucionis guided the nation’s No. 11 scoring offense to position himself as a possible top-five pick.
To evolve into a lead guard in the NBA, Jakucionis must rein in his most audacious instincts by improving his assist-to-turnover ratio and honing his shot selection. Illinois claimed the Midwest Region’s No. 6 seed, and it will face either Texas or Xavier on Friday before a possible second-round matchup with No. 3 seed Kentucky.
Latest on March Madness
The 2025 NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are about to get underway after the brackets were finalized on Selection Sunday, which included a few surprises. Planning to follow along? We’ve got printable brackets for you, the best tips and advice for beginners and everything else you should know.
Men’s bracket: Follow along for scores and updates from each game. See the best bets to win and who the most likely first-round upsets could be.
Women’s bracket: Follow along for scores and updates from each game. Check out the favorites to win and the can’t-miss stars of the tournament.