On June 25-26, 2025, the NBA had their 79th annual draft for the 2025-26 NBA season. With about 60 players drafted each year, the NBA Draft is one of the most exciting events of the preseason. Teams and managers get excited for the chance to acquire young and new talent, fans are eager to see how their favorite college players will transition to the big leagues, and players are intrigued to see how rookies will shake the competitiveness of the sport.
Thus, expectations to perform are always high on rookies, especially the top prospects of the NBA Draft. In sports terms, a prospect is a “young athlete who has the potential to develop into a successful professional player” (Sports Prospects, 2025). Prospects in any sport are highly sought after and reviewed ever since their high school years, but the top prospects are those who especially excel in their class and are usually seen in the top 5 of a sports draft. Now that the NBA is a couple weeks into the season, these prospects have had their chance to adjust to the environment and make their impact on the court as rookies. While it’s still early in the season, we’ll review the performances, reports, and statistics of the top 5 in the NBA draft, and determine whether they’ve exceeded, met, or failed expectations.
#5 – Ace Bailey, Utah Jazz
Coming in at number five is Rutgers guard Ace Bailey. Ace Bailey was selected in the first round as the fifth pick of the 2025 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. Ranked #3 overall for his draft class, sports analyst Jonathon Givony identifies Bailey for his great size, coming at 6’9 and 203 lbs, and his dynamic shotmaking ability. Bailey is also reported to be noticeably impactful on defense, with his high level of intensity and skill during transition. In his last year at Rutgers, Bailey averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. In his NBA season, Bailey averages 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. The Jazz’s guard has had a rough start to his season: with some controversy between his camp and Jazz management, and some surprisingly low numbers in his stats, scoring below 10 points in his first 8 games of the season. However, as Bailey has seen more starting time and adjusted to his role on the team, he has seen great improvement, consistently scoring double digits, and the path is only forward as he continues.
#4 – Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets
Coming from his MVP and championship win in the NBA’s summer league, Kon Knueppel has arguably had the greatest start to the season out of any rookie in his class. Averaging 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists at Duke, Knueppel was the fourth pick of the NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets, and was #6 ranked overall of his class. Givony reported Knueppel’s strengths to be his tenacious ability to be an outstanding shooter and his flexibility as both a passer and defender. Knueppel has been on fire, averaging 18.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, tied for the team high in points, and has had an impressive 4 consecutive 20-point games from Nov. 17 to 23. Knueppel has continued to exceed expectations, and it’ll be interesting to see how he will continue to impact his team.
#3 – Vj Edegecombe, Philadelphia 76ers
Our first player in the top 3, ranked #4 overall of his class, the “Generator” or Vj Edgecombe, was selected third by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the NBA Draft. Coming from Baylor, Edgecombe averaged 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. His draft analysis from analyst Giovany highlighted his explosiveness as an athlete, and his combination of playmaking and perimeter defense makes him elite at any point on the court. The “Generator” has made his impact on the court known, averaging 14.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, and had a generational first game, scoring 34 points against the 2023-2024 NBA champion Boston Celtics. This record-breaking game set Edgecombe as the most points scored by a 76ers rookie in their debut, surpassing 76ers legend Allen Iverson, and the most points by any rookie in their debut since 1959, set by Wilt Chamberlain. Though Edgecombe has slowed down a bit since his dominant performance due to a calf injury, he’s back in the game and still has that same intensity. This definitely isn’t the last we’ll see from the “Generator.”
#2 – Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs
Coming in at the second pick of the 2025 NBA Draft is Rutgers guard Dylan Harper. Ranked #2 overall, Harper was drafted in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs and averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in his final NCAA season. As the star player and leader of the Rutgers team, Harper had an unfortunate last season: having to play through illness and injury, and with an undermanned team, Harper missed the NCAA tournament and finished with a 15-17 record. Still, due to his ability as a playmaker, a strong frame, and skills as a shot creator, Harper helped carry his team through a tough season and led the team in scoring and assists. Similarly, his success as a player has transitioned quite nicely to the NBA, where he averages 13.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. It’s clear that Harper is making his impact on this Spurs team, and as the season goes on, it’ll be interesting to see how his role will continue to mature.
#1 – Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
To round off our top prospects, drafted #1, ranked #1, is none other than #32 Cooper Flagg. Flagg was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks, and in his last season at Duke, he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. At Duke, Flagg helped lead his team to a 35-4 record and to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament, and though Duke didn’t win the whole thing, Flagg’s impressive performance to help his team was duly noticed. Coming into the draft, Flagg was widely considered to be the best player in college basketball, despite being 17, and as Draft analyst Jermey Woo iterated, “He’s one of the best prospects to come along in the past decade.” His strengths as a playmaker and excellent passer, ability to finish consistently and create shots, as well as his presence on the court, allowing his teammates to get open shots, are the skills that set him above his peers. Currently, Flagg has met the great expectations many foretold, averaging 17.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. His game has been nothing short of impressive as Flagg has put up double-figure points in every game he’s played except for one game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. It’s evident that Cooper Flagg is filled with confidence, and it’ll be exciting to see him continue to perform.
