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The 2025 NBA draft is viewed by scouts as significantly stronger and deeper — especially at the top — than last year’s prospect group.
The 2024 draft has had an unpredictable wind over the No. 1 pick due to an unusually weak crop of candidates — mostly seen as potential role players — and differing opinions on who might emerge as the best long-term player.
This year is different from a talent perspective. The early choice for the No. 1 pick is Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, who has all the makings of a franchise player. A number of strong contenders behind him have huge platforms at their disposal to show they deserve consideration.
Still, it’s not a Victor Wembanyama-type class of 2023, with the automatic nod at No. 1, as some NBA scouts told ESPN the door is open for them to consider other players depending on how the next nine months play out. .
“I’m going into this year with an open mind,” an NBA executive recently told ESPN. “That’s how mistakes are made: Anchoring yourself with an opinion and then closing yourself off to new ones, more important information that we’ll receive in the coming months as the season progresses.” How is it going?
“I have to see if Cooper Flagg is really a No. 1-type offensive option that a team can be expected to carry at some point in his career, or if he’s a superstar role player who fits as your second- or third-best player every year. Surprises appear, new players pop up and others make unexpected leaps.”
We still have a lot to learn about this team, but here’s my breakdown of the five serious contenders for the No. 1 pick before the men’s college basketball season begins on Nov. 4.
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