Prepare for the NBA Season with the 2025 NBA Draft Review
With the 2025 NBA Draft in the books, it’s time to review the top picks to see which teams stand to benefit the most. Below, we’ve sectioned the selections into players who stand to make the biggest immediate impact, and another section that focuses on the raw talent of the incoming players.
Read on to see who of the Class of ‘25 you should keep an eye on in the 2025/26 NBA season.
Most Impactful Draft Selections for 2025
These 2025 NBA Draft picks are primed and ready to make a major impact for their teams from the first tip-off.
Ace Bailey – Utah Jazz
Standing 6’7’’ with a 7’ wingspan, Ace Bailey is already a tremendous athlete with a smooth, high-release shot that makes the wing a constant threat. He’ll often turn to his superb jump shot, and was forced to do so often in a sub-par Rutgers offence.
His flexibility, nimble footwork, and ability to contort his body have long helped him score, but have also proven useful in tandem with his strong defence off the ball. His final stat line read 17.6 points, a 34.6 three-point percentage, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks.
A long way away from winning with a 17-65 record to come rock bottom of the NBA standings last season, the Jazz rightly took the most talented player available with their fifth overall pick. Given the way that the Jazz has stripped down its team, they look to be going all-in on building through the draft. In that sense, any top talent will help the Jazz now.
In Bailey’s case, he looks to become the focal point early to try to help him reach his very high ceiling.
Importantly, Utah looks to have drafted the pieces for a deadly duo going forward with Bailey and 18th pick Walter Clayton Jr. The latter is a potent shooter from the outside, won the NCAA Championship with Florida, and was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player. Seemingly committed to a full rebuild through young players, in a few years, we might be looking at the 2025 NBA Draft as the turning point for this franchise.
Kasparas Jakučionis – Miami Heat
Perhaps the greatest asset of Kasparas Jakučionis is his natural feel for the game. He enters the NBA as a very versatile, team-driven player who can seemingly be moulded to fit any role or position from a loose classification as a guard. He’s not particularly fast or large at 6’5’’, but he is surprisingly quick in short bursts, from side to side, and happily starts and stops when moving the ball to disrupt a defender’s rhythm.
With 13.5 points, a 32.7 three-point percentage, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists, he left Illinois as a top-ten prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft to many.
So, with perhaps the best value pick of the first round, the Miami Heat likely had to scrap all their big board plans when Jakučionis fell to them. Needing to pick the best available player at No. 20, Miami happily gave a jersey to the versatile Lithuanian. Yet, they remain dark horses in the Southeast Division odds.
He projects as a solid passer and playmaker out of the gate, which could help to boost the Heat’s collection of veteran scorers. Further, he’s an excellent finisher in his own right and knows exactly how to draw defenders out to allow for play to unfold as they should. He’ll need to tighten up on turnovers and up the ante on defence, but given his high basketball IQ, an NBA coaching team should be able to improve these aspects swiftly.
Kam Jones – Indiana Pacers
The 6’3’’ guard Kam Jones was taken 38th overall, but certainly looks to have enough NBA-ready value to warrant a higher selection.
Having averaged 19.2 points, 5.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals across 33.8 minutes per game, Jones proved his versatility, engine, and willingness to throw his weight around across the court. On draft day, the Indiana Pacers swept in to trade for Jones’s rights, which had been picked up by the San Antonio Spurs.
Jones looks set to get plenty of work while the Pacers give all-star Tyrese Haliburton time to recover and Andrew Nembhard takes over starting duties.
At 23-years-old, Jones is more experienced than most of his rookie peers, but that should help him to enjoy a stronger start to life in the NBA.
He plays hard, making up for his somewhat lacking athleticism with sheer physicality and by applying plenty of pressure on defence.
Over the season, he figures to slot into the sixth-man role, with the Pacers making full use of his combo-guard abilities. Being so well-rounded, the team could then mould him into different roles by either leaning into his knack for shooting, his slick passing, or his defensive strengths. The team needed to find a role player, and they look to have done that in Kam Jones.
Still, without Haliburton, last year’s runners-up have drifted to fourth in the Central Division odds.
Carter Bryant – San Antonio Spurs
As a five-star recruit coming to Arizona in his freshman year, Carter Bryant was used rather sparingly. He averaged 19.3 minutes, 6.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.0 blocks, and 0.9 steals.
Yet, every NBA scout saw enough in this tight sample to label him a likely first-rounder. His reactions, hang time, and shot-blocking versatility swiftly made him a standout without the ball. When he was thrown the rock, he went 37.1 percent from the three-point line.
Cashing in on part of a hefty haul of picks acquired by trading Dejounte Murray and Jock Landale to the Atlanta Hawks back in 2022, the Spurs made a great choice in adding Bryant at No. 14. He’s exactly what you’d look for in a 3-and-D wing: explosive, agile, has a keen eye for playmaking on defence, and has a 7’0’’ wingspan from his 6’7’’ frame.
Already armed to the teeth with shot-creating talents like De’Aaron Fox, Victor Wembanyama, and Dylan Harper, Bryant figures to further balance the rotations and grow to a very high ceiling, given that he’s only 19-years-old.
With the Spurs on the rise, Bryant was exactly the kind of talent to land in the middle of the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, offering a lot of defensive upside and contributing to their greatly improved Southwest Division odds.
Noa Essengue – Chicago Bulls
Despite his age, the all-limbs forward Noa Essengue already has a solid season of professional basketball under his belt. In the 2024/25 1. Bundesliga season, he played regularly for Ratiopharm Ulm.
Across the campaign, he averaged 9.7 points, 22.8 minutes, and 4.5 rebounds per game. Such figures and clear dynamism in the offensive and defensive ends earned him acclaim, with the most exciting aspect of his game being his high ceiling from here.
Seemingly not content with the lengthy athleticism and combo-forward play of Matas Buzelis with their No. 11 pick in 2024, the Chicago Bulls spent their 2025 No. 12 pick on a similar archetype.
Essengue joins the 6’10’’ Lithuanian, but is certainly one for the future. As the second-youngest in the draft and only 18-years-old, the French 6’9’’ wing will get game time thanks to his versatility, but likely won’t make an instant impact.
Most Exciting Prospects from the 2025 NBA Draft
Populating the earliest selections in the 2025 NBA Draft, these are the most exciting prospects who look set to have a very bright future ahead of them.
Cooper Flagg – Dallas Mavericks
An award-winning talent at every level en route to the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, none doubted that Dallas’ near-absurd windfall would result in Cooper Flagg being taken off the board.
Perhaps the best way of summing up the Duke freshman is by saying that he’s not yet developed any truly elite-tier skills specifically, but he is supremely versatile and devoid of a significant weakness.
In his first year with Duke, which was his only year, Flagg posted a line of 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 4.2 assists, and 30.6 minutes per game. This impressive stat line that earned him the ACC Rookie of the Year and National College Player of the Year was well proven, with Flagg playing 37 games and going to the Final Four with the Blue Devils.
As such, he entered the draft as perhaps the most well-rounded prospect of the last handful of years.
His ceiling is incredibly high, and his versatility will allow him to play to the benefit of just about any system the Mavs roll out next season. He’ll be of most use defensively in his first season, capable of locking down the perimeter and blocking down low. Flagg also enters the NBA surrounded by a team that’ll already be favoured in most NBA lines.
Dylan Harper – San Antonio Spurs
The consensus second-best of the 2025 NBA Draft to Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper has the kind of offensive mindset that NBA coaches love to bring into their roster.
Only recently turning 19-years-old, he already knows exactly how to make full use of his superb ball-handling ability, plan his paths, and be patient. He’s a tactician, with his on-ball command regularly bending defences to his team’s will during his time with Rutgers.
The 6’5’’ guard produced well on the other side of the ball, with his 3.8 defensive rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks highlighting this.
Harper has shown himself willing to compete, but in the NBA, coaches will push for him to be more engaged in the defensive end. His immediate upside for the San Antonio Spurs will be his scoring. The New Jersey native averaged a .333 three-point percentage and .574 two-point percentage over 29 games.
With the Spurs, he’ll further fill out an incredibly high-ceiling rotation. The crowded backcourt now looks to feature De’Aron Fox, Stephon Castle, and newcomers Harper and Carter Bryant. So, he’ll be given time to grow into the NBA while also getting decent minutes behind the more experienced guards.
Still, this is clearly a roster going in an exciting direction, which is why they’re joint-ninth in the NBA Championship odds, alongside the Golden State Warriors.
VJ Edgecombe – Philadelphia 76ers
VJ Edgecombe arrives to the NBA as a bona fide elite athlete, even if his 6’4’’ frame is on the small side for a guard. Even so, the No. 3 pick has more than proven his defensive credentials.
Playing 33 games for Baylor, the Bahamas-born freshman ended the season with 5.6 total rebounds – 3.6 of which were defensive – 0.6 blocks, and a hefty 2.1 steals. It speaks to his natural talent for defending, particularly when it comes to hawking passes.
With the defensive side of his game very strong, and boasting athleticism that simply can’t be taught, scouts predict a strong two-way future for Edgecombe. To get there, the 76ers will be getting him to work on his on-the-move scoring. Stood still, he’s a safe bet for three points.
After all, he averaged 15.0 and .340 percent from the three. Even with his 3.2 assists per game thrown in, it’s his offensive game that needs the most work.
Behind an oft-injured collection of star players, including Joel Embiid and Paul George, the Philadelphia 76ers have quietly built a strong young core. Edgecombe becomes a part of this in 2025/26, joining Jared McCain and Tyrese Maxey as a dynamic young starting trio who could be the stars of the show by 2026/27 if others can’t stay fit again. Even so, Edgecombe and the 76ers open the Atlantic Division odds as firm third-favourites.
Tre Johnson – Washington Wizards
A player who can offer instant excitement in the NBA, Tre Johnson is a unique mix of size, strength, and scoring ability.
Easily the best pure scoring option in this draft, he put up 19.9 points, a 38.7 three-point percentage, and 2.7 assists in his year with Texas.
He can find and nail the bucket from just about anywhere, even if his final two-point percentage of .449 lands a bit low. On the flip side, the 6’6’’ guard’s defensive game is lacking beyond his physical presence.
Heinously unlucky in the NBA Draft Lottery to go from No. 2 to No. 6, the Washington Wizards at least had one simple goal: draft the most talented player possible.
In Johnson, they get the best pure scorer going.
Already teeming with exciting young talents to build the core, Johnson enters as the highlight-reel guard that will get fans on their feet early and often. Given his skills, Johnson may be deployed in doses at first, maximizing his potent scoring while limiting his limited defensive ability for now.
Kon Knueppel – Charlotte Hornets
Also coming from the vaunted Duke ranks alongside Cooper Flagg, freshman Kon Knueppel also greatly impressed from the wing. His 6’7’’, 6’6’’ wingspan, and 219 lbs build set him up as a bit of a novelty for his style of play.
It’s not often that someone who can space the floor and slap away shots from beyond the arc arrives in such a bully-ball package. As a Blue Devil, he put up a line of 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and a 40.6 three point percentage.
With an ace three-point shot and a decent floor for his eye for a pass and defensive responsibilities, Knueppel could find himself of immediate use to the Charlotte Hornets.
The No. 4 pick could slot in as a forward in the team’s starting set, giving him plenty of minutes to refine the other aspects of his game while still contributing to the scoreboard often.
It’d be a stretch to say that Knueppel and his Duke teammate, Sion James, have greatly improved the season outlook for the Horents, but their game-day basketball odds will likely improve overall.