NBA Draft 2025: Five Prospects Every Lottery Team Must Target
The 2025 NBA Draft does not carry a Wembanyama-level consensus number-one, but it is β in the estimation of most front offices β a remarkably deep class with genuine star potential distributed across the top 12 picks. Here are the five prospects that lottery-position teams are prioritising.
1. Ace Bailey (SF, Rutgers)
Bailey is the most gifted scorer in the draft. At 6'9" with a 7'2" wingspan, he combines guard-like ball-handling with genuine interior scoring ability β a forward who can create his own shot from anywhere on the floor. His defensive engagement has been inconsistent in college, but the physical profile and offensive creativity are elite. The franchise that needs a bucket-getter at the forward position should be targeting Bailey at the top of the board.
2. Dylan Harper (PG/SG, Rutgers)
The most NBA-ready prospect in the class. Harper is physically mature at 6'6", can handle and create off the dribble, and shoots 38.7% from three on genuine off-the-dribble attempts. His 23.6 points per game this season came on 49% efficiency β an extraordinary combination for a guard at the college level. Teams without a clear lead guard have no justification for passing on him.
3. Cooper Flagg (PF, Duke)
Flagg is the highest-floor prospect in the class. His defensive versatility β capable of guarding 1 through 5 at the college level β combined with a reliable mid-range game and sharp playmaking reads make him the safest pick in the lottery. Several front offices rate him as the best long-term bet for teams in win-now windows who cannot afford a developmental project.
"Every class has a guy who helps you win more games faster. In 2025, that's Cooper Flagg." β Anonymous NBA Scout, speaking to Sportscreed
4. VJ Edgecombe (SG, Baylor)
The most explosive athlete in the draft. Edgecombe's first-step quickness, combined with a 44-inch vertical and defensive instincts that produced 2.7 steals per game at Baylor, make him the ideal two-way wing in a league that increasingly values position-less defence. His shooting (34% from three) needs refinement, but the athleticism is irreplaceable.
5. Kon Knueppel (SG/SF, Duke)
The draft's most undervalued prospect. Knueppel's shooting efficiency (42.8% from three on high-volume attempts), combined with 6'7" size and elite off-ball movement, gives teams a legitimate floor-spacing wing who doesn't need the ball to impact the game. In a league where spacing is the premium currency, he will be taken inside the top 8 and exceed those expectations.
- Harper: 23.6 PPG, 49% FG β most efficient high-volume guard in college basketball
- Flagg: 17.1 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 4.3 APG β rare three-category producer at power forward
- Edgecombe: 2.7 steals per game β highest among projected lottery picks
- Knueppel: 42.8% from three on 7.3 attempts β elite shooting volume and efficiency