2025 NBA Mock Draft: Cooper Flagg at No. 1? No doubt. But who else is a first-round pick?

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It’s time for the Sweet 16, which makes this a perfect time to release my first mock draft for the 2025 NBA Draft.

Below is the first round for my mock. You can find this mock, plus a full second round and scouting reports for every single prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft Guide.

Some of the top prospects are still playing, including Duke’s Cooper Flagg and Maryland’s Derik Queen. Others have seen their seasons end already like Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe and Colorado State’s Nique Clifford. And then we’ve got a host of international prospects scattered among the college talents, like Noa Essengue and Nolan Traoré, both from France. Let’s get to it with the first round:

Things are trending up in Washington as of late. Last year’s second selection, Alex Sarr, is making major strides on both ends of the floor. And the Wizards’ young guards and wings are showing flashes on a game-to-game basis. But what the franchise really needs is a cornerstone, and that’s what Flagg would bring as a do-it-all forward who hustles like a madman, makes his teammates better as a passer, and has dialed in a knockdown jumper.

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While leading Duke to the Sweet 16, he’s showing why he’s both the best offensive and defensive prospect in this draft class, making him the safest No. 1 pick in ages. The Wizards have dealt with plenty of misses over the years, whereas Flagg is a sure thing. It’s his growth as a shot creator that will decide if he reaches his All-Star floor or soars to his Hall of Fame ceiling.

(Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports Illustration)

What a bummer for the Jazz if they end up with the second pick. Not only because they’ve tanked hard and even received a $100,000 fine. But because they already have drafted promising guards in recent years, including Isaiah Collier and Keyonte George. Ideally, they’d find a better-fitting prospect.

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Regardless, Harper is the best prospect of the bunch as a big-bodied, lefty combo guard with NBA blood in his veins, as the son of Ron Harper. And like his father, Harper has a high-floor with the skill, poise and playmaking instincts to dictate the game at his pace. But…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/2025-nba-mock-draft-cooper-flagg-at-no-1-no-doubt-but-who-else-is-a-first-round-pick-203049384.html

Author : Kevin O'Connor

Publish date : 2025-03-26 20:30:00

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