2025 NBA Draft Big Board 4.0
My top 75 players in the 2025 NBA Draft, ranked and tiered, as of January 2025.
Conference play has started for just about every team that isn’t an independent, which means, for a lot of prospects, we’re entering the most dense, challenging stretch of their season. The SEC, which features six of the top 10 teams in the AP Poll will be a bloodbath for freshmen getting their first taste of teams like Tennessee and Auburn, and it’s not a whole lot different for prospects in the Big Ten, Big 12 or ACC.
Below are my top 75 players in the 2025 NBA Draft class entering this stretch of the season — the first stretch of the new year — broken up into seven tiers. As is the usual practice in these big boards, the top 25 will be accessible for free subscribers, with each player receiving a short write-up. The remaining 50 will be paywalled with 10 additional write-ups.
Without further adieu, here is the second edition of my 2025 NBA Draft Big Board.
Tier One: All-NBA Projections
Cooper Flagg, Duke (—)
The only thing that has changed about Flagg since the last big board update is that he’s gotten even better. Over his last five games, he’s averaging 20.8 points per game, 7.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists (as of January 8, 2025) while still being the game-changing defensive player that he’s known to be. I recently debuted a new column on Prospects & Concepts where I detailed why I thought the narratives surrounding his struggles were underbaked, and I’m proud to say it’s aged relatively well.
Dylan Harper, Rutgers (—)
The same goes with Harper, with a small footnote about a nagging illness that essentially docked him entirely in his comeback game against Wisconsin. It’s really hard for me to watch what Harper’s doing night in and night out for this Rutgers squad and not see an All-NBA guard. His slashing is best-in-class, as is his playmaking (more arguably) and the shooting has only improved throughout the season, going from 27.6% on 4.1 attempts from three in his first seven games to 43.6% on 5.6 attempts in his last seven.
Tier Two: Potential All-Star Projections
Kasparas Jakučionis, Illinois (+4)
The last week or two of Jakučionis has just been show time. He’s trying his most daring passes, taking his most daring threes and just exuding “that guy” energy. That’s exactly what he is, too, as he’s been averaging 19.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists since the start of December. He’ll have an All-American bet by the end of the season if he keeps improving at the rate he has, even if turnovers prevail as an issue for him.
Derik Queen, Maryland (+14)
I’m just continuing to see the light with Queen every time I tune in to see him, and with a group of preseason projected top picks failing to meet expectations in one way or another, he’s been an exception. He absolutely needs to trim some of the fat, but his mobility and ability to throw his weight around has made him one of the most impactful offensive bigs in college basketball and his touch in the mid-range has been fantastic at times. It’s just hard not to get excited about his skill set.
VJ Edgecombe, Baylor (+4)
I’ve come to a controversial opinion on Edgecombe: he doesn’t project to be all that bad as a shooter. He takes a lot of them, shoots OK from the line and he was a 40%+ guy overall as a high school upperclassman. On top of that, it’s down the line as far as things you’d be drafting him for. He’s a one-of-one athlete in this class, a ridiculous defensive event creator averaging 2.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, a great rebounder for a guard and a reliable tertiary playmaker in any lineup.
Labaron Philon, Alabama (+20)
Philon is just an incredible guard prospect, despite the obvious critique of his frame being a bit slight for the NBA in his current iteration. He’s jittery as all hell, with fast, long strides to get to the rim whenever he desires, he flows on and off the ball really well, and all of his passes feel intentional. On top of it all, he’s shooting 17-of-20 on floaters and is clearly better than he’s shown himself to be from beyond the three-point line.
Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina (+36)
A multitude of people I trust in the NBA Draft space are huge fans of Murray-Boyles, and it’s caused me to jump back into his film in a new light. I have to say, the result is that I’m all in on the 6-foot-7 sophomore forward/big. He impacts the game in so many ways, has solid touch indicators to suggest the shooting could maybe eventually come around, and, even if it doesn’t, he’s just good at basketball.
P.S. I just wrote 2,000+ words on him, check it out here.
Tier Three: Potential High-End Starters
Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma (+45)
Since this big board was last updated on December 6, 2024, the Fears show has been one of the most exciting regulars in college basketball. Since then, Fears has averaged 19.2 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.8 steals while being more efficient than ever as a scorer. Turnovers are still a small issue, although those require a lot of context (and some can even be encouraging). At 6-foot-4, Fears is one of the fastest, most exciting guards in the country.
Johnuel “Boogie” Fland, Arkansas (-4)
Among freshmen, Fland is the top distributor, with 5.9 assists per game at the time of writing this. He’s one of the most dynamic pick-and-roll ball handlers, ranking in the 86th percentile nationally in efficiency on that play type. He’s an incredible slasher with a knack for getting to his floater or countering with his mid-range jump shot, and the three-point shot has been really falling. It’s almost death by a thousand cuts, or in this case, dribbles, when it comes to Fland and it just feels like it’s all going to translate.
Khaman Maluach, Duke (-4)
Maluach isn’t a featured player at Duke offensively, as it’s a guard-heavy, highly-spaced team full of playmakers who aren’t really adept at finding bigs in the dunker spot (that’s not a slight to Duke, just not their game plan). However, Maluach is more than just a catch-and-dunk big. He’s an excellent screener and a budding hub who can catch and swing the ball to where it needs to go. He lacks offensive primacy in any shape but has the potential to fill gaps with shooting and decisiveness.
Noah Penda, Le Mans (+2)
I’ve said nothing but positives about Penda in each iteration of my big board where he’s appeared in the top 25, and he’s one of the rare cases of someone who’s risen every time, going from an early second-round pick to a potential top-10 guy. He’s a shooter, a defensive playmaker, and a bruising body who can disrupt and dislodge his opponent when he wants to.
Airious “Ace” Bailey, Rutgers (-9)
Bailey’s fall from the top three comes from perhaps a bit of nitpicking and perhaps a bit of reality. His size and defensive upside (when engaged) is probably my favorite part of what he’s offered Rutgers, as a roaming four and occasionally a small ball five given their roster construction. The shot-making is no doubt impressive, but, oftentimes I have a hard time looking at it and seeing the value in the shots he takes within the grander scheme of an offense.
Egor Demin, Brigham Young (-9)
I don’t think it’s as simple as saying, “Demin only got the hype he did because he was playing against weak teams.” Watching the tape of the later games in contrast doesn’t disprove the strengths that were evident in the earlier counterparts, it just uncovers the weaknesses a bit more. Personally, I have a hard time factoring in Houston games to my evaluation of prospects, as coach Kelvin Sampson’s scheme is unlike anything any prospect will see anywhere else, but regardless, there are strides to be made.
Tre Johnson, Texas (+7)
A lot of my gripes with Johnson are the same as the two players above him — he’s a jump-shot-reliant creator with little downhill burst or explosiveness around or under the rim. However, the shooting is just too nuclear to doubt whether he’ll have a spot in a rotation somewhere. On top of that, Johnson’s a competent point-of-attack defender who’s quicker laterally than you might expect.
Thomas Sorber, Georgetown (+2)
I just think Sorber is cool. A big who impacts the games in all facets as a scorer, passer, rebounder and defender with production to match in every regard. His last seven games have featured six high-major opponents — his first taste of such competition — and he’s averaged 14.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 3.0 blocks. He’s struggled a bit with efficiency, and the three-point shot needs major work, but Sorber provides so much value.
Andrej Stojakovic, California-Berkeley (NR)
The first unranked player from the last board is the son of NBA legend Peja Stojakovic. Andrej deviates from his father’s sharpshooting persona slightly. He can still knock down the outside shot, which he’s done at a 36.8% rate this year, but his slashing is what’s pushed him to 19.9 points per game in his sophomore breakout. He’s a slithery handler who’s more explosive around the rim than he appears with the ability to make ancillary plays, and even cause havoc defensively.
Danny Wolf, Michigan (+8)
Wolf just keeps getting cooler. Last time, when he appeared as a top-25 guy on the last big board update, he was still putting up numbers, but some of his weaknesses have been lessened. Turnovers are down, slightly, and three-point shooting is up, slightly. Over the last month-ish, Wolf’s put together some of the most impressive stat lines of the season with his all-around performances against teams like Wisconsin, Arkansas and USC. Chances are, he’ll just keep getting better.
Tier Four: Possible Playoff Rotation Players
Johni Broome, Auburn (+12)
Broome has been (pretty easily) the best player in college basketball on the best team this season. He's perfectly displaying his all-around skill set with season averages of 18.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.7 blocks. He can attack as a scorer inside and out, play make from the post, and is a versatile defender with great timing as a shot-blocker.
Asa Newell, Georgia (-9)
Newell’s put together some impressive games in his time at Georgia while displaying some pretty absurd athletic traits. At 6-foot-11, he’s as fluid as any big with the ability to switch defensively and cause havoc in transition. Against Ole Miss, he had 10 offensive rebounds and in an upset win over Kentucky, he tallied 17 big points and seven rebounds.
Kon Knueppel, Duke (-12)
While Knueppel’s strung together some strong outings as of late, his overall body of work has been lacking this season compared to expectations. Every scout knew he wasn’t going to be an NBA player based on blistering athleticism, but shot- and playmaking were two things that were deemed reliable skills of Knueppel’s. So far, he’s just had trouble making the two work at the degree he needs to stay in lottery talks.
Noa Essengue, Ratiopharm Ulm (-9)
I’m slowly losing faith in Essengue’s shot coming around, despite the comfortability he’s shown with it. With his frame and preferred playstyle being that of a wing, more so than a forward, the shot will be an integral part of his apparent upside. That being said, what he can do now is still valuable. He has a high motor, good athletic tools, is developing as a passer and puts pressure on opponents at the free-throw line.
John “Juni” Mobley, Ohio State (-6)
Since entering the starting lineup for the Buckeyes, Mobley’s struggled to put the ball in the basket at the rate we know he’s capable of. I still firmly hold the belief that Mobley’s at worst one of the three best shooters in this class, alongside guys like Tre Johnson and Koby Brea, but at his size, the shot needs to be automatic with how far behind his all-around skillset appears at times.
Miles Byrd, San Diego State (+9)
Byrd’s archetype is becoming increasingly valuable in the NBA. As a 6-foot-7 wing, not only can he provide "3&D” value as a 40.0% three-point shooter who generates 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, but he can put the ball on the floor as well. As the league continues to progress, offenses are shooting more threes and defenses are more encouraged to run teams off the line. Wings like Byrd who can handle and pass are perfect for that style of offense.
Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’s (+12)
Fleming's been one of the most productive bigs in the country, especially at the mid-major level. His athleticism and shooting talent on offense have made him one of the A-10’s top scorers and most disruptive defenders, averaging 16.0 points per game on 66.4% true shooting and 3.2 stocks per game. Anytime you tune into Saint Joseph’s you’re bound to see Fleming on the right end of a highlight play.
Kam Jones, Marquette (+3)
The way Jones has stepped up into a primary playmaking role with the departures of Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro has been incredible. His assist percentage has improved from 16.6% in 2023-24 (a career-high at the time) to 40.6% this season. On top of that, he’s one of the most polished scorers at his size in the class, diversifying his shot profile and maintaining efficiency.
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