2025 NBA Draft Prospect Part 2

[REJECTEDBYCLARK]

Jerermiah Fears is the #1 player on my board

Flagg is not a generational prospect and will probably impact game like Nuggets Gordon or Scottie Barnes

Demin isn't a lead ball handler and overrated as hell which conference play will show

Traore is horrendous

Dylan Harper is a one trick pony who will probably be a guy you love during the regular season and hate during the playoffs like Demar Derozan

Ass Bailey is a GG Jackson level prospect but probably worse

I have CMB 3rd right now and with a strong finish to season he could potentially eclipse Flagg but right now he's lower

Jakucionis is likely an NBA SG, his handle is too high and loose and he can't beat guys OTD 1v1 so he relies on stepbacks and fadeaways - overrated because of lack of movement skills for a lead guard

Very interesting takes. I actually agree with pretty much everything. Fears is a bit shocking to me - I haven't yet seen Fears in anyone's top2. I assume you are still going with Flagg as #2 though right? Could you post your top14? Or at least your tiers?

P.S. I also think Traore isn't a lost cause yet, I hate the fact that he chose to showcase himself in Europe as opposed to going to college. Didn't do himself any favors there. A guy like Ben Saraf would be a star in the NCAA too.

Ben Saraf moves well on the court but struggles with efficiency and there isn't a strong history of Israeli prospects. If he finishes with a negative net rating his biggest NBA comparables for internationals would be Dennis Schroder or Evan Fournier. If he comes on strong towards the end of the cycle I will reevaluate him.

Traore is a major lost cause because his rebounding rate is atrocious among other things. Team rebounding is especially critical in the playoffs and he is one of the worst rebounding guards in recent memory. Noah Penda and Noa Essengue are better prospects than him.

[REJECTEDBYCLARK]

I'd still be elated if we draft Nolan (i.e., if we draft outside of the top 4 - Cooper, Harper, Ace, VJ are locks)

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People are salivating over Demin putting up numbers against B-level college competition, yet giving Nolan sh*t for struggling against grown ass men & pro competition.

You will be crying if we draft Traore. The only reason people even talk about him is because the talking heads with followers on social media who are wrong about almost everything saw him have a somewhat good 7 game U18 FIBA stretch before falling off a cliff vs. grown men. Traore is a horrible basketball player.

[REJECTEDBYCLARK]

Fears could fall off a cliff but right now his movement skill and efficiency at his age is the most tantalizing package any player has offered up until this point.

If he were to possess a couple more inches on the wingspan and 5 more inches of vertical athleticism we'd be talking about a Dwyane Wade type of prospect (can't wait to see the spin Wayfair Andy is going to put on this claim before gaslighting, **** and banning me again). It looks like his 3pt% should increase with added strength to his frame and he has the excellent FT% and bag/movement to buy into greater 3pt volume down the road. He is a 3 level scorer who seeks and finishes through contact w/ a >30 AST% and has shown enough commitment on defense in addition to his high STL% to be a neutral defender in the NBA. His driving gravity is tremendous.

Fears is this draft's only hope for an elite 2 way HC creator because Harper's D sucks and Flagg is an NBA 4 who thrives operating out of the post playing bully ball and not along the perimeter, much like Scottie. Flagg might be able to improve his perimeter game but how much is a legitimate and serious concern. It also doesn't help that he only has a 7' WS.

Fears is the real deal unlike Dillingham last year. Has size and WS adv, gets to rim and finishes there or gets to stripe and isn't going to be a league bottom 10 defender. His ability to get anywhere on the floor he wants is off the charts good it's just that he lacks some vertical pop and might not have more than +3 WS which is going to bottleneck his efficiency to some degree at least. But if we're talking about "horizontal" athleticism he is a speed demon with a tight handle, great change of pace ability and takes great angles as a driver.

Also, VJ Edgecombe is 100% a role player in the NBA so you can't draft him before the creators but he should be the 1st player off the board right after the guys who could be higher USG hubs. He's a unique player, an exceptional event creator with excellent AST:TO samples and should have a solid enough TS% as connective player. His technical defense needs to catch up to his event creation but it can over time. Every team in the NBA is going to want this kid because he impacts winning and could end up being a league elite 3rd/4th option type (think Derrick White USG/role with inverse off/def efficiency). VJ with a bag would have been an insane prospect but he lacks one, it is what it is.

[ATLTimekeeper]

Jerermiah Fears is the #1 player on my board

Flagg is not a generational prospect and will probably impact game like Nuggets Gordon or Scottie Barnes

Demin isn't a lead ball handler and overrated as hell which conference play will show

Traore is horrendous

Dylan Harper is a one trick pony who will probably be a guy you love during the regular season and hate during the playoffs like Demar Derozan

Ass Bailey is a GG Jackson level prospect but probably worse

I have CMB 3rd right now and with a strong finish to season he could potentially eclipse Flagg but right now he's lower

Jakucionis is likely an NBA SG, his handle is too high and loose and he can't beat guys OTD 1v1 so he relies on stepbacks and fadeaways - overrated because of lack of movement skills for a lead guard

I see Barnes as way better than Aaron Gordon and Flagg as way better than Barnes, but I agree he is not generational. Barnes with a motor, Gordon with a brain is the top prospect in this draft.

The only thing I'll add is that there was a Draft Board poster who was insistent all year that Doncic relied on stepbacks because he couldn't consistently beat guys off the dribble and thought that was a significant red flag. I remember most posters pushing back against him all year and he wouldn't give it up. I am noticing a lot of similar concerns about Jakucionis, but I still think he's going to be a top 5 player from this class. Too good at too many things and he plays hard, and the glut of the prospects haven't been as good as advertised.

[Thaddy]

The draft looks overhyped. I don't see Flagg or Bailey being elite at the next level. The safest pick is going to be Jakucionis and maybe Fears. I wouldn't be opposed to taking on Edgecombe as a prospect we can develop. The biggest question is why he's a guard that can't shoot or handle the ball, what the hell has he been working on upto this point in his life?

At this stage Jakucionis and T. Ivisic would be my picks. They play a good brand of consistent basketball that will convey to the NBA. I'm all for potential but drafting the next Josh Smith or Joe Alexander isn't the best play.

The NBA is shifting and taking on athletic marvels who can't shoot isn't ideal. We're in the 3pt shooting era and we need guys who can hit deep step back Dame threes.

[REJECTEDBYCLARK]

Jerermiah Fears is the #1 player on my board

Flagg is not a generational prospect and will probably impact game like Nuggets Gordon or Scottie Barnes

Demin isn't a lead ball handler and overrated as hell which conference play will show

Traore is horrendous

Dylan Harper is a one trick pony who will probably be a guy you love during the regular season and hate during the playoffs like Demar Derozan

Ass Bailey is a GG Jackson level prospect but probably worse

I have CMB 3rd right now and with a strong finish to season he could potentially eclipse Flagg but right now he's lower

Jakucionis is likely an NBA SG, his handle is too high and loose and he can't beat guys OTD 1v1 so he relies on stepbacks and fadeaways - overrated because of lack of movement skills for a lead guard

I see Barnes as way better than Aaron Gordon and Flagg as way better than Barnes, but I agree he is not generational. Barnes with a motor, Gordon with a brain is the top prospect in this draft.

The only thing I'll add is that there was a Draft Board poster who was insistent all year that Doncic relied on stepbacks because he couldn't consistently beat guys off the dribble and thought that was a significant red flag. I remember most posters pushing back against him all year and he wouldn't give it up. I am noticing a lot of similar concerns about Jakucionis, but I still think he's going to be a top 5 player from this class. Too good at too many things and he plays hard, and the glut of the prospects haven't been as good as advertised.

I have him 8th right now after convincing myself that he's an SG. He moves and processes without a plan way too often much like Anthony Black did at Arkansas and also has some of the floor navigation issues that Sheppard does. Went back to Haliburton tape and Hali is a much more functional handler and driver. Jaku's stats are deceiving. He is a very tough evaluation because he is highly efficient yet has questionable movement skills. I do think he is one of the more serious competitors so that also factors into where I have him - I had him at #2 for weeks but finally came around to the idea that his handle will limit him.

Barnes has +3 WS adv and his AST% right now is higher than Cooper's will ever come close to IMO and Cooper's age can only be used as an excuse for his offensive production for so long. Cooper is undoubtedly a clean AST:TO guy though. Cooper IMO has low level all-star ceiling unless he looks like a vastly different player by March. There's no guarantee he will even be all-defense but perhaps a notch below that. His BLK% is underwhelming for what was expected. Very solid prospect but highly unlikely to develop into offensive hub. Could also have Jalen Johnson type of trajectory. Gordon comp in the positional role and sense he lands with bad team and is asked to carry offensive load and struggles and could land on winning team later in career and provide value/help them win w/ lessened role and offensive creation burden.

[REJECTEDBYCLARK]

Darrion Williams is my sleeper pick that most outlets don't even have ranked t60

Also Johni Broome is the real deal and fits on the Raptors and is undoubtedly a mid-lotto talent, he will EASILY end up t7-t10 player from this class in VORP returns. Love Broome in Charlotte to give their soft ass roster some toughness too. He's going to make a lot of people look stupid and is still < 23 on draft day.

[720]

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[Psubs]

The draft looks overhyped. I don't see Flagg or Bailey being elite at the next level. The safest pick is going to be Jakucionis and maybe Fears. I wouldn't be opposed to taking on Edgecombe as a prospect we can develop. The biggest question is why he's a guard that can't shoot or handle the ball, what the hell has he been working on upto this point in his life?

At this stage Jakucionis and T. Ivisic would be my picks. They play a good brand of consistent basketball that will convey to the NBA. I'm all for potential but drafting the next Josh Smith or Joe Alexander isn't the best play.

The NBA is shifting and taking on athletic marvels who can't shoot isn't ideal. We're in the 3pt shooting era and we need guys who can hit deep step back Dame threes.

Russell Westbrook still can't shoot from outisde. Lebron took over 15 years in the league and now shoots 40% from 3 and shot better than Curry from deep last season.

[MadDesperado]

I'm on the Fears train. There's a lot to like in his offensive game, clear #1 option potential. Smooth, quick, good shooter, deep offensive bag. Looks like he can score at will and facilitate the offense as well. Would be a perfect fit next to Scottie, he's exactly the player type we should be looking at

[720]

For those interested house of highlights is live-streaming Dyabantsa’s high school game. Early look at 2026’s number 1 pick. We likely wont be one of the worst teams in the league but you never know. Half way done the 1st quarter and he’s looked amazing.

Watch on YouTube

[tdotrep2]

flagg is a sure thing. He might not turn into a superstar but he's likely gonna be a perennial all-star impact wise. Ace could be a 25ppg scorer if things pan out. I also think Harper is going to be really good.

[Psubs]

flagg is a sure thing. He might not turn into a superstar but he's likely gonna be a perennial all-star impact wise. Ace could be a 25ppg scorer if things pan out. I also think Harper is going to be really good.

Unless Flagg grows, he should be like a Blake Griffin/Aaron Gordon.

Ooooooh, I know a comp for Fears, Carlton Carrington that is quicker and gets to the hoop and finishes better. Thus he is shooting like 49%, whereas Carrington shot around 42%. Bub rose up the charts and was drafted #14.

Fears might rise similarly and crack the top 10. If we fall out of the top 4, I wouldn't mind him as the pick.

A Fears/Jakobe backcourt would be exciting.

Next season
PG IQ - Shead - Fears
SG Jakobe - Ochai - Fears
SF Barrett - Dick - Ochai
PF Barnes - Mogbo - Chomche
C Poeltl - Zvominir/Tomislav

[Yallbecrazy]

If Flagg develops a halfway decent shot he could be Lebron lite in his impact.

[TNRaps4life]

https://imgur.com/a/D15mHbJ

Kevin Durant calls Ace Bailey a ‘pure talent’
“Ace is a pure, pure talent. It’s insane the shots that he can make over multiple people at that length,” Durant said. “Him and his teammate Dylan Harper are playing some great ball. (Rutgers) is one of my favorite teams to watch.”

[TNRaps4life]

Kevin Durant calls Ace Bailey a ‘pure talent’
“Ace is a pure, pure talent. It’s insane the shots that he can make over multiple people at that length,” Durant said. “Him and his teammate Dylan Harper are playing some great ball. (Rutgers) is one of my favorite teams to watch.”

[sidsid]

i still can't get pass the fact we were all excited about scoot henderson a few years ago who turned out to be a huge bust

ironically, gradey dick is arguably a top 5 sophomore this year
only brandon miller and victor are clearly ahead of him.

the other two i say in competition with gradey right now is keyonte george (putting up nice numbers on a bad team like Gradey)
and Cason Wallace (his numbers are meh, but he's starting on a very stack team)

I was never excited about Scoot as he spent 2 years with the ignite and didn't impress.

I even posted that I would take Cason Wallace over Scoot.

Saying 'we were all excited' is just blatant disinformation. A number of people here thought Scoot had very high bust potential and didn't have him in their top 5 in what was a very weak draft outside of Wemby.

Hearing "a less athletic John Wall" at some point...like what era of basketball do people think we're in?

At the time I still thought the FO shocks again with Bilal at 3 as he's just such a Masai type. 1 and 2 stay the same.

[Psubs]

For those interested house of highlights is live-streaming Dyabantsa’s high school game. Early look at 2026’s number 1 pick. We likely wont be one of the worst teams in the league but you never know. Half way done the 1st quarter and he’s looked amazing.

Watch on YouTube

Arenas is "supposed" to be top 5, but he just scored 34 BUT Jason Crowe Jr drops 55 against him!!!

He looks like next year's Jeremiah Fears.

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[LoveMyRaps]

Dyabantsa is a Jordan/LeBron hybrid

No joke

Generational talent.

[Psubs]

Dyabantsa is a Jordan/LeBron hybrid

No joke

Generational talent.

I'd say bigger TMac.