2025 NBA draft Big Board rankings: Top 100 prospects

NBA teams have hit the scouting trail hard in the first leg of the college season, with a big chunk of critical nonconference games in the rearview. The NBA standings have also begun to crystalize, giving teams a stronger feel for where they might be selecting players next year. Plus, it's never not too early to look ahead to the draft lottery in May.

Check back regularly from now until when Round 1 begins in June 2025, as ESPN draft analysts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo update this Top 100 Big Board over the coming months as players rise and fall.

Here's how the prospects are tracking through mid-December.

Last updated: Dec. 10

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1. Cooper Flagg, SF/PF, Duke

Height: 6-9 | Age: 17.9 | Prev. rank: 1

Flagg has been every bit as good as advertised, coming up huge for Duke in high-profile games against Auburn, Kentucky and Arizona, demonstrating the myriad ways he affects winning. His unwavering confidence and aggressiveness have been impressive to see in big moments, as he has made plays on both ends of the floor to help Duke stay afloat in a whale of a nonconference schedule.

Scouts will point to his middling scoring efficiency (51% on 2-pointers, 24% on 3s and 71% from the free throw line) as areas they'd like to see him improve as the season moves on, but that's partially because of the outsized role he has taken on himself with a 30% usage rate that ranks fifth among projected collegiate draft picks. He is being tasked with significant shot-creation responsibility that will benefit his development greatly in the long term.

Flagg's court vision, nonstop intensity, playmaking and supernatural basketball instincts more than make up for that, and it would be foolish to overthink his talent, considering he's doing all of this weeks before his 18th birthday (Dec. 21). -- Givony

2. Dylan Harper, PG/SG, Rutgers

Height: 6-6 | Age: 18.7 | Prev. rank: 3

At this stage of the season, Harper has the most legitimate case to challenge Flagg atop draft boards, profiling as the type of shot-creation player that lottery teams prioritize in the draft.

Harper has earned plaudits from scouts for his aggressive scoring mindset and competitiveness to get into the paint whenever he wants at the college level and finish there at a strong rate. He is viewed as more NBA-ready than Ace Bailey, his star teammate, because of his level of polish and consistency.

Teams still have questions about what caliber of shooter Harper is (81% from the foul line, but just 31% from 3, as well as how much of his tough finishing diet will translate against bigger, faster and smarter competition. They also want to see him get teammates involved more frequently, as a player who is going to have the ball in his hand a lot.

All that considered, it's hard to dispute that Harper has been the best freshman performer in college hoops so far, and if he can keep it up through a tough conference slate, he'll remain part of the conversation at the top. -- Woo

3. Ace Bailey, SG/SF, Rutgers

Height: 6-10 | Age: 18.3 | Prev. rank: 2

The draft's most gifted shot-making prospect, Bailey has the toolbox to become a valuable, high-usage wing scorer, an archetype teams prioritize early in the draft.

Bailey's shot selection, heavy on midrange and scant on rim attempts, has highlighted his special knack for making tough shots, but also his limited handle, which frequently prevents him from getting into the teeth of the defense. This has, predictably, led to some inefficiency (just 48% on 2-point attempts), and is the central question in his projection -- teams are assessing the likelihood Bailey can be not only high usage, but high efficiency in the long run.

There's still a lot to like here about a player who is quite young for his class and early in his development. He's an inconsistent but nonzero defender and rebounder with great positional size. It helps that Bailey clearly likes to play, which helps in envisioning him maximizing his ability. The raw nature of his game suggests the range of outcomes here is wide, but with the right degree of development from his next team, Bailey could tap into the higher end of his considerable potential and justify a top-five selection. -- Woo

4. VJ Edgecombe, SG, Baylor

Height: 6-5 | Age: 19.3 | Prev. rank: 4

Edgecombe has come out of the gates slower than expected, struggling to put the ball in the basket consistently while shooting just 44% from 2-point range and 8-for-30 (27%) from 3.

Digging into the film, it's easy to see why Edgecombe is so highly regarded, especially in the rare moments he is operating on the ball in a crowded Baylor backcourt that has often pushed him to the small forward position. No one in college can stay in front of Edgecombe's first step, and he has real feel as a passer to make plays for others as he gets a paint touch virtually anytime he is asked to create a shot for himself -- something that will be accentuated more vividly in the far more wide-open, up-tempo NBA.

His outstanding basketball instincts also show on the defensive end, where he has emerged as one of the best playmakers in college, with a combined block/steal (7.8%/4.7%) rate we haven't seen since Matisse Thybulle (Washington) in 2019.

So while Edgecombe hasn't helped his standing, partially due his poor team context, it would be shocking if he didn't emerge as a top-10 pick with everything we already know about him, and he'll have a strong case to be in top-5 conversations if he can rebound and play better in Big 12 action. -- Givony

5. Nolan Traore, PG, Saint-Quentin

Height: 6-5 | Age: 18.5 | Prev. rank: 5

Traore's season has been up and down early, as he has struggled with his scoring efficiency (40% on 2-pointers, 28% on 3s) and defense while turning the ball over. This has caused him to come off the bench and see his minutes reduced somewhat recently (47 minutes in his past three games), as his coach is holding him accountable by challenging him to improve his decision-making and shot selection. The fact that his team is 3-8 in the past two months, with Traore posting a minus-19.9 net rating (second worst on his team), isn't helping matters either.

Even when he's not playing well, Traore's sheer talent pops in a major way, as no one can stay in front of him and he's able to generate good shots for teammates in volume with his outstanding ballhandling ability, burst, court vision and passing creativity, while hitting pull-up 3-pointers prolifically.

It's nearly unheard of for an 18-year-old to post a 30%-plus usage rate at this level of competition, something that's been done only once in the past 40 years of European basketball -- by a player named Victor Wembanyama. Traore did it as a 17-year-old last season in a small nine-game sample and is doing the same this year. But Traore's outsized role has taken a toll on his effectiveness, something we'll have to monitor as the season moves on, as he should be able to grow once his team's taxing two-game-per-week schedule lightens as Basketball Champions League play wraps up. -- Givony

6. Kon Knueppel, SG/SF, Duke

Height: 6-7 | Age: 19.3 | Prev. rank: 6

Knueppel is playing a significant role as Duke's second-best scorer and passer, emerging as a far more versatile shot creator, passer and defender than expected. He is already ranking as one of the best pick-and-roll players in this freshman class.

He keeps Duke's offense humming using or rejecting screens, dishing passes on the move around the perimeter, touch passes and pushing off the glass with his head up looking to ignite the break. Despite his outsized role against elite-level competition, Knueppel has played mistake-free basketball, posting a minuscule 8% turnover percentage to this point, a testament to his feel for the game.

He has also been sound on Duke's No. 1 ranked defense, bringing physicality fighting through screens, throwing his body around on the glass, and holding his own one-on-one. He's got terrific timing, technique, competitiveness and smarts to make an impact with his nonstop hustle.

The area of his game Knueppel has struggled with, surprisingly, is as an outside shooter, hitting 4-for-25 3s in Duke's four games against top-25 competition, likely because of how much of a focal point he is for opposing defenses as well as the energy he needs to expend as a shot creator and defender. He has proved that he is undoubtedly a high-level shooter, dynamic coming off screens, with deep range on his pull-ups, and it's only a matter of time until he breaks out, too.

Some might nitpick his physical tools and just-decent efficiency (55% True Shooting), but there's little doubt Knueppel is one of the best pure basketball players in this draft class and has a game tailor-made for the NBA. -- Givony

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