We are days away from the NBA Draft. Just as the season slips from fans’ grasp and leaves them worrying how to spend their time, missing dunks and dagger threes, there is a last glance of basketball till October. Adam Silver will walk into the podium to announce the future NBA players, but not just that, future NBA stories is what the Draft creates.
What stories lay ahead? The arrival of a new young star in Dallas after Luka Doncic‘s departure. Are the Dallas Mavericks and Cooper Flagg a good match? What teams will take the risk of rising in the order to make an impact? Which late picks will become the new cinderella story in the association? Everything will be answered in a couple of days.
What you need to know
The NBA Draft will kickoff next Wednesday at 8 p.m. E.T. with the first round. The event consists of two rounds, therefore the secound round will start at the same time the next day. It will take place at Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets.
Given the amount of players available, the event was originally held all in one night. This was different from other sports where more players entered the professional level; the NFL and MLB both have their Drafts held over three nights.
This changed for good since last year’s Draft. Adam Silver and the NBA realized they could be milking every ounce of entertainment and engagement the event could provide to the brand. Meaningful activities around the players, fan events around the location and even a red carpet, the NBA Draft’s expansion has no limits.
Top prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft
The first two picks are pretty much locked in. The Dallas Mavericks will select this year’s top player and the one prospect that looks like he will become an elite franchise cornerstone and a future face of the league, forward Cooper Flagg. Then the San Antonio Spurs will take guard Dylan Harper from Rutgers, an offensive combo guard with a big body.
After that, forward Ace Bailey, Harper’s teammate at Rutgers, looked like the third pick for sure, but recent mock drafts have placed him in a tight decision with Baylor’s guard-forwards VJ Edgecombe.
Other notable prospects: Texas guard Tre Johnson, Duke forward Kon Knueppel, Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears, Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis, Duke Center Khaman Maluach and Maryland guard Derik Queen.
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