NBA Execs 'Excited' About 'Star Power' and 'Overall Depth' of 2025 Draft Class

While Duke's Cooper Flagg and Rutgers' Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey have garnered plenty of attention within a 2025 NBA draft context, talent evaluators are bullish on the players further down the pyramid, according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo.

"NBA executives tell us they are excited about not only the star power at the top but also the overall depth, as a number of freshmen have unexpectedly emerged as clear lottery talents, and the international class also appears better than advertised with as many as nine potential first-rounders," Givony and Woo reported.

Often when there's a consensus best player in a draft class, there can be a wide gulf between him and the next best talent, and the chasm only grows as you get further down draft boards.

Amen Thompson, Dereck Lively II, Brandon Miller and Cam Whitmore have all displayed varying levels of promise in the NBA, but Victor Wembanyama stands head and shoulders—literally and figuratively—above his peers from the 2023 class.

When it comes to the 2025 draft, failing to win the lottery will be a disappointment because you'll miss out on Flagg, who's averaging 19.5 points and 7.7 rebounds as a rookie.

Staying in the top three at least means having the opportunity to take Harper or Bailey, who went second and third in the mock draft from Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman.

And even for teams toward the back half of the lottery or out of the top 14 altogether, there will be a lot of young talent that could blossom into something special. You have to get to the 18th pick in Wasserman's mock before you find the first prospect who's older than 19 (Maryland big Derik Queen).

It will be fascinating to see how much this assessment of the 2025 class influences general managers on the night of the draft.

Last year, the No. 8 pick (Rob Dillingham) was the highest pick to change hands after the draft got underway. The Washington Wizards' acquisition of Bub Carrington (No. 14) was the only other deal involving a lottery pick.

Perhaps GMs will be more inclined to get more aggressive with so much perceived value available within the player pool.