Cooper Flagg to Jazz, Harper to Wizards, Ace to Hornets in ESPN's 2025 NBA Mock Draft
Duke's Final Four disappointment and Rutgers' NCAA Tournament miss didn't stop Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper from being projected as the top two picks of the 2025 NBA draft in the latest mock by ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo.
After missing a potential game-winning shot in Duke's national semifinal loss to Houston but was still receiving a spot on the NCAA All-Tournament team due to his strong March campaign, Flagg remains the consensus prediction for the No. 1 pick in this latest mock.
Flagg finished his freshman season having averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while leading Duke in every major stastical category.
If the Utah Jazz win the top pick in the upcoming draft lottery, selecting Flagg would allow them to deepen a frontcourt already staffed by Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler.
The Washington Wizards are meanwhile projected by Givony and Woo to use the No. 2 pick to draft Harper. Givony and Woo note the rebuilding Wizards "could use a playmaker in his mold."
He averaged 19.4 points per game during his freshman season, but Givony and Woo noted Harper's shooting (48.4 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from deep) could raise some concerns unless addressed in predraft workouts.
Harper edges out his teammate Ace Bailey for the No. 3 spot. Givony and Woo predict he will go to the Charlotte Hornets after his size and athleticism but inconsistent production led to mixed results but showed a high upside his freshman season.
Two more Blue Devils teammate join Flagg in the top ten of Givony and Woo's latest draft, with Khaman Maluach going to the Toronto Raptors at No. 7 and Kon Knueppel being selected by the San Antonio Spurs at No. 8.
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman similarly predicts Flagg and Harper as the top two picks in his latest 2025 NBA mock draft, but lists Baylor's VJ Edgecombe to the Hornets at No. 3 over Bailey to the New Orleans Pelicans at No. 4.
Wasserman also projects Flagg's teammates as top-ten picks, with Knueppel to the Spurs at No. 8 and Maluach to the Houston Rockets at No. 10.
If Flagg, Maluach and Knueppel go in the top ten, it would mark the first time since Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish were drafted in 2019 that Duke sent a trio of top-ten picks into the draft.
Harper and Bailey could meanwhile become the first teammates to both qualify as top three picks since Williamson and Barrett.
The lottery order will be solidify when the 2025 draft lottery takes place on May 12, followed by the 2025 NBA Draft on June 25.
