"For years, NBA personnel and public prognosticators hyped the 2025 draft class. Led by Cooper Flagg, arguably the best American prospect in decades, this group appeared full of potential All-Stars and ready-made contributors. That hype might be warranted, now that this crop of celebrated rookies has finally arrived on the professional stage. Despite an uneven start from Flagg, the 2025-26 rookie class includes defensive standouts, knockdown shooters and creators galore."
"Note that this is a ranking of the quality right now, rather than a long-term projection. Thus, there has been plenty of movement between the draft order and this list of the top-performing rookies. Four top-10 picks don't appear here -- the Utah Jazz's Ace Bailey (No. 5), Washington Wizards' Tre Johnson (No. 6), Brooklyn Nets' Egor Demin (No. 8) and Phoenix Suns' Khaman Maluach (No. 10) -- while just as many players picked outside the top 10 have outplayed their draft slots."
"Note: Stats are updated as of the morning of Nov. 12th. This list starts with a little cheat: With 11 worthy rookies to fit into 10 spots, it didn't feel right cutting any of them. Thus, we begin these rankings with a pair of Pelicans. To be fair, Fears and Queen have a great deal in common. They're both starting their careers in a miserable situation in New Orleans but have flashed glimpses of long-term potential amid larger overall inefficiency."
The 2025 draft class arrived with substantial hype, led by Cooper Flagg as an elite American prospect. Early NBA play shows the rookie crop contains defensive standouts, knockdown shooters and playmakers, despite Flagg's uneven start. Early rankings measure immediate quality rather than long-term projection, and several top-10 picks (Ace Bailey, Tre Johnson, Egor Demin, Khaman Maluach) have underperformed relative to draft position. Multiple players selected outside the top 10 have exceeded expectations. With stats current to Nov. 12, the initial ranking includes 11 worthy rookies, opening with a pair of New Orleans Pelicans — Fears and Queen — who show potential amid team struggles.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]