The list of very talented players who may be available in the 2025 NBA Draft — headlined by phenom Cooper Flagg — has some NBA personnel predicting that there will be more tanking in the upcoming NBA season, according to a survey done by ESPN.
In the survey, 18 NBA coaches, scouts and executives were asked, “Will there be increased tanking ahead of the 2025 draft?” A total of 10 answered yes, with the other eight answering no.
“Everyone agreed that the 2025 rookie class — led by Cooper Flagg, ESPN NBA draft expert Jonathan Givony’s projected No. 1 pick, along with Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, Nolan Traore and V.J. Edgecombe — will have teams highly anticipating this class entering the NBA next summer,” wrote Tim Bontemps.
Flagg further enhanced his reputation as an impact player with a strong showing against Team USA as it prepared to take part in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 17-year-old drew raves while playing for the Select Team in a scrimmage against Olympic NBA players.
The native of Maine is set to play for Duke University this coming season and would need to declare himself eligible for the 2025 draft.
There may be other NCAA college players in the running for the No. 1 overall pick as well, including Bailey and Harper, both of whom are set to play for Rutgers University this coming season. Harper’s name may be familiar to NBA fans as his father Ron played in the league for 15 years and was a five-time champion, and his brother Ron Jr. recently played for the Toronto Raptors.
The impact a top pick can have was made abundantly clear this past season with the emergence of Victor Wembanyama on the San Antonio Spurs after they made him the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. However, the No. 1 pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, Zaccharie Risacher by the Atlanta Hawks, is unlikely to have the same success as a generational talent such as Wembanyama or Flagg.
If Traore were to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft, he would be the third straight player from France to earn that honor.
According to recent betting odds, the Brooklyn Nets, Portland Trail Blazers and Washington Wizards are the three teams forecasted to finish the 2024-25 NBA regular season with the fewest wins.
With many other teams likely to be in contention for at least a spot in the play-in round, watching which ones remain in contention or choose not to will be interesting to monitor this season.
