2025 NBA Draft Hits and Misses: Revisiting Cooper Flagg’s Draft Class One Year Later

The 2025 NBA draft was highly anticipated as a top-heavy class highlighted by Cooper Flagg, debatably the league’s best prospect in the past decade not named Victor Wembanyama.

After the Mavericks enjoyed extreme lottery luck and made the easy choice with Flagg as the No. 1 pick, he went on to win Rookie of the Year following a standout rookie season as he began his ascent into the NBA’s newest superstar. Flagg didn’t run away with Rookie of the Year honors, however, thanks to his Duke teammate Kon Knueppel’s incredible season with the Hornets.

Knueppel, the No. 4 pick in the 2025 draft, smashed every rookie three-point shooting record with ease and even led the entire NBA—not just rookies—in total three-pointers. Sandwiched in between the picks of Flagg and Knueppel were Dylan Harper and V.J. Edgecombe who each made a big impact for their new teams in the playoffs. Most notably, Harper broke out over the Spurs’ run to the NBA Finals with play well beyond his years while Edgecombe was a key part of the 76ers’ upset over the Celtics in the first round.

Beyond the top four picks, other critical decisions from franchises across the league in last year’s draft are starting to take shape. Or, not so much. With the first round of the 2026 draft in the rearview, let’s look back at some of the biggest hits and misses from a year ago.

Hit: All three of Charlotte’s draftees

Kon Knueppel, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Brandon Mille — In addition to Knueppel, the Hornets landed Ryan Kalkbrenner and Sion James to put next to their core of Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Knueppel’s astounding year was a big reason for the Hornets’ success in the second half of the season, but he wasn’t the only rookie to play a part in Charlotte’s turnaround. At the top of the second round, the Hornets drafted Sion James and Ryan Kalkbrenner with back-to-back picks. Neither boasted anything close to the amount of volume scoring Knueppel provided, but each played a significant role for the budding Hornets, mostly off the bench. Kalkbrenner was a serviceable backup big man, a position where Charlotte’s thin, as a solid rim protector and made a few spot starts here and there.

James didn’t show much on offense, but he’s a great perimeter defender who can bother opponents in his minutes. He played in all 82 games last year and made himself a key depth piece along with Kalkbrenner. Knueppel was certainly Charlotte’s standout rookie, but the Hornets’ second-round picks deserve a ton of credit, too.

Miss: The Nets’ bevy of first rounders

Nolan Traore, Danny Wolf and Drake Powel — The Nets made five selections in the first round last year | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

It’s too early to completely write off any player after just one season, but it’s fair to question what the Nets did in last year’s draft. Brooklyn received a ton of flak for its draft and one year later, there are more questions than answers. The Nets made five selections in the first round, four of which were guards. Guards Egor Dёmin, Nolan Traoré, Ben Saraf and Drake Powell, plus forward Danny Wolf all landed in Brooklyn as first-round picks a year ago. That’s a lot of first-year players to roster and none appear to be a franchise player for Brooklyn.

Dёmin had a good rookie year that unfortunately ended prematurely due to a foot injury. He should bounce back for an even better second season. The other four first-round picks by the Nets had their moments, but it’s uncertain how each will impact the franchise moving forward. Brooklyn threw a ton of darts at the dartboard, which is fair for a team in a rebuild. But, right now, it remains to be seen how each will impact the franchise in the long haul.

Hit: Jeremiah Fears and the controversial trade for Derik Queen by the Pelicans

The Pelicans made Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears lottery picks last year | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Pelicans’ front office took a lot of criticism for trading their unprotected 2026 first-round pick to move up 10 spots in the draft to take Queen this time last year. The versatile big out of Maryland joined Fears in New Orleans, who the Pels took six picks earlier at No. 7. It was and still is an extremely high price to pay, but teams have to pony up to acquire a lottery pick.

Queen and Fears each enjoyed standout rookie years in New Orleans despite the franchise’s continued standing toward the bottom of the Western Conference. Queen, the 13th pick, is everything a team would want in a modern day big man. He averaged 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists in his first season with the Pelicans, ending the year on a high note with an incredible 30-point, 22-rebound game against the Timberwolves. Fears is a tough-nosed guard who averaged 14.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game this past season. He had an incredible end to the year, too, with 112 points in his final three games. That included a 40-point explosion in a win over the Jazz. His shot is still a work in progress, but he looks like the Pelicans’ guard of the future as the franchise looks to get out of its long-standing doldrums.

The pick New Orleans gave up for Queen turned into the No. 8 pick in the 2026 draft, which Atlanta used to select Houston guard Kingston Flemings. Sure, the Pelicans gave up an opportunity to get some lottery luck and add another star to the young core, but the organization has to be happy with Queen and Fears.

Miss: The Trail Blazers’ reach for Yang Hansen

Portland provided the biggest shock of the first round by reaching for Chinese big man Yang Hansen with the 16th pick. He spent most of his first season with the Rip City Remix—the Blazers’ G League affiliate—where he was pretty good. As a rookie, he didn’t get much opportunity with the Blazers and he was seen as more of a long-term project, still just 20 years old. It’s way too early to call Hansen a complete miss, but his fit on the roster is a question mark with Donovan Clingan’s breakout season.

There’s a world where Hansen and Clingan both work, most likely with Hansen coming off the bench as a playmaking big who can dominate near the rim. But, you have to wonder if the Blazers would have been more wise to take a player who could’ve helped the team last season as they made a run to the playoffs as the seventh seed in the Western Conference.

Hit: San Antonio’s rookie class of Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant

It’s hard to miss at the top of the draft—the Mavs made the no-brainer pick with Flagg and it’s worked out pretty well. The Spurs had a choice with the second pick, however. San Antonio had a crowded guard room with Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox, but the Spurs decided to go with Harper at No. 2, the presumed top prospect even with Ace Bailey, his Rutgers teammate, still on the board. The fit was a big question, but Harper excelled and then some in his first year to the point where the Spurs will likely try to offload Fox at some point in the future.

He played well beyond his years over his first season and specifically in the playoffs, providing huge moments throughout the Spurs’ run to the NBA Finals. He was a key bench piece for San Antonio and should step into the starting lineup seamlessly once there isn’t a logjam in the backcourt. The front office deserves credit for taking Bryant at No. 14, too. He had a lesser role but made some big shots and was a strong defender off the bench. He’s a sound wing on a cost-controlled contract that will help the Spurs as the team tries to get back to the Finals and eventually win a title.

Miss: Bulls take Noa Essengue over Derik Queen

The Bulls were in talent accumulation mode at last year’s draft, a state the franchise remains in today. Chicago went with French wing Noa Essengue, who remains a high-upside play at a premium position. How the Essengue pick plays out remains to be seen as he only had two appearances as a rookie before he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in early December. He was solid in minimal appearances with the G League Windy City Bulls and was a key piece for Ratiopharm Ulm in the German Bundesliga in his pre-draft year.

What hurts is that Queen went a pick later than Essengue and has already turned into a high-level NBA player at a position the Bulls were in need of. At last year’s draft, Nikola Vučević was still in the picture, but the Bulls traded him to the Celtics at the February trade deadline. Chicago recently acquired Nic Claxton from Brooklyn to fill the center spot, but Queen could’ve been a building block for the future alongside Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey and new No. 4 pick Caleb Wilson.

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