NBA Draft

Projecting Rookie Stat Leaders for 2025-26 NBA Season

Projecting which rookies will lead the 2025 draft class statistically.
Derek Parker|
Jul 12, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) looks on against the San Antonio Spurs in the second quarter of their game at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images
Jul 12, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) looks on against the San Antonio Spurs in the second quarter of their game at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images | Candice Ward-Imagn Images

The 2025 NBA Draft is thought of to be a strong one, offering star-level talent up top, with some depth throughout.

Below, we'll attempt to project the rookie statistical leaders for the 2025-26 season:

Points: Cooper Flagg, Mavericks

To this point, the draft’s No. 1 pick in Cooper Flagg is the easiest bet to be the class’s leading scorer both next season and in the future. 

He was a superstar at Duke, averaging over 19 points, doing so in a variety of ways with physicality, athleticism and skill.

He’ll have his work cut out for him getting buckets with Anthony Davis, and eventually Kyrie Irving, on the Mavericks. But he should have the talent to do so.

Tre Johnson would be a notable mention here, having averaged more points in his one-and-done college season, and joining a team that will have much more scoring opportunity.

Assists: Egor Demin, Nets

There’s a number of talented passers in the ’25 class, none of which outmatch Nets’ guard-slash-wing Egor Demin.

Across 33 games with BYU, Demin averaged 5.5 assists, doing so in the open floor and in half court sets.

Demin’s biggest case for leading the class in assists next season will be opportunity. The Nets are set to be one of the worst team’s in the league, and Demin should earn plenty of time dishing the rock. Even better, there’s a few talented scorers in Michael Porter Jr. and potentially Cam Thomas that could help him in this area.

Rebounds: Nique Clifford, Kings

Rebounding is an especially hard thing to predict, but Kings’ rookie Nique Clifford’s affinity for doing so is unquestioned.

He’ll have to battle centers and forwards, but the wing should see a decent bit of playing time for the Kings next season, and averaged 9.6 boards per game in his final season at Colorado State.

Without a clear pathway toward offensive production in his rookie season, Clifford will be relegated to filling in the gaps, which includes defense and rebounding.

Steals: VJ Edgecombe, Sixers

Edgecombe is set to be a fairly easy bet to garner the most steals next season. He's fresh off a one-and-done season with Baylor where he nabbed 2.1 per game, doing so with athleticism and instincts.

The guard-wing hybrid enters an interesting situation with the 76ers, where they have an already built-out core of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey.

With plenty of scoring already available to Philadelphia, Edgecombe could be used to wreak rotational havoc defensively.

Blocks: Cooper Flagg, Mavericks

Projecting the block leader among rookies next season is especially hard accounting for playing time. Lengthy shot-blockers in Khaman Maluach and Joan Beringer would likely be odds-on favorites, but their role on respective teams is simply too murky to this point.

Ultimately, it’s hard to bet against the pure amount of minutes that Flagg will be receiving, as well as his defensive talent.

He’ll be able to rove and block shots next to Davis, as well as the team’s other fives in Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II.

Published
Derek Parker
DEREK PARKER

Derek Parker covers the National Basketball Association, and has brought On SI five seasons of coverage across several different teams. He graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma in 2020, and has experience working in print, video and radio.

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