Who Will be the Best 2025 NBA Draftee in Five Years?

Every offseason, NBA executives vote on a number of intruging superlatives. This year, some highlights include 19 of 20 executives voting Nikola Jokic as the league's best player, 16 of 20 voting Victor Wembanyama as the best player in the world by 2030, and 19 of 20 voting Cooper Flagg as their Rookie of the Year prediction.

When asked who they think the best player from the 2025 NBA Draft Class will be in 2030, though, 18 of 20 executives voted for Flagg. This shift indicates that one voter believes Flagg will win Rookie of the Year, but ultimately, will not pan out as the class' top player. Still, the 6-foot-8 former Duke forward is the overwhelming favorite to emerge as such, begging the question of whether this strong belief is justified or not.

The Case for Flagg

The case for Flagg isn't too much of a complicated one. The Mavericks forward is coming off a dominant college season as a Blue Devil. Not only did the Maine native live up to they hype he came in with, he exceeded it. He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game en route to winning the sport's National Player of the Year award.

Flagg was clearly the best player in the NCAA, both among fellow draft prospects and returning players. For Flagg to emerge as the best player in the 2025 class, he simply has to continue his dominance and maintain the advantage he has over his peers. Nobody else can match his two-way impact, and the potential he brings within this archetype could make him one of the league's very best players in five years.

The Case for the Field

While Flagg is rightfully the overwhelming favorite to pan out as the 2025 Class' best player, it's impossible for it to be as much of a given as it may to seem. Few predicted anybody other than Zion Williamson would be the best player from the 2019 class or that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would emerge as the best player from the 2018 class. The exact same goes for Jaylen Brown over Ben Simmons for the 2016 class, or even Jalen Williams over Paolo Banchero for the 2022 class. That last example still needs more time to be settled, but still shows that little is given when discussing 19-year-old prospects.

In terms of specific contenders, second overall pick Dylan Harper and fifth overall pick Ace Bailey received a vote each. The pair of Rutgers teammates excelled as freshmen last season, and bring potent scoring packages to the league. They each potentially boast even higher offensive ceilings than Flagg, which makes them leading candidates among the field.

Beyond Harper and Bailey, each individual draftee has the chance to emerge as the class' best player with the right situation and development. Only time will tell who the best player will be from the 2025 NBA Draft Class.