Elite NBA Analyst’s Top-100 Rookie Rankings for 2025 Revealed—We Deliver Fantasy Hoops Fits for Top 20
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The NBA Draft is just around the corner. June 25, to be specific.
NBA GMs are putting the finishing touches on their war rooms.
NBA players are hoping their GM doesn’t select a rook who'll supplant them in the starting lineup.
NBA fantasy players are…thinking.
- Thinking about their stance on drafting freshmen.
- Thinking about whether they want to focus on backcourt stats or boards, blocks, and bigs.
- Thinking about which sleeper they should snatch up in their dynasty league.
One of the most important things we fantasy nerds should be thinking about, however, is how a rookie’s landing spot will impact their fantasy value. On paper, Player A may a have better potential career trajectory than Player B, but if Player B ends up with a franchise that gives him the keys to the car on Opening Night, he might illogically be the logical fantasy option.
So there's some hard thinking required. And I’m about to make it even harder.
The Top of the Top
We can all agree it’s a virtual lock that Cooper Flagg will be selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the first pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, something concurred upon by The Athletic’s NBA guru, Sam Vecenie. To exactly nobody’s surprise, Flagg sits atop Vecenie’s ranked list of the top 100 prospects from the incoming 2025 class, and that’s all fine and good for the Mavs—but what about for us fantasy nerds?
Flagg will certainly thrive in the Big D, but his 2025-26 statistical ceiling might be considerably higher if he didn’t share the court with ballhogs like Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis.
To that end, we’re going to match Vecenie’s top 20 incoming rookies with their ideal fantasy spot. Two caveats:
- Our list won’t reflect the current draft order. Sorry, Mavs fans.
- There won’t be any repeats. Like Flagg can’t be on all 20 teams.
1) Cooper Flagg, Duke (Wing)
Dream Fantasy Team: Washington Wizards
Why?: In D.C., Flagg would be The Man from day one. On a team that needs help with points, and boards, and steals, and, well, everything, Flagg would be a stat monster, thus a second-round pick in your fantasy draft.
2) Dylan Harper, Rutgers (Guard)
Dream Fantasy Team: Brooklyn Nets
Why?: The Nets own 631 picks in the 2025 Draft, and they have holes all over the floor, so they’ll be going best player available, and might well field a starting lineup that features three rookies. Which means fantasy owners might well field a starting lineup that features three rookies.
3) Kon Knueppel, Duke (Wing)
Dream Fantasy Team: San Antonio Spurs
Why?: Victor Wembanyama needs way more than the Keldon Johnson/Harrison Barnes combo platter at the wing. An attitudinal guy like Knuppel will demand the ball, and in the right offense, will do something with it.
4) VJ Edgecombe, Baylor (Guard)
Dream Fantasy Team: Charlotte Hornets
Why?: The Bugs’ depth chart isn’t, um, deep, especially in the backcourt—don’t forget, LaMelo Ball is kinda-sorta on the trading block—so whoever dons the teal and purple will get all the chances in the world to succeed both in reality and fantasy.
5) Tre Johnson, Texas (Guard)
Dream Fantasy Team: Toronto Raptors
Why?: Stationed next to near-superstar Scottie Barnes, a backcourt of Johnson and Ochai Agbaji could be a problem for the Eastern Conference in about two years—and your fantasy opponents by Week 7.
6) Ace Bailey, Rutgers (Wing)
Dream Fantasy Team: New Orleans Pelicans
Why?: Like the Nets, the Pellies are desperate for a player (or two) (or five), and Bailey might be just that. In the Big Easy, he’d be given plenty of burn to prove himself in both the real world and fantasyland.
7) Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois (Guard)
Dream Fantasy Team: San Antonio Spurs
Why?: The only rotational guarantee in San Antonio is, of course, Wemby, so the multi-tooled former Fighting Illini could leapfrog creaky Chris Paul by November.
8) Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina (Forward)
Dream Fantasy Team: Philadelphia 76ers
Why?: After Joel Embiid, the Sixers’ frontcourt cupboard is relatively bare, so any big who shows up to training camp healthy and eager can play himself into the starting lineup. Being that the depth situation is gnarly, CMB should get your fantasy squad plenty of minutes and counting stats.
9) Carter Bryant, Arizona (Wing)
Dream Fantasy Team: Utah Jazz
Why?: Bryant is an athlete, something the Jazz are lacking. (Actually, the Jazz are lacking a whole lot, but that’s for another column.) Can’t you see Keyonte George or Collin Sexton setting up the ex-Wildcat for alley-oops galore? Yeah, me too.
10) Cedric Coward, Washington State (Wing)
Dream Fantasy Team: Brooklyn Nets
Why?: Another new Net who should get a whole lot of run—and fantasy points—from the jump.
11) Derik Queen, Maryland (Big)
Dream Fantasy Team: Chicago Bulls
Why?: The Bulls are looking to move on from Nikola Vucevic, and Patrick Williams, in a word, stinks, so any incomng big will be able to eat. With proper minutes, Queen could be a boards/blocks/shooting percentage beast in Chi-town.
12) Khaman Maluach, Duke (Big)
Dream Fantasy Team: Atlanta Hawks
Why?: Clint Capela will likely walk in free agency, offering the opportunity for the Hawks to field a twin towner frontcourt of Maluach and Onyeka Okongwu. Dude could single-handedly win you the blocks and boards categories.
13) Danny Wolf, Michigan (Big)
Dream Fantasy Team: Orlando Magic
Why?: The Wendell Carter Jr. and Jonathan Isaac Experiments haven’t been a success—injuries, inconsistency, that kind of thing—so it’s time for the Magic to get a legit paint partner for Paolo Banchero. Wolf is going to be a pre-draft riser, so don’t be shocked if he climbs into the top ten.
14) Thomas Sorber, Georgetown (Big)
Dream Fantasy Team: Washington Wizards
15) Noah Penda, France (Wing)
Dream Fantasy Team: Portland Trail Blazers
Why?: The Wizards are set at both the guard spots as well the center position, thus any talented wing could come in and immediately start compiling points and steals. That said, Penda’s raw and might not crack the rotation for a few months, but he’ll be worth a late-round dart-throw in 12- or 14-team leagues.
16) Noa Essengue, France (Big)
Dream Fantasy Team: Washington Wizards
Why?: The Wiz are so thin in the frontcourt that using their two firsts on paint patrollers is far from unreasonable. Essengue might be a waiver wire wonder in 10-man leagues, and a near-must-draft in 14-teamers.
17) Jase Richardson, Michigan State (Guard)
Dream Fantasy Team: Utah Jazz
Why?: Like his father Jason, Richardson is an awfully bouncy player, and the Jazz are very much lacking in the bounce department. Early on, the Spartan could be helpful in three categories (points, steals, free throw percentage), but could start filling box scores just before or just after the All-Star break.
18) Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma (Guard)
Dream Fantasy Team: Brooklyn Nets
Why?: As noted, if you land in Brooklyn, you'll have a shot at statistical studliness.
19) Joan Berlinger, France (Big)
Dream Fantasy Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
Why?: The Wolves will likely lose Naz Reid in free agency, so there’ll be a big ol’ void in the middle when Rudy Gobert heads to the bench. Statistically speaking, Reid made the most of his minutes. So will Berlinger.
20) Walter Clayton Jr., Florida (Guard)
Dream Fantasy Team: Brooklyn Nets
Why?: Clayton’s my guy. If I decide to focus on the scoring, threes, and free throw percentage categories, I’m drafting him in the final round. Heck, I might even draft him anyhow, strategy be damned.
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-82121a1351894b8089c555f4b4b69420-1d609352940036e7455770363a74a2e9.png "Alan Goldsher")
Alan Goldsher has written about sports for Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Apple, Playboy, NFL.com, and NBA.com, and he’s the creator of the Chicago Sports Stuff Substack. He’s the bestselling author of 15 books, and the founder/CEO of Gold Note Records. Alan lives in Chicago, where he writes, makes music, and consumes and creates way too much Bears content. You can visit him at http://www.AlanGoldsher.com and http://x.com/AlanGoldsher.