The 2025 NBA Draft is inching ever closer, now less than a week away. The combine is over, and the draft order has been set. In-person workouts continue until the days leading up to the draft.
The class has been heavily scrutinized, with NBA personnel and analysts alike scouring game film and looking for any possible edge in projecting what kind of player each prospect will be in the pros.
But sometimes it’s as simple as projecting who each player will be as a professional by comparing them to a player of a similar skill set, frame, play style, mentality, etc., who has proven it in the NBA.
While there is no perfect one-to-one comparison, to better project and truly understand the potential ceilings and floors of the top prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft, we provide the top player comparisons of our top 10 prospects.
1) Cooper Flagg, Duke
Player Comp — Scottie Pippen
It’s certainly a high bar for an 18-year-old to be compared to a six-time NBA champion, seven-time All-Star, and member of the Hall of Fame, but the generational talent that Cooper Flagg has displayed warrants it. This is not to say that Flagg will match those accolades, but the play styles match up in very similar ways, starting on the defensive end of the floor.
Both players have exceptional length and athleticism at the forward position, allowing them to stay in front of the opposition. But that’s not all that made Scottie Pippen an eight-time first-team All-Defense selection; his innate ability to make impact plays by stealing the ball, blocking shots, and making effort plays, whether recovering on the help side, diving for loose balls, or simply bringing energy to the floor at all times, elevated him.
That’s exactly the ability that Flagg exemplified in his lone season with the Blue Devils. He led the team in blocks and steals with 1.4 apiece per game, but it was his versatility and energy that made the biggest difference and inspired belief that he can be an impact defender from Day 1 in the league.
The comparison doesn’t end on that end of the floor, as each is extremely unselfish offensively and can operate as a de facto “point forward” at times with their ability to handle the ball, set up the offense, and create opportunities for others.
While Pippen grew his scoring game as his career went along, Flagg is likely headed for a similar path. He averaged 19.2 points per game at Duke but struggled to create his own shot at times, especially down the stretch. As the presumed top pick to the Dallas Mavericks, he’ll have the luxury of not having the responsibilities of that early in his career, as he’ll be playing next to Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving.
The similarities are notable, potentially giving a glimpse of an illustrious career on the horizon for Flagg.
2) Dylan Harper, Rutgers
Player Comp — Jalen Brunson
As the consensus No. 2 player in this draft, Dylan Harper was one of the most skilled players in the country during his time with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in 2024-25. As a 6’6″ lead guard, he engineered the offense while creating his own shot with the use of his pull-up jumper and positional size around the basket.
Jalen Brunson, though just 6’2″, plays much bigger than his height would suggest. The way he uses footwork and shoulder bumps to create space is much the same as Harper’s. While the former Rutgers star hasn’t quite developed the high-level footwork that Brunson excels at near the rim, he’s not afraid to play off a two-foot jump stop and elevate over his defender.
In the pros, Harper may not begin his career as the lead ball-handler. He can play off the ball in a 2-guard role, something Brunson doesn’t have the luxury of due to his smaller stature. But when he’s at his best and fully maximizing his potential, he’ll run the offense in an aesthetically similar way that the Knicks’ star guard does.
Time will tell if Harper can reach the sort of dominance that Brunson has achieved over the past few seasons, but with his height added onto a related skillset, he may have an even higher ceiling.
3) Ace Bailey, Rutgers
Player Comp — Michael Porter Jr.
Coming out of high school and before his numerous back injuries at Missouri and in the NBA, Michael Porter Jr. was viewed as a high-scoring wing who could create his own jump-shot opportunities off the bounce. While that’s not the case, whether due to injuries or not, he’s still an extremely productive 6’10” wing shooter on a max contract for the Denver Nuggets. He averaged 18.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game this season.
Ace Bailey, who averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds for the Scarlet Knights, has very similar traits in that he’s tall (6’7.5″ at the Combine, meaning he’s closer to 6’9″ with shoes) and has a beautiful jumper that he relies on for much of his scoring, though he can put the ball on the floor and get to the rack when he wants to.
Both players have lapses of mental awareness defensively, but can also get their hands on the ball and get deflections with their length when they’re focused and competing.
As the No. 3 pick, the long-term hope is that Bailey can grow into a better player than Porter. That would mean expanding his ability to create shots for himself and not relying on others to create looks. But if the floor is what Porter is giving the Nuggets now, it’s hard to be too upset, as he’s still a terrific player in the modern NBA.
4) Khaman Maluach, Duke
Player Comp — Kel’el Ware
Khaman Maluach is an interesting prospect to study. The South Sudanese big man began playing basketball at 13 years old. In other words, his basketball career started just five years before he was considered an NBA lottery pick.
Because of his relatively new introduction to the game, he’s extremely raw. He doesn’t have the skills that you’d expect from a top prospect. But he does project fairly well as a 7’1″, 253-pound center with a 7’7″ wingspan and a 9’6″ standing reach. He’s not the greatest, most agile athlete yet, but he did show an ability to finish lobs above the rim and blocked 1.3 shots per game in his freshman season at Duke.
Kel’el Ware, the Miami Heat’s first-round pick in 2024, has a very similar frame, as he measures in at 7’0″ with a lengthy wingspan as well. He’s not a finished product by any means, but he had a very successful finish to his rookie season as an athletic presence in the paint.
Maluach improved greatly down the stretch of the season for the Blue Devils and is solely an upside selection in this draft. If he’s able to develop his 3-point shooting range, as some believe he will, he could far exceed what Ware has done in the league. But if he isn’t able to, he projects as having a similar impact as Miami’s center and being a top-tier role player in the NBA with Defensive Player of the Year capabilities.
5) VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
Player Comp — Zach LaVine
There aren’t a ton of two-way, highly athletic 2-guards in the league who can do everything on the court that VJ Edgecombe showed he can do. Zach LaVine fits the latter of those traits, as he struggles defensively but is uber athletic on the offensive end.
Both players are comfortable with the ball in their hands and can create for themselves. Edgecombe, after a relatively slow start to the season, shouldered more ball-handling responsibilities later in the season with ease. He got to his spots and finished the season averaging 15.0 points and 3.2 assists per game for the Baylor Bears. His 3-point shot, something that LaVine excels at, improved greatly as well.
While LaVine struggles guarding the opposition, Edgecombe thrives on that end. The Bahamaian guard used his lateral quickness to stay in front of his matchup while showing his basketball IQ and anticipation, coupled with his length (6’8″ wingspan), to reel in 2.1 steals per game for the Bears.
It would be a major win if Edgecombe can fully develop the offensive game that LaVine has, with his ability to slash to the rim and finish at a high rate while being a real threat from deep. Add that to the defense that Edgecombe displays, and he’d be a perennial All-NBA player.
6) Kasparas Jakučionis, Illinois
Player Comp — Josh Giddey
After dominating in Europe, Kasparas Jakučionis spent one season as the lead guard for the Fighting Illini and continued to excel. Standing 6’6″, he was the leader of Illinois’ offense and showed off his prolific and, at times, flashy passing acumen. He was best out on the open floor and in the pick-and-roll, two ways that the 6’8″ Josh Giddey also finds success.
Neither player is a great scorer, but both find ways to finish at the basket using their positional size and strength relative to their opponents. Both are great with their float game, finishing above defenders and not relying on their subpar athleticism and foot speed.
That’s not to say both don’t enjoy pushing the ball on the open floor, as their respective teams ranked in the top 10 in scoring this season with them at the helm.
The biggest thorn in Giddey’s side as a pro, and what led to his trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Chicago Bulls, has been his lack of shooting ability. He improved in 2024-25, nailing 37.8% of his 3s, but will likely never be a high-volume shooter.
Though Jakučionis showed promise early in the season in punishing defenders who went under screens, his stroke faded down the stretch of the season. In all, he hit just 31.8% from deep.
Giddey has had success and is a starting-caliber point guard in the league, potentially meaning that Jakučionis could be the same. But if the latter can further gain consistency with his jumper, he’d far exceed this comparison and find himself racking up All-Star appearances.
7) Derik Queen, Maryland
Player Comp — Boris Diaw
Derik Queen is entering the draft with unquestioned talent but uncertainty over how his unique play style will transfer to the pros. The way he plays the game is far from traditional, as he’s a 6’10”, 248-pound power forward who plays the game comfortably on the perimeter without a 3-point shot in his arsenal.
He projects similarly to a player like Boris Diaw, who was an accomplished role player best known for his time with the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs. As a 6’8″, 250-pounder, he could handle the ball and initiate the offense while using his big frame to drive into defenders and finish, all things that Queen did during his lone season at Maryland.
The Terrapins’ freshman seemed to surprise defenders with the way he could handle the ball and break them down off the dribble with his hefty frame.
Diaw advanced his 3-point shot to a proficient mark, something that Queen may have to do if he’s going to play alongside a non-shooting center in the league. While Diaw was a career role player and routinely came off the bench, Queen’s talent suggests that he could take a similar skillset and advance it to a much larger scale.
8) Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma
Player Comp — De’Aaron Fox
Being compared to De’Aaron Fox, one of the fastest players in the NBA, means that a player clearly has a second and even third gear to their game. That’s exactly what Jeremiah Fears has. He excels in the open court, where he can use his speed, explosiveness, and burst to get to the rim and finish.
Fox has made a career of that, making the All-Star team in 2023 and being considered among the top point guards in the league. While he still possesses the explosive first step that has given defenders fits for years, his development has turned him into a more skillful player who doesn’t necessarily need to rely on his speed. That’s the part of the game that Fears need to develop, and it should come with time.
One of those skills is 3-point shooting ability.
Jeremiah Fears 3PT shooting numbers in his career.
A lot of development is needed in his outside shot. FT% is encouraging though. pic.twitter.com/bb6ke0Tj5c
— Matt (@sixringsofsteeI) June 6, 2025
Fears enters the NBA after knocking down just 28.4% of his triples at Oklahoma, something that will surely cause teams to go under screens and sag off him. If he can’t develop that shot, he may be another Scoot Henderson-type: an athletic finisher, but still hasn’t reached his full potential because of a clear deficiency in his game.
But if he can, as Fox did, it’ll open up the floor even more for him to attack the basket and impact the game at its highest level.
9) Tre Johnson, Texas
Player Comp — J.R. Smith
At his peak, J.R. Smith was an 18.1 points-per-game scorer and the 2013 Sixth Man of the Year. Quite frankly, if Tre Johnson ends up peaking as a bench player, it would be a major disappointment, as he’s a potential top-five pick.
Despite that, he plays a similar game to Smith. Though Johnson handled the ball a lot during his time at Texas due to a lack of other reliable creators on the team, Smith also had years where he had the ball in his hands and had to create for himself.
That’s exactly what Johnson does: he creates for himself. In fact, he did it so well that his 19.9 points per game led the SEC. But he did that while shooting just 42.7% from the field on a variety of tough-looking jumpers. The reality is that he made a bunch of them, and that’s what made him so good, but can he do it in the NBA?
Smith could, but not at the level that is expected of Johnson. In the modern space-and-pace NBA, he may be best suited as a catch-and-shoot 3-point marksman, as he made 39.7% of his 3-pointers. Smith served in that role for stretches of his career.
There is certainly a place in the league for the shooting that Johnson brings to the table, but it’ll be intriguing to see if he can truly blossom into a star in the modern game.
10) Kon Knueppel, Duke
Player Comp — Cameron Johnson
Kon Knueppel began his freshman season at Duke largely as a standstill shooter. He was great in that role, but the Blue Devils needed more from him as the competition ramped up. Knueppel stepped up to the plate, expanding his shot chart to the mid-range and inside the lane.
That’s a similar path that Cameron Johnson has taken in the league, as he began as a floor-spacing wing shooter for the Suns before being given more of an opportunity to create for himself after being traded to the Brooklyn Nets. He had a career year in 2024-25, averaging 18.8 points and making 39.0% of his 3s but scoring in a variety of ways.
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They also both have size, as Knueppel is 6’7″ and Johnson is 6’8″. That height allows them to shoot with ease over smaller defenders, whether beyond the arc or a few steps inside.
It wouldn’t be a surprise for Knueppel to begin his career spotting up on the perimeter primarily as a 3-point shooter. With further development, he should be able to improve the other parts of his game and become known as a high-level role player or fringe All-Star, arguably the spot that Johnson is currently at in his career, six years in.
