FINAL NBA Draft Big Board: Why Ace Bailey Is Slipping — and Who's Rising
Ranking the top 30 NBA draft prospects: From the stars to the likely busts
My goal is to predict — better than NBA teams — which players will end up being true difference-makers, and which are overrated and don’t deserve the hype.
The rankings below cut against the grain quite a bit. That’s because my predictions in recent years have turned out well, leading me to trust my gut.
For instance, here are some of my greatest hits:
Tyrese Haliburton was ranked No. 1 overall by my methods in 2020, but selected No. 12.
In the 2021 draft, Franz Wagner (selected No. 8), Alperen Şengün (No. 16), and Herbert Jones (No. 35) were each in my top five, and now are top-40 players in impact.
And while you might not think of Tari Eason as a huge success story, he was No. 2 on my Big Board in 2022. Houston got a steal at No. 17, and now he’s the NBA’s 18th-most impactful player per minute, according to xRAPM.
With that background, here are my top 30 prospects for the 2025 NBA draft, with the ranking based on advanced stats and film study.
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