Even if you know nothing about the NBA Draft, you know that Cooper Flagg is going to be selected with the first overall pick. The former Duke standout has been earmarked as the best player in the class for years, and he only bolstered his case in his only college season. The Dallas Mavericks won the honor of making Flagg their next franchise player (a ridiculous -20000 favorite to go No. 1 at DraftKings), but the night doesn’t end after the first pick.
Long expected to be a difference-making draft class, there are multiple prospects who could change the fortunes of a needy franchise in a heartbeat. There’s also enough depth where the best player in the draft might end up being selected in the teens, the 20s or maybe even the second round.
As you prepare to watch the NBA Draft, set to begin at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, take a look at 10 players besides Cooper Flagg that you need to know.
- Age: 19
- Height: 6-6
- Weight: 213
- Wingspan: 6-11
- Elevator pitch: Prototypical modern guard with franchise player-level skill and pedigree
- Player comp: James Harden meets Cade Cunningham
With size, skill and the corporate knowledge gained from his five-time NBA champion father, Harper is the closest thing to a can’t-miss prospect you’ll find in this draft besides Flagg. The crafty lefty is an elite driver and finisher with pristine footwork who uses his powerful frame to punish bigger defenders. Harper profiles as a potentially elite primary ball-handler, though he shoots the 3 well enough and has the size to play off the ball as well. In 10 years, if we’re talking about an All-NBA player from this class who’s not Cooper Flagg, it’s most likely going to be Harper.
- Age: 18
- Height: 6-9
- Weight: 203
- Wingspan: 7-1
- Elevator pitch: Potential future scoring champion with untapped playmaking and defensive upside
- Player comp: Kevin Durant Lite
There’s no more polarizing prospect in this year’s class than Bailey, who has reportedly refused to work out for several teams in advance of next week’s draft. Bailey is the most bucket-getting bucket-getter who has ever bucket-gotten, and when you package his elite shot-making with a 6-9 frame and the fact that he won’t turn 19 until August, you have potentially the best player in the draft. So why the hesitation? Virtually every aspect of Bailey’s game outside of scoring — playmaking, ball-handling, defense, shot selection — has been called into question. If he ends up being an average scorer instead of a 20-point-per-game guy and can’t do anything else, the pick could end up looking pretty bad. That being said, it will still be shocking to see him fall outside the top five on Wednesday, given his All-NBA upside.
- Age: 19
- Height: 6-5
- Weight: 193
- Wingspan: 6-8
- Elevator pitch: Lockdown defender and secondary playmaker with elite athleticism and scoring upside
- Player comp: Victor Oladipo
With athleticism that jumps off the screen, propelled by his 38.5-inch vertical leap, Edgecome should be a plus defender from the second he sets foot on an NBA floor. His ceiling depends on the offensive side, where he’s already displayed significant potential as a secondary ball-handler and playmaker but is not yet an elite knock-down shooter or self-creator. Even if those things never fully develop, however, Edgecombe’s basketball IQ and motor should make him an immediate rotation fixture on whichever team ends up selecting him.
- Age: 19
- Height: 6-6
- Weight: 219
- Wingspan: 6-6
- Elevator pitch: Lights-out shooting wing with finishing and playmaking upside
- Player comp: Wally Szczerbiak
Perhaps the draft’s best shooter, Knueppel has picture-perfect mechanics and can knock them down both from a standstill and off of movement. He’s also a connective playmaker who’s proven himself more than capable of leveraging the substantial attention he draws behind the arc to get to the rim and finish at a high clip (70th percentile, per Synergy Sports). There are questions about his defense and ability to affect the game beyond shooting, but in a league where 3-point shooters are at a premium, not too many teams will let Knueppel slip by come draft night.
- Age: 19
- Height: 6-6
- Weight: 190
- Wingspan: 6-10
- Elevator pitch: Bucket-getting big guard with playmaking upside
- Player comp: Tyler Herro meets Anfernee Simons
If you need a guard who can put the ball in the basket, Johnson is your man. The Texas product uses his crafty handle and footwork to create quality shots out of thin air — a rare skill that every NBA team could use more of. The floor might be a little lower than some of the players that will likely be drafted ahead of him due to his limitations in getting to the rim and on defense, but there’s no doubt Johnson has legitimate star potential.
- Age: 18
- Height: 6-4
- Weight: 180
- Wingspan: 6-5
- Elevator pitch: Relentless attacking guard with elite handle and pick-and-roll acumen
- Player comp: Monta Ellis
One of the youngest players in his class, Fears won’t turn 19 until October and possesses a tantalizing skill set that will need some honing and development once he gets to the NBA. The blazing-quick guard can get to the rim against virtually any defender, showcasing his versatile handle and creativity. Despite his speed, he plays under control and has shown skill as a pick-and-roll scorer and playmaker. The shooting needs work, and will be the skill that determines his upside, but it will be a major surprise if Fears isn’t selected in the top 10 on Wednesday.
- Age: 20
- Height: 6-10
- Weight: 248
- Wingspan: 7-1
- Elevator pitch: Versatile playmaking big who can be the hub of an offensive system
- Player comp: Alperen Sengun
What Queen lacks in raw athleticism, he more than makes up for with skill, IQ and coordination. The big man can operate in isolation from the free-throw line or in the short roll, using his vision and passing to find easy buckets for teammates. He’s also more than capable of scoring himself, with a wide array of clever, off-balance below-the-rim finishes complemented by an emerging one-legged fadeaway game. His 3-point percentage isn’t where you’d like to see it, but the mechanics indicate that he could develop into an average shooter from distance, which would only bolster his offensive value.
- Age: 19
- Height: 6-6
- Weight: 205
- Wingspan: 6-8
- Elevator pitch: Playmaking whiz with 3-point shooting potential
- Player comp: Goran Dragić
A modern lead guard has to be able to score and facilitate in equal measure, and Jakucionis undoubtedly fits the bill. Possessing a quick first step and excellent vision, the 19-year-old makes split-second decisions while delivering passes on time and on target. He’s also shown the ability to knock down pull-up jumpers out of the pick-and-roll, with range that extends well beyond the 3-point line. A coach feels confident with the ball in Jakucionis’ hands, and he should get the chance to be a primary playmaker at the next level.
- Age: 21
- Height: 7-0
- Weight: 252
- Wingspan: 7-2
- Elevator pitch: Seven-footer with guard skills who will create matchup nightmares
- Player comp: Vlade Divac
At any level of basketball, you don’t often see a 7-footer on the perimeter initiating offense like a guard. That’s exactly what Wolf was tasked with last season at Michigan after transferring from Yale, and he performed brilliantly, shooting farther up draft boards with seemingly every game. Wolf might be the most intriguing prospect in the class, since it’s difficult to compare him to any current players. Even without the bells and whistles, he can operate as a straight big, crashing the glass and finishing around the rim. But his playmaking unlocks an entirely different ceiling — one in which he could be the primary source of offense for stretches of a game.
- Age: 22
- Height: 6-3
- Weight: 199
- Wingspan: 6-4
- Elevator pitch: Proven winner who always makes the right play and can shoot it from NBA range
- Player comp: Payton Pritchard with Jalen Brunson upside
Anyone who watched the NCAA Tournament saw Clayton’s exploits while leading Florida to the national championship, but even without the Final Four Most Outstanding Player and All-American accolades, the 6-3 guard would still be a legitimate prospect. In addition to being a heady floor leader who rarely makes mistakes, Clayton also has tremendous range and accuracy as a 3-point shooter, comfortable knocking them down off the catch or through self-creation. He landed in the 89th percentile on dribble jumpers in his senior season, per Synergy Sports, and in the 80th percentile in catch-and-shoot. At his floor, Clayton should have a decade-long career as a solid backup point guard, but his ceiling is so much higher given his ability to score the basketball from multiple levels.
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