Tag: 2025 NBA Draft

Cooper Flagg earns high praise from Kevin Durant at Team USA camp

17-year-old Cooper Flagg dazzled in scrimmages against the U.S. senior roster this week in training camp in Las Vegas.

USA Basketball mainstay Kevin Durant wasn’t on the court to face Cooper Flagg and the select team, but the future Hall of Famer could still see the talent level and maturity the 17-year-old showed going up against the best the U.S. has to offer.

Flagg, the consensus top recruit in the class of 2024 who will play at Duke, was the lone collegiate player invited to training camp in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is the first collegian to participate with the select team since Doug McDermott and Marcus Smart in 2013.

He was among the players who competed against the senior roster ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games, which also featured LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis, among others. He earned high praise from several players, including Durant, who is limited by a sore calf.

“From watching him on the sideline, he looked like a hell of a player,” Durant said, via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. “He is somebody that is only going to get better with more experience. He is 17 years old, coming in here playing like he is a vet, almost. No emotion. Just out there doing his job. That is a good sign.”

Flagg, who will turn 18 in December, dazzled in a portion of the scrimmage open to the media. From splashing 3-pointers in front of Davis, to drawing defenders such as Jrue Holiday, Flagg put on a show against a roster gearing up to compete for its fifth straight gold medal.

The 6-foot-9 forward was the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year while playing for Nokomis Regional High School before arriving at the Montverde Academy in Florida. He chose Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils over established programs like UConn and Kansas.

Flagg is the overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, ahead of Ace Bailey, VJ Edgecombe, Dylan Harper, Tre Johnson and Dink Pate, among others.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=650262943]

FOX Sports show nicknames the 2025 NBA draft ‘Capture the Flagg’ after upcoming Duke star

During a Tuesday segment on Fox Sports’s “The Herd,” Danny Parkins said the 2025 NBA draft sweepstakes should be called ‘Capture the Flagg.’

After incoming Duke freshman [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] worked the basketball world into a frenzy with his weekend performance at Team USA’s Olympic training camp, one FOX Sports host says he should be the face of next year’s NBA draft.

During a Tuesday stint hosting FS1’s “The Herd,” Danny Parkins essentially declared that the upcoming lottery will simply serve as the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes, likening his status to college football quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Andrew Luck.

“In the NFL, we had ‘Tank for Trevor,’ ‘Suck for Luck,'” Parkins started. “Capture the Flagg. That’s what Nets fans, Jazz fans, Spurs fans, Pistons fans, you’re going to be trying to capture the Flagg with this tanking and then you’ll hope for lottery luck.”

Parkins started the segment with a clip of Flagg’s Monday highlight from a scrimmage against Team USA, knocking down a 3-pointer over Anthony Davis before grabbing a put-back from a teammate just one possession later.

With less than half a dozen American players in their 20s on the Olympic squad, Parkins said Flagg could emerge as the country’s next big basketball star.

“The future of USA basketball is very much in question,” Parkins said. “This kid Cooper Flagg looks to be the real deal.”

Nets GM confirms that Mikal Bridges trade was tied to Rockets’ draft deal

Mikal Bridges being traded to the Knicks was directly connected to the Rockets-Nets draft deal, as confirmed by Brooklyn GM Sean Marks.

With an emphasis on pick quantity, quality, and a more diversified portfolio stretching out in further years, the Houston Rockets recently traded a pair of draft assets from the Nets (2025, 2026) back to Brooklyn for four future first-round picks and swaps from the Phoenix Suns (2025, 2027, and 2029) and Dallas Mavericks (2029).

Thanks to that trade, Brooklyn now controls its first-round draft capital in 2025 and 2026. Combine that with the recent trade of Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks, and many NBA observers expect the Nets to be among the league’s worst teams in the upcoming 2024-25 season — and thus, in the running for a high draft pick and the chance to select an elite 2025 prospect, such as Cooper Flagg.

It all leads to a reasonable question: Could Rockets general manager Rafael Stone have stayed the course with his previous draft portfolio while potentially adding another top prospect (such as Flagg) to an improving team in Houston (41-41)?

The answer, most likely, is no. Now that all trades are official, Nets general manager Sean Marks commented on the thought process. Here’s what Marks said, via James Herbert of CBS Sports:

They’re absolutely connected. I think when you look at doing the deal we did with the Knicks, that was really only possible by controlling our own destiny a little bit more… where we get our picks back from Houston.

Translated, had the Rockets stayed the course, the Nets would have kept Bridges and likely been a respectable team. Brooklyn went 32-50 last season, which was only the ninth-worst NBA record, and they had the non-taxpayer mid-level exception — offering a starting annual salary near $13 million — to further add to the roster.

It’s still unlikely that the Nets would have been a playoff team, in that scenario, but it’s probable that their pre-lottery odds slot would have been toward the back half of the order (as opposed to the top). Granted, it would still be possible for the Rockets to move up, but the draft odds would not be nearly as favorable as the current scenario in which the Nets do not have Bridges and are fully rebuilding.

Thus, with peak upside limited, that’s what led the Rockets to prioritize an additional quantity of picks that go out in further years. From there, Brooklyn and Houston found an agreeable structure to best suit the preferred timeline of both teams, and the rest is history.

As for 2025, given the strength of the Western Conference and Kevin Durant’s ongoing injury history, it’s not implausible that the current first-round swap right that Houston owns with the Suns could be comparable in value to the previous swap with the Nets (with Bridges, which would have been the case had Houston stood pat).

So, as it pertains to Flagg, the chances are likely reduced but not completely implausible. Fans in Houston will simply need to cheer for the downfall of Phoenix, now, as opposed to Brooklyn.

[lawrence-related id=124578,124498,124469]

NBA scout praises Tyrese Proctor performance at Chris Paul Elite Camp

Duke guard Tyrese Proctor, one of two returning Blue Devils, needs a junior jump to solidify himself as an NBA prospect. One scout thinks he might get one.

Duke basketball star [autotag]Tyrese Proctor[/autotag] will return to Durham for the 2024-25 season, making him one of two Blue Devils starters back in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Australian guard led the team with 3.7 assists per game last season, but some inconsistencies as a scorer and a shot-creator meant he couldn’t capitalize on the lottery promise he brought to Duke.

Unless he takes a leap as a junior in 2024-25. And according to one NBA scout after the 2024 Chris Paul Elite Camp, that might be what’s coming.

Jon Chepkevich, the Director of Scouting for DraftExpress, raved about Proctor’s performance at the offseason camp.

“Proctor showed encouraging signs of progress,” he wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “Knocked down shots, facilitated with poise, and used his size to his advantage defensively. Looks to have added some strength to his frame.”

He accompanied the takeaway with a quick highlight compilation of Proctor’s performance at the camp.

Standing out at the Chris Paul camp is no small feat. College stars like North Carolina‘s RJ Davis and Elliot Cadeau, Wake Forest’s Hunter Sallis, and Indiana’s Kanaan Carlyle all made the trip, as did Proctor’s future teammate [autotag]Sion James[/autotag].

Baylor commit VJ Edgecombe leads Bahamas to semifinals of Olympic qualifying tournament

Edgecombe produced another sensational outing on Wednesday to lead the Bahamas to a win over Poland in the Olympic qualifying tournament.

After scoring 20 points on Tuesday, Baylor commit VJ Edgecombe produced another sensational outing on Wednesday to lead the Bahamas to a win over Poland in the Olympic qualifying tournament in València, Spain.

Edgecombe scored a team-high 21 points and six rebounds, and Buddy Hield had 17 points, 10 assists and six rebounds in the 90-81 victory, which will send the Bahamas to the semifinals of the tournament after finishing as the top team in Group B.

The Bahamas, who also received 18 points and nine rebounds from Deandre Ayton and 12 points from Eric Gordon, did not trail in the contest and led by as many as 19 points. The team shot 51.7% from the field, including 44.8% from behind the arc.

Edgecombe, the No. 5 prospect in the class of 2024, is one of six collegiate players on the roster and is representing the Bahamas for the first time at the senior level. He has emerged as one of their top players and is tied with Hield in total scoring through two games (41 points).

After defeating Poland, the Bahamas will play next on Saturday in the semifinals against the second-ranked team from Group A, which features Angola, Lebanon and Spain. The game will tip off at either 11:30 a.m. or 2:30 p.m. EDT.

The winner of the qualifying tournament will claim one of the four remaining spots in the 2024 Olympic Games. That country will be placed in Group A to start the Olympics, along with Australia, Canada and another team from a qualifying tournament.

The Bahamas are seeking its first appearance in the Olympic Games.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=650262943]

‘He has shown serious flashes’: VJ Edgecombe dazzles in Bahamas’ win over Finland in Olympic qualifier

Playing alongside three NBA players, Edgecombe dazzled to help the Bahamas defeat Finland to open the 2024 Olympic qualifying tournament.

Playing alongside three players in the NBA, Baylor commit VJ Edgecombe dazzled on Tuesday to help the Bahamas defeat Finland to open the 2024 Olympic qualifying tournament.

Buddy Hield produced a game-high 24 points and six rebounds, while Edgecombe finished with 20 points and four rebounds to lead the Bahamas to the 96-85 victory in Valencia, Spain. Deandre Ayton had 19 points and nine rebounds and Eric Gordon added 16 points.

Finland led by as many as nine points in the first half to take a 54-47 lead at the intermission. The Bahamas responded by outscoring Finland 49-31 in the second half, with Edgecombe scoring 10 points alone in the fourth quarter to help the group pull out the win.

“He has been a high-level talent all of his life,” Hield said of Edgecombe. “He even busted my (expletive) in practice, too. He has shown serious flashes, and he is very coachable. He just wants to learn the game and is fun to be around, fun to play with and responds the right way. He is a high-character kid and the game always rewards that.”

Edgecombe, the No. 5 prospect in the class of 2024, is one of six collegiate players named to the Bahamas’ final 12-man roster. He previously represented his country in the Nike Hoop Summit in April, recording 17 points and five rebounds in a loss to USA Basketball.

The 19-year-old quickly emerged as one of the top players in training camp to earn his first senior national team appearance. He averaged 12 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals in two tune-up games before the start of the qualifying tournament.

“He stepped into our training camp right away, and he belonged,” coach Chris Demarco said. “You never really know what somebody is going to look like until you see him around your veterans and your best players… from Day 1, he was ready. He has been waiting for this opportunity and it has been really beneficial for our team.”

After defeating Finland, the Bahamas can become one of two teams from Group B to advance to the semifinals of the tournament by defeating Poland on Wednesday. They would face one of the top two teams from Group A, which features Angola, Lebanon and Spain.

The winner of the qualifying tournament will claim one of the four remaining spots in the 2024 Olympic Games. That country will be placed in Group A to start the Olympics, along with Australia, Canada and another team from a qualifying tournament.

The Bahamas are seeking its first appearance in the Olympic Games.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=650262943]

An ESPN 2025 NBA mock draft features zero Kentucky Wildcats

An ESPN NBA mock draft for 2025 doesn’t feature any Kentucky basketball players.

Kentucky basketball has dominated the NBA draft over the past decade in a half, with seemingly a player selected in the first round every year, sometimes more than one. This year, both Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham both went in the top ten.

Now with John Calipari gone, and Mark Pope as the new head coach, it’s a new era for Kentucky basketball. How that will translate to the NBA draft isn’t yet known, but it’s something fans will be closely watching.

Related: Kentucky basketball recruiting targets for 2025

The first test for Pope will happen next year, when his first team will go through the draft cycle. However, as of right now, expectations are low as far as the NBA draft goes. ESPN has released an early mock draft (subscription required), and no 2024-25 Wildcats are on it.

The perception of the players on Kentucky will certainly change if the season is a success. Players like Brandon Garrison, Jaxson Robinson, and Andrew Carr, as well as several others could certainly see their draft stock rise as the year goes on.

For now, analysts aren’t very high on the Kentucky players and their draft prospects. Fans would like to see the Wildcats change that perception with their play.

 

Spanish forward Izan Almansa to sign with Perth as part of NBL Next Stars program

Almansa has signed with the Perth Wildcats in the National Basketball League for the 2024-25 season.

Izan Almansa, a 6-foot-10 forward from Spain, has signed with the Perth Wildcats in the National Basketball League for the 2024-25 season, the league announced.

Almansa originally entered the 2024 NBA draft after playing last season with the G League Ignite. He competed in the draft combine and worked out with at least two teams in the predraft process before ultimately withdrawing from consideration on June 16.

The 19-year-old will now join the Wildcats as part of the Next Stars program, a plan introduced by the NBL to give top prospects a way to play professionally. The program has helped the likes of Alex Sarr, AJ Johnson, LaMelo Ball and Josh Giddey, among others.

Almansa averaged 10.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists on 54.3% shooting from the field last season with the Ignite. He registered five games with at least 20 points, including a season-high 23 points and five rebounds on Jan. 2.

He has also represented Spain several times at the junior level, earning Most Valuable Player at the 2022 FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup, 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship and 2023 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup. He averaged 16.9 points and 7.1 rebounds last year.

Almansa will now look to improve his overall ability and establish himself as a potential first-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft. He will need to improve his offensive skill set and shooting ability, and he has shown promise in reaching that potential.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1366]

Baylor commit VJ Edgecombe named to Bahamas 12-man roster for Olympic qualifiers

Baylor commit VJ Edgecombe was named to the 12-man roster that will represent the Bahamas in the 2024 Olympic qualifying tournament.

Baylor commit VJ Edgecombe was named to the 12-man roster that will represent the Bahamas in the 2024 Olympic qualifying tournament in Valencia, Spain.

Edgecombe, the No. 5 prospect in the class of 2024, joins a roster that features three NBA players, including Deandre Ayton, Eric Gordon and Buddy Hield. He averaged 12 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals in two tune-up games with the team.

The 18-year-old will be making his first appearance with the senior national team. He previously represented the Bahamas on the World Team in the Nike Hoop Summit in April, recording 17 points and five rebounds in a loss to USA Basketball.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C84XdINNAUF/

The Bahamas open the qualifying tournament in Group B on Tuesday against Finland and will then face Poland on Wednesday. The top two teams from the group will advance to the semifinals and face the top two teams from Group A, which features Angola, Lebanon and Spain.

The winner of the qualifying tournament will claim one of the four remaining spots in the 2024 Olympic Games. That country will be placed in Group A to start the Olympics, along with Australia, Canada and another team from a qualifying tournament.

The Bahamas will seek its first appearance in the Olympic Games by winning the qualifying tournament. The team is coached by Golden State Warriors assistant Chris Demarco.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=650262943]

Three Duke basketball players go within the top 10 in new 2025 mock draft

CBS Sports released an early 2025 mock draft on Saturday morning, and Gary Parrish had three Blue Devils within the first 10 picks.

The 2024-25 Duke basketball team remains a runaway hype train, and CBS Sports added another layer to the momentum on Saturday morning.

In a new 2025 mock draft from Gary Parrish, three Blue Devils came off the board within the first 10 picks.

[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], who is considered the favorite to get taken first in 12 months time, went before anyone else to the Washington Wizards.

“He’s terrific,” Parrish wrote about Flagg, who finished atop every major recruiting ranking. “He’s been an undeniable star at the high school level (and on the grassroots circuit) for years, so much so that I really do believe all 30 NBA franchises would take the 6-foot-9 forward first overall if next year’s draft were held right now.”

Flagg would be the first American picked No. 1 since fellow Duke star Paolo Banchero went to the Orlando Magic in 2022.

Four picks later, 7-footer [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] went to the Toronto Raptors with the fifth overall pick. The South Sudanese star, whom Parrish said could be the best prospect in NBA Academy Africa history.

The presumed lottery pick contains more than just shot-blocking potential, however, with highlights from his Basketball Africa League games including knockdown 3-pointers.

The third and final Blue Devil in the lottery came from the returning crop with sophomore guard [autotag]Caleb Foster[/autotag] going 10th to the Brooklyn Nets. A 6-foot-5 ball-handler who made 40% of his 3-pointers and averaged two assists per game last year, Foster brings an appealing set of skills to the NBA level.

Parrish’s projection only included the first 14 picks of the lottery, but other names like Tyrese Proctor and Kon Knueppel have been thrown around in 2025 mock drafts already. Check out Duke Wire’s predictions for who heads to the pros and who returns for 2025-26 here.