10 best NBA Draft picks in 2025 that get an A-grade from us

The 10 best picks from the 2025 NBA Draft

The first round of the 2025 NBA Draft has come and gone, with some foregone conclusions (Cooper Flagg first) to some unexpected surprises (Yang Hansen, anyone?). Through all of these, however, some picks were made that passed the sniff test with flying colors. In my colleague Ricky O’Donnell’s instant NBA Draft Round 1 grades, ten picks got at least an A- or higher. Those are the picks that were absolutely perfect, the optimal fit of team and prospect.

Which picks were those? We’ll go through them all, starting at the top. These are complete with O’Donnell’s instant reaction and grades, which you can find here.

Duke forward Cooper Flagg to the Dallas Mavericks (1.1)

Grade: A+

Ricky’s take:

Flagg is one of the strongest prospects I’ve evaluated since I started covering the draft here in 2014. He checks every box for a potential franchise player: he had elite production at a young age, he has a great frame for an NBA forward, the skills to dominate on or off-the-ball, and the athleticism to finish plays on both ends of the floor. Flagg’s elite mentality ties the whole package together: it feels like he plays harder than anyone else on the court despite always being the most talented player out there. He was arguably the best player in college basketball this past season despite being 17 years old for half the season after only three years of high school. He’s about to be the youngest player in the NBA, but he’s still going to be an instant contributor around Anthony Davis in Dallas. The Mavs winning the lottery completely makes up for their awful Luka Doncic trade. Good thing Flagg plays defense, so even Nico Harrison won’t trade him.

Flagg to the Mavericks felt like a foregone conclusion when the lottery ended. He’s a surefire prospect who doesn’t need the ball to thrive, but has a polished game on both ends of the floor at 17 years old. For a Mavs team that traded Luka Doncic this season, this is a great way to reset.

Rutgers guard Dylan Harper to the San Antonio Spurs (1.2)

Grade: A

Ricky’s take:

Harper is a huge guard at 6’6 with a 6’10 wingspan who gets downhill with ease and converted a stunning 70 percent of his rim attempts as a freshman at Rutgers. He’s more of a scorer than a facilitator at this stage, but he still has solid playmaking vision and has shown some passing manipulation flashes. Harper should be able to guard multiple positions, and he’s especially solid on the ball. His ability to collapse the defenses off the bounce is going to make Victor Wembanyama’s life so much easier. He’s not the best shooter yet, which makes his fit next to Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox a bit less enticing. Still, Harper hit 37 percent of his spot-up threes and should be a fine player off the ball. Every team in the league wants big guards who can get into the paint, and the Spurs just landed one next to Wemby.

Harper and the Spurs felt like a perfect fit. He’s the type of big point guard that the NBA covets, and is one that fits perfectly next to Victor Wembanyama. How the Spurs go about playing he, Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox together will be interesting.

Duke guard Kon Kneuppel to the Charlotte Hornets (1.4)

Grade: A

Ricky’s take:

Knueppel is an elite shooter who made better than 40 percent of his threes and 91 percent of his threes as the Robin to Cooper Flagg’s Batman at Duke. He’s a solid secondary playmaker who developed a nice connection in the pick-and-roll with another Duke lottery pick, Khaman Maluach, while also showing some ability to score on drives off two feet in the paint. Knueppel doesn’t look like a top-5 pick at first blush with only an average mix of length and explosiveness, but his strength, footwork, and knockdown shooting will make him a very good pro for a long time. I like his fit between LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller as a connective piece who can play within a team structure and still figure out how to pick his spots and have a big impact.

Kneuppel is such a nice fit between LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. A strong guard who can knock down threes with the best of them, Kneuppel is the perfect connector for an NBA offense, hitting open jumpers or playing well in the pick and roll.

South Carolina forward Collin Murray-Boyles to the Toronto Raptors (1.9)

Grade: A

Ricky’s take:

Murray-Boyles is the best defensive player in this draft. He also has plenty of offensive skills with impressive driving ability and great passing vision. He can overpower opposing players with his strength, and he can challenge shots and muck up the passing lanes with his length. The catch? Murray-Boyles is a bit short for a big man at 6’6.5 barefoot, and he isn’t a good shooter yet. Read my feature on how CMB is attacking his shooting development, and how he went from a three-star recruit to a top-10 pick. He’s one of the best all-around players in the draft, and he’s going to be a gem for a Toronto team ... as long as they can put some more shooting around him for a roster that already doesn’t have much shooting.

One of my favorite players in the draft, Murray-Boyles’ length and strength despite a lack of height make him a fearsome defender for a Toronto team that has length at every position. His mentality and defensive prowess will fit right in.

Duke center Khaman Maluach to the Phoenix Suns (1.10)

Grade: A

Ricky’s take:

Maluach was the No. 3 player on my board. I love his combination of length, finishing, and paint protection which gives him a high floor to impact the game. Maluach’s ceiling is dependent on how his three-point shooting and perimeter defense develops, and I’m willing to bet on him in both areas. The fact that he’s only been playing basketball for five years and is already this good is pretty amazing. The Suns badly needed a center, and Maluach falling to this spot is an incredible gift. He has the high upside Phoenix needs to salvage the Devin Booker era. This is my favorite pick of the draft.

The Suns need size on the interior that they can build on. Maluach’s length and ability to run the floor give him a high upside as a lob threat and rim protector. His game should really grow with Devin Booker setting him up.

French forward Noa Essengue to the Chicago Bulls (1.12)

Grade: A-

Ricky’s take:

Essengue has a ridiculous combination of length and athleticism, and he’s already been productive in a pro league as the second youngest prospect in this class. He’s at his best in transition, and the Bulls are a great fit for his skill set as a team that wants to play at a super fast tempo. Essengue is not yet a good shooter, handler, or passer, so the Bulls will need to develop his skill level. Still, it’s hard to find a big forward with this kind of mobility who has already put up good numbers against older competition. The Bulls need upside swings, and this counts as one.

Speed in transition feels like where the Bulls want to go with their franchise, and Essengue is one of the best in the class in that area. As a rim runner with athleticism, he should thrive in space--and being the second youngest player in the class gives him sky high upside.

Georgetown center Thomas Sorber to the Oklahoma City Thunder (1.15)

Grade: A-

Ricky’s take:

Sorber is super long and super strong center with a 7’6 wingspan and 260+ pound frame. He’s a throwback big who sets hard screens, rebounds, and protects the rim. He doesn’t currently shoot threes and he doesn’t have great vertical athleticism yet. Still, this is an awesome fit to the OKC roster, and he should allow the team to move off Isaiah Hartenstein eventually for a cheaper backup center as the roster gets more expensive.

The Thunder have done it again. As their roster is set to get very expensive, picks like Sorber make so much sense. His length and strength give him the ability to be a good second center right now, and the potential inside to play next to Chet Holmgren down the line.

Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis to the Miami Heat (1.20)

Grade: A-

Ricky’s take:

Jakucionis was projected as a top-5 pick earlier in the draft cycle until turnover issues tanked his stock. He still has a projectable NBA game with a strong frame, creative passing vision, pull-up shooting potential, and the ability to get to the free line. Jakucionis is a poor run-and-jump athlete who only dunked one time this year, but if his step-back three is falling, he’s very hard to guard. I’m shocked he fell this far.

This is the exact player the Miami Heat need. While he’s not the most explosive athlete or defender, his feel for the game and ability to set people up as a true floor general fit well with Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware. If his jumper can get ironed out, I think he could be a star.

Colorado State wing Nique Clifford to the Sacramento Kings (1.24)

Grade: A-

Ricky’s take:

Clifford doesn’t have a signature skill, but he’s solid in all aspects of the game. He started as a defense-first player, then developed as a shooter, then developed as a playmaker. It’s scary to take a five-year college player in the first-round with an elite trait, but Clifford’s improvement track, mentality, and all-around game makes him a great pick here.

You need players like Nique Clifford on your team. His strength and ability to connect other players on the team is a big feather in his cap, and he constantly got better in his college years. He’ll stick around for a while.

Michigan State guard Jase Richardson to the Orlando Magic (1.25)

Grade: A

Ricky’s take:

Perfect fit of player and team. Richardson is one of the better shooters in this draft, the Magic were the worst shooting team in the NBA last season. Orlando has the defense to cover up his size concerns, and his off-ball scoring should be a wonderful match around Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Desmond Bane. I had Richardson as a lottery pick on my board. His lack of size and his injury history (he had a hole in his femur a couple years ago that required a procedure) is scary, but he’s a really smart, really skilled player and a killer fit for Orlando.

The Magic needed shooting, and Richardson can provide that in bunches. He doesn’t need to be a superstar right away, but his explosiveness getting downhill is really needed in Orlando.