NBA Draft: Three players who could join Cooper Flagg in conversations atop the 2025 Lottery
Currently, Cooper Flagg is the consensus projected No. 1 NBA Draft pick for the 2025 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-8 freshman at Duke has been talked about as such ever since reclassifying into the 2024 high school graduating class last September. Flagg, originally from Newport, Maine, and graduated from Montverde (FL) Academy, was the unanimous No. 1 overall player in the 2024 rankings, across the industry.
Flagg now enters Duke having just signed a brand deal with New Balance and in Vegas’ top three odds-on favorite to win National Player of the Year honors. However, no games have been played yet. So what better time than to talk about three players who could join Flagg in the conversation for the No. 1 overall pick in the 202 NBA Draft?
Flagg currently sits at the top of everyone’s NBA Mock Draft boards, and each of these players will have to continue growing their game. However, all three have intriguing top-end outcomes that fit the shape and direction of how the highest levels of basketball are being played.
PG Nolan Traore (Saint-Quentin/France)
My first live viewing of Nolan Traore came at the NBA’s 2024 Basketball Without Borders Camp. On the hoof, the French-born guard displayed an excellent frame with broad shoulders and great length. At that camp, during All-Star weekend, he measured just shy of 6-foot-4 with a 6-foot-8 wing span. In that setting, a three-day camp playing drills and small-sided games with unfamiliar players, he showcased his ability to play off the ball and make shots. He had good footwork and was capable of stepping into his shot or shooting off movement regularly.
It was not until his showing at the Nike Hoop Summit, and then subsequent film study, that his true value shined. During the 2024 Nike Hoop Summit, Traore lived in the paint. While holding a quick first step, he also displayed an excellent change of pace with the ability to absorb contact and make a play. Traore has plenty of size for a lead guard, and his quick first step with the ability to shoot plays right into what the highest levels of basketball are looking for out of their lead guards. With that said, when playing in the open floor and in the free-flowing, quick-hitter half-court sets, he will need to continue tightening up his passing reads and deliveries when moving downhill.
When Traore is in the pick and roll, he has proven to be dangerous. While mostly set high and left side, I have seen pull-ups, floaters, kick-outs, and finishes at the rim in these sets. He ended last season as a teammate with 2024 NBA Draft No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher. In those seven games, Traore averaged 10.3 points and 5.4 assists per game as a 17-year-old. He also set the LNB Pro A League (French top tier) all-time league record for most points in a game by a player under 18 with 25. While his shooting has not translated in-game to this point, his showing at the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders showed that he is capable of knocking them down. He had a good base, a quiet shot load, and a consistent release in that setting. He still has some growth to go, mainly in tightening things up, and he has to show he can hit shots in game, but the 18-year-old point guard has a lot of tools that are coveted at the highest levels.
SG Tre Johnson (Texas)
So much of the talk in today’s basketball is about being able to create a scoring advantage. No player in the 2024 high school class was able to do that better than Tre Johnson. The Five-Star Plus+ shooting guard from the Dallas, Texas area has excellent footwork, and balance to go with a projectable frame for an NBA off-guard.
Johnson carries a smooth shooting stroke which, on its own, is enough to warrant NBA Draft Lottery Pick talk. However, when you watch the way he maneuvers in the half-court you get the true understanding of how dangerous Johnson’s game can potentially be. Before Flagg’s reclassification, Johnson carried the No. 1 ranking with On3 for multiple cycles. His move, at that point, above the industry standard was based on his ability to consistently create clean looks within two dribbles. While his iso-style scoring might not shine while in college, his ability to create a clean look in a tight space is something that translates to the highest levels.
Continuing to add good weight, and showing he can be an adequate defender will go a long way in boosting his overall stock. It will be interesting how his year at Texas goes, while, at this point, Johnson is comfortably being projected inside of the Lottery of most NBA Mock Drafts, if he gets off to a good start, a steady climb could be in the cards. The lengthy 6-foot-5 shooting guard has excellent positional size and the pure shooting upside that is coveted regardless.
G Dink Pate (Capitanes de Ciudad de Mexico/G-League)
Dink Pate is unique, and his player archetype is also unique, but for me, that is what makes him so interesting at such an early stage in his development. Pate signed a contract last season with the now-defunct G-League Ignite program, making him the youngest domestic player ever to sign a pro contract. With that, you saw some growing pains and inconsistent play from the late-bloomer. With that, Pate is listed at 6-foot-8 and he has a true ability to run a team.
Last season, Pate averaged 8.0 points and 3.8 assists while shooting 34.7 percent from the field. Pate is entering his second year in the G-League, now up to 210 pounds. Pate is a twitchy athlete, with excellent length. He is able to touch the paint and he finishes well at the rim. He can also process well and distribute the ball to teammates making the properly weighted passes. At this point, the Texas native is still raw. He will need to continue getting stronger and getting used to the speed and length of the game. While most player’s biggest jumps are from year one to year two (both in college and the NBA), the 18-year-old showed considerable flashes in year one.
While he is now currently being projected outside of the top five in most NBA Mock Drafts, the steps Pate takes this season will certainly be interesting to watch. Decisions and processes need to be made quicker, but if things are trending appropriately, the top-end outcomes of a 6-foot-8 length and athletic quick processor are, not only versatile and fluid but, quite useful.