Below is a pick-by-pick breakdown of this year’s draft class. While there are some interesting players in this year’s rookie crop, it is not a deep class. Very few players who were drafted outside of the lottery this year come with interesting fantasy profiles. Most of this year’s non-lottery picks are long shots to be big-minute players in the league, and many of the better prospects produce lines that are poor fits for category leagues. If you do not have an early pick in your rookie draft, consider moving your pick(s) for future draft capital. The 2026 draft is going to be loaded with top talent, with Darryn Peterson, A.J. Dybantsa, and Cameron Boozer all expected to enter the draft after their freshman years.
I have also included a list of rookies who should be drafted in re-draft settings and dynasty tiers for this year’s first-round picks and some of the more interesting second-round picks.
1) Cooper Flagg (Mavericks) – Flagg is almost certainly going to live up to the hype. The list of players who have had freshman seasons in the same stratosphere as Flagg consists almost entirely of Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers. The lone exceptions being Zion Williamson (who could still reach that level) and Michael Beasley. In other words, if a player who produced like Flagg did at Duke has a decent work ethic, they are a lock to be very, very good. The newest Maverick’s potential in fantasy is as high as his potential on the court. The top-overall pick enters the league with a game that is a dream fit for category leagues. In his prime, he should produce Scottie Barnes-like numbers in rebounds, assists, and the defensive categories while being much more productive than the Raptor in points, threes, and the percentages. There were some concerns about his jumper in the lead-up to his freshman year, but after a somewhat slow start from the field, Flagg quickly put those concerns to bed. His shooting, both from deep and at the line, trended up as the season went along. Flagg shot in the mid-40s from deep over his final 24 games at Durham and finished the year shooting 84.0 percent from the line. In a few years, Flagg could be a plus-contributor for his position in every category except for turnovers. His short-term outlook is strong, but due to the Mavericks’ unique roster construction, he will likely be slightly less valuable in Dallas than he would be on a non-playoff team. The Mavericks’ double-big lineup will force Flagg to spend more time on the perimeter on both ends, which should keep his FG%, rebounds, and blocks in check. He should still be fairly productive on the boards and in blocks, but he likely won’t be a difference-maker in either category until he starts spending most of his time at the four. As a rookie who will be capable of producing helpful numbers in almost every category, the forward should be a mid-round player as a rookie. He’s fine to take around the top 50 in re-draft leagues. He may not produce numbers worthy of a pick that high early in the season, but like most rookies, he should trend up as the year goes along. It would not be surprising at all to see Flagg posting borderline top-30 numbers down the stretch of his rookie campaign. He is the only option at one in rookie drafts and should be viewed as a borderline top-five asset in dynasty leagues.
2) Dylan Harper (Spurs) – Harper is another player who has the potential to produce positive numbers in almost every category in his prime. His college line had no notable holes in it, even though he spent a good chunk of the season playing hurt. He’s a very efficient scorer inside the arc (48.4 FG%) who gets to the line at a high rate (5.8 FTA). His steal rate was also very solid at Rutgers (1.4 SPG), and he looked good as a playmaker (4.0 APG), even though he wasn’t surrounded by much talent. Harper is not a great shooter at the moment, but his three-ball should eventually come around. The 1.7 3PG on 33.3 3P% that Harper averaged last season is a respectable performance for a freshman. His FT% is a little more worrisome. Harper shot just 75 percent from the line in 2024-2025. He’s going to have to get his FT% into the mid-80s in the pros in order for his high draw rate to have a positive impact on his value. Harper is the clear #2 dynasty prospect in the draft, even though it might take a season or two for the Spurs to figure out who the odd man out is between Harper, De’Aaron Fox, and Stephon Castle. In re-draft leagues, he’s a flier. With the Spurs expected to make a playoff push, Harper won’t be given 30 MPG unless he earns those minutes.
3) V.J. Edgecombe (Sixers) – Edgecombe is an elite athlete who posted an elite steal rate at Baylor (2.1 SPG). That last bit is exciting because college steal rate is a strong predictor of NBA steal rate. Guards with elite steal rates don’t need to do too much elsewhere to be useful. They can be role players at the pro level and still produce top-50 numbers. That’s good because he doesn’t project to be an on-ball player anytime soon. Edgecombe is still raw on the offensive end. His three-ball was decent for a freshman (1.6 3PG on 34.0 3P%), but he’s got a ways to go in terms of creating for himself and others. The Sixer’s efficiency (43.6 FG%) is likely going to be an issue for a while. Edgecome is the safest option at three in rookie drafts. He comes with a fairly high floor and ceiling due to his steal rate. In re-draft leagues, he’s a viable flier with Jared McCain set to miss some time early in the season. Edgecombe’s minutes could get into the 20s early in the year.
4) Kon Knueppel (Hornets) – Knueppel is one of the least exciting lottery picks from a fantasy standpoint. He’s almost certainly going to end up as a three-point specialist, although potentially, a very good one. He shot over 40% from deep at Duke on solid volume (2.2 3PG) and was elite at the line (91.4 FT%). The problem is that he doesn’t do anything else. He’s a decent passer, but he’s probably not going to be asked to create much at the pro level. He’s also going to be a big drag on the defensive categories and isn’t an especially good rebounder despite having solid size for his position. With the Blue Devils, Knueppel averaged just 4.0 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 0.2 BPG. If he’s a drag on dimes and the defensive categories, Knueppel would need to be a 20+ PPG, 3.0+ 3PG type of player who shoots in the high 40s from the floor to have a shot at the top 50. That’s a high bar to clear. In rookie drafts, he’s just a top-10 pick. He’s more likely to stick than most of the players drafted inside the lottery, but his ceiling is lower than many of the other options likely to be available around pick five.
5) Ace Bailey (Jazz) – Ace is a high-risk pick both for the Jazz and in fantasy. There are a lot of red flags here. This isn’t a Cam Reddish situation where a highly-touted high school prospect was absolutely atrocious in college, but Ace was underwhelming at Rutgers. He can make tough shots, is a strong rebounder (7.2 RPG), and is a nice shot blocker for his position (1.3 BPG), but his efficiency is mediocre (53.6 TS%), he struggles to create separation, is a very shaky finisher in the half court, an absolutely atrocious passer (1.3 APG), and struggles at the line (69.2 FT% on 3.6 FTA), although he did trend up quite a bit at the charity stripe as his freshman year progressed. He also measured out as just 6’7″ at the combine. Part of the reason why he was so hyped coming out of high school was that he was assumed to be closer to 6’10”. There is quite a bit of bust risk here. From a fantasy standpoint, he’s almost as risky because his game is not category-league friendly. His line in college looked like a poor man’s Andrew Wiggins line. Wiggins himself is someone who has not had a ton of useful seasons in fantasy despite almost always being a high-usage role because his game doesn’t translate well to category leagues. If you are a drag on both percentages, don’t pass, and don’t do anything in steals, it’s hard to be useful in category leagues. Bailey has looked better than expected in preseason, but the nature of his game is likely always going to be an issue. Despite his warts, he is viable as high as four in rookie drafts. Bailey is a risky pick there, but there are no sure things after the top three this year. However, he shouldn’t be viewed as an automatic pick at four. There are other players with arguments for that spot. In his rookie year, Ace is unlikely to be a nine-category option outside of the deepest of leagues despite landing on a Jazz team that will be able to give him a decent amount of shots and minutes. In points leagues, he could be relevant this year. Ace’s game is a much better fit for that setting.
6) Tre Johnson (Wizards) – Johnson is likely going to end up as a strong contributor in all of the scoring categories. As a freshman at Texas, he averaged 19.9 PPG on 42.7 FG%, an excellent 2.7 3PG on 39.7 3P%, while knocking down 87.1% of his 4.2 FTA. The question is can he do anything else, because at Texas, he didn’t. Johnson managed just 3.1 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 0.9 SPG in 34.7 MPG as a freshman. If you are picking him in a dynasty draft, you’re banking on him becoming a top-end scorer because if he’s just pretty good, he might end up as just a microwave type off the bench due to his limitations elsewhere. As Cam Thomas found out this summer, teams aren’t lining up to build around scorers with plenty of holes in their game. Like all players on the league’s bottom-feeders, we have to worry about Johnson getting blocked by a better prospect from future drafts. The Wizards are likely going to be near the top of the lottery for at least a couple more years. In rookie drafts, he’s a reasonable pick inside the top seven despite his flaws due to his scoring ability and landing with a team that should feed him minutes immediately.
7) Jeremiah Fears (Pelicans) – Fears is a combo guard who should eventually end up as a full-time PG due to his size. He had an elite steal rate in college (1.6 SPG), is a decent passer (4.1 APG), gets to the line quite a bit (6.2 FTA), and does a great job of making the most of his attempts at the charity stripe (85.1 FT%). There is a lot to like here. If his jumper comes around, he will be a very strong fantasy asset. That is a major if, however. He shot just 28.4% from deep and 43.4% from the floor as a freshman. His excellent FT% suggests that he is capable of developing a reliable jumper, but it could be years before he is an average threat from deep and a player who doesn’t take a major bite out of your FG%. Fears is also going to struggle with turnovers early in his career. He averaged 3.4 TOPG in 2024-2025. He could end up as one of those players, at least early in his career, who is ranked 50 spots higher in eight-category leagues than in nine-category setups. The Pelicans are a mediocre landing spot for Fears. Dejounte Murray will miss most of this season but still has three years left on his contract. Jordan Poole, whom the Pelicans brought in this summer, won’t hit free agency for another two years. Fears will be able to play beside both guards, but their presence will keep his usage and assist rate in check. Even if Fears impresses early on, he likely won’t be the main piece in the Pelicans backcourt until at least year three. In rookie drafts, he should be selected around his draft position. In re-draft leagues, Fears could be useful in March if the Pelicans fall out of the play-in race, but will likely be just an assists and steals streamer before then.
8) Egor Demin (Nets) – Demin inside the top 10 wouldn’t have been a surprise if the draft was held in December of 2024. However, in June of 2025, this was a shocking pick. Demin started his lone season with BYU looking like a potential top-three pick. In non-conference play, he showed off some impressive playmaking for a player his size and his jumper looked much better than advertised. Then, the Cougars’ schedule started to toughen up, and the 6’8″ point guard’s play fell off a cliff. The Russian struggled for the majority of his freshman year and finished the season averaging an uninspired 10.6 PPG on 41.2 FG%, 1.3 3PG on 27.3 3P%, 3.9 RPG, 5.5 APG, 1.2 SPG, and 2.9 TOPG while shooting 69.5 percent from the line. Demin’s size makes him interesting, but the weak jumper is a major concern. In 2025, point guards who are not scoring threats rarely end up playing 30+ MPG. If Demin can’t develop into at least an average shooter and scorer, he’s not going to be a starter on a good team. His weak FT% is also a concern, as college FT% tends to be a good indicator of shooting potential. Demin could find himself in a sizable role right away on a tanking Nets team that doesn’t have a starting-level point guard on its roster. The rookie is very unlikely to be a standard league hold this year, but he could have some value as an assists streamer. In rookie drafts, he should be taken below his draft position. Around pick eight, there will be safer options available that come with similar ceilings to Demin.
9) Collin Murray-Boyles (Raptors) – If CMB had a reliable jumper, he’d be the clear number three fantasy prospect in this draft and would have likely been drafted third after Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper. Murray-Boyles is multiple years away from an even somewhat respectable jumper, and may never get to the point where he is a credible threat from outside, but the rest of his game is very promising. He’s a high-motor player capable of putting up big numbers on the defensive end, who is a very effective scorer inside, and is a better passer than many players at his position. As a sophomore at South Carolina, CMB averaged 16.8 PPG on 58.6 FG%, 70.7 FT%, 0.3 3PG, 8.3 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.5 SPG, and 1.3 BPG in 30.6 MPG. If he ends up as a 30 MPG player eventually, he’s very likely to be a valuable category league asset. The Raptors are a mixed bag, as far as landing spots go. On one hand, they already have Scottie Barnes at the four and the rest of the Raptors’ starting lineup is made up of 30+ MPG players. Toronto will need at least one of Barnes or CMB to improve their jumper significantly if both players are going to be core pieces going forward. On the other hand, the Raptors are a team that has done an outstanding job of developing prospects like CMB. Barnes, Pascal Siakam, and O.G. Anunoby were all strong athletes with jumpers that needed plenty of work when they entered the league. In dynasty leagues, Murray-Boyles is viable as high as four in rookie drafts. Ace Bailey, who often goes at four, has a game that isn’t nearly as good a fit for category leagues as CMB’s. In re-draft leagues, the forward could be a solid defensive categories streamer right out of the gate. He’ll spend the year backing up Jakob Poeltl and could step into a significant role when the injuries start to hit.
10) Khaman Maluach (Suns) – Maluach is an interesting fantasy prospect because he projects as a center who can put up strong numbers in all of the big man categories while hitting his free throws. He averaged 8.6 PPG on 71.2 FG% and 76.6 FT%, 6.6 RPG, and 1.3 BPG in just 21.2 MPG at Duke. Given his solid touch at the line, he could eventually develop a reliable three-ball. If he does, he could end up as an Onyeka Okongwu type of asset, which, as we saw last year, can be a very valuable archetype. However, he’s a project that probably won’t be playing major minutes anytime soon. He started playing basketball later than most prospects and his endurance and feel are a work in progress. His block rate was also surprisingly low for a player his size (7’2″) at Duke. With the Blue Devils, he had a block percentage of 6.8 percent. That’s well below what recently-drafted bigs like Mark Williams (11.4%), Dereck Lively (12.7%), and even Jalen Duren (9.9%) managed in college. If his block rate isn’t going to be anything special, then he likely won’t be the type of big man who can be useful in a 25 MPG role. Maluach is a clear top-10 pick in rookie drafts, but one that you will need to be patient with.
11) Cedric Coward (Grizzlies) – Coward is a difficult player to project because we haven’t seen much of him against decent competition. He spent his first two years of college in the Big Sky Conference before playing just six non-conference games for Washington State. We do know that he can shoot, and we do know that he has a big wingspan for his position, but it’s not clear what that means for his fantasy outlook since we don’t have a proper sample size. For example, he averaged 1.7 BPG at Washington State over his six appearances, but just 0.9 BPG at Eastern Michigan in 2024-2025. That first number jumps off the page, but given the second number, it may have just been a hot streak in the category. There is a lot of uncertainty here, but he’s still worth a pick around the top 10 in rookie drafts due to his physical tools, solid shooting, and the team he landed on. Coward could carve out a decent role with the Grizzlies early in his career. The team doesn’t have any difference-makers on the wing and has been willing to give rookies heavy run in the past.
12) Noa Essengue (Bulls) – Essengue is the second youngest player in the draft. The only player in this class who will be younger when the season tips off is Cooper Flagg. Unlike Flagg, Essengue is not going to be a factor in fantasy leagues early in his career. He has some very good physical tools and is an intriguing long-term prospect, but is unlikely to be in a significant role for at least a couple of seasons. Essengue is a French forward with excellent size for his position who already has the ability to get to the rim. With Ratiopharm Ulm in the Basketball Bundesliga, Essengue needed just 22.8 MPG to average 4.8 FTA. That’s an impressive number for any player, let alone one that was just 17 when the season started. The forward also averaged 10.7 PPG on 52.1 FG% and 70.7 FT%, 5.0 RPG, and 0.9 SPG. What will make or break Essengue is his jumper. He hit just 27.6 percent of his 2.1 3PA last season. If he can’t figure that out, he’ll be just a role player. If he can become at least an average shooter, then he’s likely going to end up being a major factor for both the Bulls and in the fantasy leagues due to his physical tools and already solid per-minute production. In rookie drafts, the Bull is a very nice target for rebuilding squads picking inside the top 15.
13) Derik Queen (Pelicans) – The Pelicans paid a very hefty price for Queen. They gave an unprotected 2026 pick to the Hawks for the right to move up 10 spots in the draft and select Queen. That is a very questionable move given that the Pelicans will be one Zion Williamson injury away from the top half of the lottery this year. What is also very questionable is the fit beside Zion. Both Queen and Williamson are going to operate in the same area of the court. In the past, Zion has worked best with bigs who can stretch the floor and keep the paint open. That’s not Queen. The rookie big has an advanced offensive game, but he does most of his damage inside. At Maryland, Queen took a total of 35 three-point attempts and only made seven. The fit on the defensive end is also going to be an issue. Queen struggled badly on that end in college and likely isn’t capable of anchoring a decent defense at the pro level. With Zion not being an ideal fit at the five either, it’s hard to see how the Pelicans build a proper defense around the two bigs. While the fit in New Orleans doesn’t make much sense, Queen should see decent minutes fairly early in the season. Given what the team gave up to pick up the rookie, it’s unlikely that they bury him in the rotation, especially with the Pelicans’ non-Zion bigs being nothing to write home about. In a mid-20s role, Queen would be a solid source of points and rebounds who chips in low-end numbers in the defensive categories. With the Terrapins, Queen averaged 16.5 PPG on 52.6 FG%, 9.0 RPG, 1.1 SPG, and 1.1 BPG in 30.4 MPG. In points leagues, he’s a good pick inside the top 10. In that setting, his double-double potential is fairly valuable. In category leagues, where his ceiling likely isn’t that high, he’s more of a top-15 pick. I’d be hesitant to grab him inside the top 10 in that setting due to the awkward fit with Zion.
14) Carter Bryant (Spurs) – Bryant is a three-and-D type of prospect who is likely years away from being a big-minute player. He wasn’t a big-minute player at Arizona, so we can’t expect him to be a big-minute player for the Spurs anytime soon. He started just five games for the Wildcats in his freshman year and played just 19.3 MPG. However, he is a fairly interesting fantasy prospect because of what he is capable of on the defensive end. Last year, Bryant produced an excellent 2.0 SP40 and 2.1 BP36. Those aren’t Matisse Thybulle-level numbers, but they are very impressive. College defensive numbers are usually a good predictor of NBA defensive numbers, so while Bryant isn’t a lock to eventually become a difference-maker in steals and blocks, the odds of him being a strong contributor in both areas are high if he can improve enough on the offensive end to be a starter in the league. That is a major if, as he has a long way to go on that end. With Arizona, he averaged just 6.5 PPG on 46.0 FG%, 1.1 3PG on 37.1 3P%, and 1.0 APG while shooting 69.5 percent from the line. He is one of the rawest prospects in the draft. Bryant is fine inside the top 15 in rookie drafts, but he’s not someone to target if you need help immediately.
15) Thomas Sorber (Thunder) – Sorber would be one of this draft class’ top dynasty targets if he still had two working ACLs. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. The rookie will miss the season after tearing his ACL in early September. However, he’s still a viable pick inside the top 10 in rookie drafts if you are willing to be patient. The center does have a lot more upside than many of the players taken ahead of him on draft day. Sorber has a game that is an excellent fit for category leagues. As a freshman at Georgetown, the big man averaged an intriguing 14.5 PPG on 53.2 FG% and 72.4 FT%, 8.5 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.5 SPG, and 2.0 BPG in 31.3 MPG. Bigs who can help in both defensive categories and do a good job at the line while putting up typical center numbers in rebounds and FG% will have early-round upside, especially in builds punting a guard category or two. Sorber could step into a decent-sized role as soon as next year. The Thunder are likely going to lose Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency next summer. That could lead to them shifting Chet Holmgren to the five, but given Holmgren’s build and early-career injuries, they may opt to continue with a double-big lineup. If the Thunder don’t use any of their extra draft picks to bring in a starting-level center, Sorber could play enough in 2026-2027 to be a decent deep league piece and a quality standard league streamer.
16) Yang Hansen (Blazers) – Yang is this year’s mystery box prospect. Before Yang, there had been only three players from the CBA taken in the first round. Those three players were Yi Jianlian, Emmanuel Mudiay, and, of course, Yao Ming. With so few prospects coming from the CBA, it’s very hard to get a handle on the current state of Yang’s game. We don’t know how CBA numbers translate to NBA numbers. We can only go off tape and what we’ve seen from Yang in Summer League and preseason. In Summer League, he looked fairly good. He averaged 10.8 PPG on 45.7 FG%, 1.0 3PG, 5.0 RPG, 3.8 APG, 2.3 BPG, and 3.8 TOPG in just 24.5 MPG. The turnovers are a concern, but the rest of that line is encouraging. He hasn’t looked as promising in preseason, but we don’t want to overreact to a three-game sample size. Given what he did in China, where he produced a very solid fantasy-friendly line, and how he performed in Summer League, there is likely a decent amount of upside here, at least from a fantasy perspective. Whether or not he works out as a pick both here and for Portland will likely come down to his defense. Yang has great size, but doesn’t move particularly well. If he can’t be at least passable on the defensive end, he’s not going to be a rotation player. He’d be a safer bet if he had entered the league two decades ago. It’s very possible that he ends up as a Boban Marjanovic type, which is a type of player that can’t contribute to a winning team in 2025. He’s fine around his draft position in rookie drafts. Most of the players drafted behind him are major question marks, as well.
17) Joan Beringer (Wolves) – Beringer won’t turn 19 until after the season starts. He’s a project for the Wolves, who don’t need the center to be useful out of the gate with Rudy Gobert having three years left on his contract. The French big man has some impressive physical tools, but he is extremely raw. He’s a very athletic rim runner who projects to be the type of big who can put up good-to-great numbers in all of the big man categories while giving you absolutely nothing elsewhere. Bigs like that can be useful, but they tend to be very build-dependent assets. Beringer comes to the NBA after playing in the minutes in the teens in the Croatian league. For KK Cedevita Junior, Beringer produced 5.4 PPG on 64.4 FG%, 4.9 RPG, and 1.5 BPG in just 18.8 MPG. That is some solid per-minute production on the boards and blocks, but given the league he was playing in, and the low minutes, it’s clear that we are not going to see Beringer anytime soon. He is only for dynasty squads that are looking to rebuild.
18) Walter Clayton Jr. (Jazz) – Of the rookies taken outside of the lottery, Clayton is the most likely to be relevant in 12-team leagues in year one. He had a fairly fantasy-friendly game in college and has landed with a tanking team that doesn’t have any blue-chip prospects in its backcourt. Keyonte George should get plenty of run for Utah this year, but he has been underwhelming up to this point. The Jazz also opened up plenty of minutes in their backcourt by shipping Collin Sexton to Charlotte. Clayton should pick up a decent amount of minutes made available by the Sexton trade. He’s not going to be a 30 MPG player early in the season, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see his minutes get into the 20s quickly. It also would not be surprising to see Clayton play 30+ MPG late in the year, given the Jazz’s goals this season. During Florida’s championship run, the senior guard averaged 18.3 PPG on 44.8 FG%, 3.0 3PG on 38.6 3P%, 3.7 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.2 SPG, and 2.4 TOPG while shooting an elite 87.5 percent from the line on moderate volume (3.7 FTA). There’s a fair amount to like here, even though his age gives him a lower ceiling than some of the other players in this range. If you want a player who can contribute right away, Clayton is fine inside the top 15 in rookie drafts. In re-draft settings, he’s a solid flier in deeper leagues.
19) Nolan Traore (Nets) – Traore is one of four ball handlers and three point guards the Nets added on draft night. He’ll compete with both Egor Demin and Ben Saraf for playing time this year. Demin will get first crack at the majority of the Nets’ point guard minutes, but Traore outplays the lottery pick, Brooklyn could start prioritizing the Frenchman. Like Demin, Traore is a very strong passer whose jumper needs a lot of work. While playing for Saint-Quentin in the LNB Elite—the top French league—the point guard averaged 12.3 PPG on 41.0 FG%, 1.3 3PG on 31.4 3P%, 1.9 RPG, 4.7 APG, 0.7 SPG, and 2.5 TOPG in just 22.7 MPG. Demin is not a sure thing, so while Traore shouldn’t be a major target for you in rookie drafts, he should be watched closely. There is a path to decent minutes here, and it does look like the Net could have a fairly fantasy-friendly game.
20) Kasparas Jakucionis (Heat) – Jakucionis was the surprise dropper on draft night. He was expected to go somewhere in the late lottery, but fell all the way to 20. Miami is a decent landing spot for the guard. Yes, they have Tyler Herro and are looking to push for a playoff spot, but the Heat are also a team with a proven track record of developing players with a lot less talent than Jakucionis. The guard started off his lone year at Illinois on fire. He looked like a potential top-three pick up until the middle of January. He then picked up a forearm injury and never looked the same. Illinois also had an absolutely brutal schedule to finish the season, which likely contributed to his struggles. Jakucionis finished the year with averages of 15.0 PPG on 44.0 FG%, 1.6 3PG on 31.8 3P%, 5.7 RPG, 4.7 APG, 0.9 SPG, and an ugly 3.7 TOPG while shooting 84.5 percent from the line on very solid volume (5.1 FTA). Due to the up-and-down nature of his year, it’s hard to know how much we should read into those numbers. He never played at that level. He was either much better than those numbers suggest or much worse. Given what we saw early and the fairly fantasy-friendly nature of his line, there likely is a good amount of upside here. If the early-season Jakucionis is the real Jakucionis, he’s going to end up as a major steal for both Miami and fantasy managers. In rookie drafts, he’s a reasonable pick around the top 10.
21) Will Riley (Wizards) – Riley landed in a good spot. The Wizards will not be looking to compete for at least a couple of years, so there could be some stretches where he gets decent run. That’s about the only positive thing you could say about Riley’s fantasy outlook. For the Wizard to become even somewhat relevant in fantasy leagues, his game will need to look significantly different at the pro level from what it looked like at Illinois. In his only year in college, the forward averaged 12.6 PPG on 42.3 FG%, 1.3 3PG on 32.6 3P%, 4.1 RPG, 2.2 APG, and a historically poor 0.3 SPG in 25.7 MPG. That laughable steal was likely at least somewhat system-related. Illinois, as a team, averaged just 4.3 SPG, which was by far the lowest mark in the Big Ten. However, it’s impossible not to be concerned when you see a number like that. Perimeter players who can’t average close to 1.0 SPG are almost never useful category league players. If a perimeter player comes with a catastrophic steal rate, he needs to be either a great source of assists or an efficient high-volume scorer to be useful. Riley will likely be neither. He’s safe to ignore in re-draft leagues and should go well below his draft position in rookie drafts.
22) Drake Powell (Nets) – Powell is only for dynasty squads who aren’t too worried about competing in the short-term. We are unlikely to get anything useful from the former Tar Heel for a while. Powell was highly ranked coming out of high school, but was very underwhelming at UNC. Over his 37 appearances, the wing averaged just 7.4 PPG on 48.3 FG%, 1.0 3PG, on 37.9 3P%, 3.4 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.7 SPG, and 0.7 BPG in 25.6 MPG. He was selected in the first round for his potential as a defender. Powell is a very good athlete who could excel on that end. However, stud defenders who don’t come with elite steal rates are almost never useful in fantasy leagues. Defensive specialists like Herb Jones are useful because they are capable of producing 1.5+ SP36. Last season, Powell managed just 1.1 SP40. From a fantasy standpoint, there is very little upside here. In both category and points leagues, Powell is one of the least interesting first-round picks.
23) Asa Newell (Hawks) – Newell has some interesting tools, but is likely multiple years away from earning big minutes. The Hawk has above-average size for a four and is a good athlete, but needs to add strength and a reliable jumper. He will likely spend most of the year in the G League trying to fix those flaws. As a freshman at Georgia, in 29.0 MPG, Newell averaged 15.4 PPG on 54.3 FG%, 0.8 3PG on 29.2 3P%, 6.9 RPG, 0.9 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.0 BPG while shooting 74.8 percent from the line. There isn’t much in that line to complain about outside of his extremely weak assist rate. Landing with the Hawks is less than ideal. With Jalen Johnson set to hold down the four in Atlanta for the foreseeable future, Newell doesn’t have a realistic path to a starting spot. He’s not a center despite his height. He doesn’t have the strength or the rim-protecting abilities to play the five. In rookie drafts, he should go around his draft slot.
24) Nique Clifford (Kings) – Of the players taken outside of the lottery, Clifford is one of the better bets to be in his team’s rotation early in his career. He landed on a team with a lot of backcourt and wing depth, but as a five-year college player, he’s more NBA-ready than many of the 19-year-olds taken in the first. He posted some very strong numbers in his final season in college, although we shouldn’t get too excited about those numbers for two reasons. The first is his age. Clifford is 23. He should be posting big numbers against players a few years younger than him. The second is the conference he played in. Colorado State plays in the Mountain West Conference. Clifford wasn’t facing the same type of competition that most of the first-round picks were facing. With the Rams, he averaged a well-rounded 18.9 PPG on 49.6 FG%, 1.8 3PG on 37.7 3P%, 9.6 RPG, 4.4 APG, and 1.2 SPG. Clifford is an interesting player and should be watched closely, but he does not have as much upside as his college numbers suggest. He’s a top-20 pick in rookie drafts.
25) Jase Richardson (Magic) – Richardson is one of the best scorers in this class. He was significantly more productive and efficient in the scoring categories than many of the players taken ahead of him on draft night. As a freshman at his dad’s alma mater, the son of Jason Richardson averaged 12.1 PPG in just 25.3 MPG while shooting 49.3 percent from the floor, 41.2 percent from deep, and 83.6 percent from the charity stripe. Those numbers combined to give him a TS% of 62.4 percent, which is an exceptionally good number for a freshman guard. The question is can he do anything else. As a Spartan, he didn’t. In 2024-2025, Richardson managed just 3.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.8 SPG, and 0.5 BPG. The weak assist rate is especially concerning because he’s an undersized two. If he can’t make the move to the one eventually, he could end up stuck in a bench role. There are not many starting two-guards in the league who are as small as Richardson. With Desmond Bane in town, the rookie is unlikely to have much of a role for this year’s Magic. If the team does run into injury issues, he could end up as a low-end points and threes streamer. Due to the holes in his line, it’s unlikely he becomes anything more than that this year. In rookie drafts, he should go slightly above his draft position. Due to his scoring talent, he is a better bet to stick in the league than some of the players drafted above him.
26) Ben Saraf (Nets) – Saraf is a big guard who can pass. As an 18-year-old in the Basketball Bundesliga, he needed just 23.4 MPG to average 4.1 APG. That’s an impressive number for a player his age in a setting where it is harder to rack up dimes than it is in the NBA. He also produced an excellent per-game minute steal rate while playing for Ratiopharm Ulm. He averaged 1.1 SPG across his 60 appearances for the team, which works out to 1.7 SP36. If he does eventually become a solid rotation player, he would likely be a strong contributor in both categories. Pre-NBA assist and steal rates tend to be solid predictors of NBA assist and steal rates. Shooting is the big concern here. Saraf shot just 29.0 percent from three on low volume with Ulm. He also shot a mediocre 74.9 percent from the line last year. He’ll need to become at least an average shooter to have a shot at being more than a bench guard. While the Nets will be giving plenty of minutes to rookies this year, Saraf is very unlikely to find himself in a significant role, especially early in the season. Egor Demin will be the rookie the Nets prioritize, and Nolan Traore could also end up ahead of Saraf in the rotation. He’s worth keeping an eye on, but his ceiling this year is likely a low-end assists and steals streamer. In dynasty leagues, he’s just a flier due to the competition in the Nets’ backcourt and the potential for the team to add an elite guard through the 2026 draft.
27) Danny Wolf (Nets) – Wolf is one of the most unique players in this class. He’s a center who plays like a guard. He can run a pick-and-roll and he can also defend the rim. His guard skills and size give him a fantasy-friendly game. After spending his first two years at Yale, Wolf transferred to Michigan, where he averaged 13.2 PPG on 49.7 FG%, 1.0 3PG on 33.6 3P%, 9.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 0.7 SPG, and 1.4 BPG in 30.5 MPG. If he eventually finds himself in a sizable role, he’d likely be a fairly useful fantasy asset. Unfortunately, the odds of Wolf ending up in a big role are low. He went at the end of the first because it’s not clear what his role will be at the pro-level. While he’s a good passer, he’s not in the Nikola Jokic/Alperen Sengun/Domantas Sabonis mold. He’s not as impressive physically as those players and doesn’t play down low as much as those bigs did earlier in their careers. He’s going to spend more time on the perimeter. He’s more of a Kelly Olynyk type. Like Olynyk, Wolf may not be able to spend much time at the five in the league. He was a poor defender at Michigan. His strong passing skills are also somewhat offset by his struggles to take care of the ball. He had a very poor assist-to-turnover rate with the Wolverines. In 2024-2025, Wolf averaged 3.2 TOPG. We likely won’t see much of Wolf this year. He’ll be the Nets’ third-string center with Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe still on the roster. In dynasty leagues, he’s another Net who is just a flier.
28) Hugo Gonzalez (Celtics) – It’s going to be a while before we see much of Gonzalez. He’s a project who played a minor role on an elite Real Madrid team as an 18-year-old. At Madrid, he averaged just 3.4 PPG on 40.8 FG%, 0.4 3PG on 28.4 3P%, 1.8 RPG, 0.6 APG, and 0.3 3PG in 10.7 MPG. He was a poor per-minute producer in every category last season. His solid size and athleticism is what allowed him to sneak into the first round. Brad Stevens is also on record praising Gonzalez’s BBIQ. However, as a guard without an even somewhat reliable jumper, he’ll need to develop significantly to become a rotation-level player. It’s possible Gonzalez gets an extended look late in the year, if the Celtics decide to chase ping pong balls, but he won’t be in the rotation while the Celtics are trying to compete. His future outlook is also very murky, as Boston will be adding Jayson Tatum and likely some veteran free agents next summer as well, when they start to make another push in 2026-2027. Gonzalez is not someone to prioritize in rookie drafts.
29) Liam McNeeley (Hornets) – McNeeley’s potential as a shooter is what led to the Hornets grabbing him at the end of the first. Potential being the key word in that sentence, because at UConn, he wasn’t a great shooter. He shot just 31.7 percent from three and averaged just 1.7 3PG in 32.1 MPG. The guard will need to become a clearly above-average shooter in order to stick in the league. He can do more than just shoot on offense, but given his potential issues on the other end, if he doesn’t develop into a deadeye shooter, he’s not going to be in the league for long. McNeeley has some decent size, but isn’t much of an athlete and will likely struggle on the defensive end. He did very little on that end in his only year in college. In 2024-2025, he managed just 0.6 SPG and 0.2 BPG. The swingman has more upside in FT% than most shooting prospects. He did get to line a fair amount as a freshman (4.7 FTA) and did a great job converting his attempts (86.6 FT%). McNeeley could find his way into his team’s rotation more quickly than some of the other players in this range due to the Hornets’ weak depth. However, he’s not someone to take too far above his draft position since his game is likely always going to be a mediocre fit for category leagues.
30) Yanic Konan Niederhauser (Clippers) – If Niederhauser landed on a bad team, he’d be a fairly interesting flier in dynasty leagues. He’s rim-running five with excellent athleticism. He’ll likely always be a zero in the guard categories, like many players in his mold are, but he could develop into a strong contributor in all three of the big man categories. As a junior at Penn State, Niederhauser needed just 25.1 MPG to average 12.9 PPG on 61.1 FG%, 6.3 RPG, and 2.3 BPG. He also averaged just 0.0 3PG, 0.8 APG, and 0.7 SPG while shooting 66.4 percent from the line. As a rookie, he’ll spend most of his time in the G League. He has no path to minutes with Ivica Zubac, Brook Lopez, and John Collins around. His long-term outlook is also weak, with Zubac just entering his prime. It’s possible Niderhauser becomes the team’s backup center in two or three years, but a starting spot is very unlikely to materialize as long as he’s in Los Angeles.
Rookies that should be drafted in standard re-draft formats:
Cooper Flagg – Fourth or fifth round
Dylan Harper – Final-round flier
VJ Edgecombe – Final-round flier
Ryan Kalkbrenner – Final-round flier
Ace Bailey – Final-round flier in points leagues
Rookies worth monitoring as they could become fantasy-relevant as the season progresses:
Walter Clayton Jr.
Derik Queen
Collin Murray-Boyles
Khaman Maluach
Tre Johnson
Jeremiah Fears
Kon Knueppel
Egor Demin
Rasheer Fleming
Tier 1:
Cooper Flagg
Tier 2:
Dylan Harper
Tier 3:
V.J. Edgecombe
Tier 4:
Ace Bailey
Collin Murray-Boyles
Tier 5:
Khaman Maluach
Kon Knueppel
Jeremiah Fears
Tre Johnson
Tier 6:
Thomas Sorber (would be Tier 4 if healthy)
Kasparas Jakucionis
Cedric Coward
Egor Demin
Derik Queen
Tier 7:
Noa Essengue
Walter Clayton Jr.
Ryan Kalkbrenner
Carter Bryant
Nique Clifford
Tier 8:
Yang Hansen
Jase Richardson
Nolan Traore
Ben Saraf
Rasheer Fleming
Asa Newell
Tier 9:
Joan Beringer
Danny Wolf
Hugo Gonzalez
Adou Thiero
Tier 10:
Yanic Konan Niederhauser
Maxime Raynaud
Will Riley
Liam McNeeley
Drake Powell
Johni Broome