The NBA Draft Round 1 in 2025 felt different. Honestly, if you were watching the broadcast on June 25th, you probably felt that weird mix of inevitability and total chaos. We all knew Cooper Flagg was going first overall. That was a lock for eighteen months. But once the Dallas Mavericks officially turned in that card, the rest of the night turned into a high-stakes game of musical chairs that left a lot of "experts" looking pretty silly.
People love to talk about the "can't-miss" superstars, but the real story of this first round was about the teams that gambled on personality and fit over consensus big boards.
It’s easy to look at a list of names and think you understand the league's direction. You don't. Not until you see a team like the Utah Jazz take a flyer on Ace Bailey at number five after he basically ghosted half the league during the workout process. That's the kind of stuff that makes the NBA Draft Round 1 the best reality TV on the planet.
The Cooper Flagg Era Begins in an Unlikely Place
The Dallas Mavericks landing the number one pick with only a 1.8% chance in the lottery is the kind of thing that makes rival GMs want to throw their phones across the room. We’re talking about a franchise that just overhauled everything, moving on from the Luka Doncic era, and they somehow fall backward into the best prospect since Victor Wembanyama.
Flagg is a monster. There's no other way to put it. At Duke, he was putting up 19 points and nearly 8 rebounds a game while looking like a defensive end who happened to have the passing touch of a point guard.
The Mavericks didn't just get a "star." They got a 6-foot-9 Swiss Army knife who already broke LeBron James' record as the youngest player to score 25 points in a game. Most people thought he’d be a secondary option for a while. Nope. He’s already acting like the alpha in Dallas. If you watched his 35-point explosion against the Clippers in November, you saw the future. He’s not waiting his turn.
Why Dylan Harper at Two Was the Safest Bet in Years
While everyone was obsessing over Flagg, the San Antonio Spurs were quietly doing the most "Spurs" thing possible. They took Dylan Harper at number two.
Harper is the son of Ron Harper, a five-time champ. He’s 6-foot-6, he’s a lead guard, and he plays with a level of poise that makes you forget he’s only 19. Pairing him with Wemby is almost unfair.
- Size: He’s a massive guard who can see over the defense.
- Pedigree: He grew up in NBA locker rooms.
- Production: He was the engine for Rutgers, even when the rest of the team was struggling to buy a bucket.
He’s the perfect "adult in the room" for a young Spurs team that needed someone to actually get the ball to their 7-foot-4 alien in the right spots.
The Drama You Missed in the NBA Draft Round 1
The middle of the first round is where things usually get boring. Not this year. The Philadelphia 76ers taking VJ Edgecombe at number three over Ace Bailey was the first real "wait, what?" moment of the night.
Edgecombe is an athletic freak from Baylor. He’s the guy who will have three blocks and four dunks in a single half and make it look easy. But the Sixers took him because they were tired of the "rookie curse." They wanted a guy who shows up, works, and fits next to Tyrese Maxey.
Meanwhile, Ace Bailey—the guy many thought was the second-best talent in the whole class—slid to the Utah Jazz at five.
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The Ace Bailey Slide
Why did he slide? Honestly, it was his own doing. Bailey decided he didn't need to work out for teams he didn't like. He basically told the Sixers and Hornets "thanks but no thanks."
In the NBA, that’s a risky game. GMs are notoriously sensitive about "character" and "coachability." Danny Ainge and the Jazz didn't care. They saw a 6-foot-8 wing with superstar shot-making ability and decided the headache was worth the potential. But so far? Edgecombe is thriving in Philly, and Bailey is struggling to find his rhythm in Utah. It’s a classic case of how the draft isn't just about who can jump the highest; it’s about who actually wants to be there.
Surprises from the International Contingent
We have to talk about the international guys because they absolutely invaded the back half of the first round.
- Egor Demin (No. 8, Brooklyn Nets): A 6-foot-9 Russian playmaker who went to BYU. His passing is visionary, but he can’t shoot yet. Like, at all. If the Nets can teach him to hit a corner three, he’s an All-Star.
- Noa Essengue (No. 12, Chicago Bulls): A French forward who is all arms and legs. He’s the classic "two years away from being two years away" pick, but the upside is terrifying.
- Hansen Yang (No. 16, Portland Trail Blazers): This was the shocker. Portland traded into this spot specifically to grab the 7-foot-1 center from China. He’s got the best passing touch of any big man we’ve seen come out of Asia, but the speed of the NBA game is hitting him like a freight train right now.
The Nets actually owned the night in terms of volume. They had four picks in the first round alone. FOUR. They’re basically trying to rebuild an entire roster in one night by throwing darts at the board. Besides Demin, they grabbed Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, and Ben Saraf. It's a bold strategy—basically turning the NBA Draft Round 1 into a venture capital portfolio.
The "Older" Guys Who Crashed the Party
Usually, the first round is a "teens only" zone. But 2025 saw some seniors sneak in and prove that experience still matters to teams trying to win right now.
Take Cedric Coward. He went 11th. He started at a Division III school called Willamette, moved to Eastern Washington, then Washington State, and nearly ended up at Duke before staying in the draft. He’s 21, which is "ancient" in draft terms, but Memphis traded for him because he’s a 6-foot-5 wing with a 7-foot-2 wingspan who can defend three positions immediately.
Then there's Walter Clayton Jr. from Florida. He was the Final Four MOP and the Wizards took him at 18 (then traded him to Utah). He’s a winner. Sometimes GMs get tired of betting on "potential" and just want a guy who knows how to win a basketball game.
What GMs Learned This Time Around
If you look at how the NBA Draft Round 1 played out, it’s clear the "one-and-done" fever is breaking just a little bit. Teams are starting to value the "3-and-D" archetype more than the "unpolished superstar" archetype.
Look at Kon Knueppel going 4th to Charlotte. He’s not the most athletic guy. He’s not going to win a dunk contest. But he shot 40% from three at Duke and has a massive "basketball IQ." The Hornets didn't need another ball-dominant star; they needed someone to stand in the corner and hit shots when LaMelo Ball draws a double team.
The biggest mistake fans make is grading these picks based on 2K ratings. A "B" talent who fits a "10" need is always better than an "A" talent who clashes with your current star.
Final Takeaways for the Future
If you’re following the league, don't just look at the points per game for these rookies. Look at the minutes.
The guys who are playing 25+ minutes a night right now—Flagg, Harper, Edgecombe, Knueppel—are the ones who entered the league with a specific, defined skill. The guys who are "project players" are mostly rotting on the bench or riding the bus in the G-League.
The 2025 class proved that the gap between the top three and the rest of the field was huge. But it also showed that if you’re a team like the Miami Heat (who got Kasparas Jakucionis at 20), you can find a starting-caliber guard late in the first round if you know exactly what your culture requires.
To stay ahead of the curve, keep an eye on the trade market for those Nets rookies. With four first-rounders in one class, they can't keep them all. Someone is going to get a steal when Brooklyn inevitably has to consolidate that talent. Also, watch the "Ace Bailey vs. VJ Edgecombe" debate. That’s going to be the "Jordan vs. Bowie" or "Hakeem vs. Jordan" talk of this generation for years to come.
Moving forward, the smart move is to track the defensive win shares of these wings. In today's NBA, if you're a first-round pick who can't guard the perimeter, you're basically a liability, no matter how many points you score in college.