While a lot can change in the four months leading up to the 2025 NBA draft in June, this year's draft class is defined by its youth. The average draft-night age of the 30 prospects who rank among ESPN's top 100 is 19.6, a group that includes 18 college freshmen.
Take, for example, this year's projected No. 1 draft pick in Duke star Cooper Flagg, who is among the youngest in this class after turning 18 on Dec. 21. Projected top-five picks Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey and Kasparas Jakucionis all have yet to turn 19. And working down the list, there are just six players with multiple years of college experience in our ESPN's top 30.
This is in sharp contrast to last year's draft, which stands as the oldest in recent memory -- in ESPN's analysis of every first round dating back to 2009, the 2024 class had the highest average age of 21.2. Oftentimes, the long-term intrigue for NBA teams comes from that combination of youth and talent, making this year's class appealing as prospects improve over the course of the season.
"The talent level this year is higher in terms of ability, even though they're younger," one Western Conference scout told ESPN. "There was no Cooper Flagg in last year's draft, or even a Harper or Bailey or VJ [Edgecombe]. There's a lot more upside in these prospects. With no disrespect to a guy like [Zaccharie] Risacher, last year was a tough year to pick first; in this draft, [Risacher] may not even go in the top five."
Most years, older players trend up the boards when the draft draws closer, as some freshmen choose to return to school and NBA teams search for immediate help to prioritize experienced contributors during the predraft process. While this will change to some extent, working off our current projections, 2025 could have one of the youngest, if not the youngest, first rounds in recent history.
In addition to the six international prospects in our top 30, this year's draft will be shaped by this group of buzzworthy young players. And with the NCAA men's college basketball season entering its final stretch, it's a good time to focus on the freshmen, some of whom have just a few weeks to leave an impression.
Starting with Flagg, we selected 15 star freshmen whom executives are buzzing about. We spoke to NBA scouts on condition of anonymity and presented one big question for each -- all listed in order of where each player ranks in our Top 100 and who are at the center of many draft discussions for 30 NBA front offices.
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Cooper Flagg, SF/PF, Duke
Top 100 ranking: No. 1 | Age: 18.1 | Height: 6-9