After Dylan Harper, Who is the Next-Best Lead Guard in 2025 NBA Draft?

This 2025 NBA Draft Class has its top players – the obvious ones, like Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, and VJ Edgecombe are at the top, with Harper leading the way at the lead initiator spot, essentially a lock to be the second-overall player taken.

However, Harper is far from the only talented point guard in this crop of players, with several other prospects being considered as top-10 picks at the position. Here are some of the other contenders to be lottery selections as lead guards.

Jeremiah Fears of Oklahoma is a freshman lead initiator that has elite scoring ability with a top-notch handle, the ability to create off of the bounce, and proficiency scoring from multiple spots on the floor. He averaged 17.0 points per game this past season on top of 4.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds, making him a more versatile player than many thought he would be after he reclassified from 2025 to 2024.

Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis is a bit of a polarizing player due to high turnover rate and inefficient shooting in the back half of the season, but his 6-foot-6 frame and ability to make reads out of the pick-and-roll make him an enticing prospect. He averaged 15.0 points, 5.7 boards, and 4.7 dimes per game, but had their season cut short in the Round of 32 by the Kentucky Wildcats. Jakcuionis could go anywhere from early-to-late lottery depending of if the red flags are too much for certain organizations.

A third option for a possible top-10 pick at the point guard spot is Michigan State's Jase Richardson, son of NBA veteran Jason Richardson. He helped lead Michigan State to the Elite 8 this season, where they fell just short against the 1-seed Auburn Tigers, 70-64. Richardson averaged 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. Though not as typical of a "lead initiator" as the others mentioned here, Richardson is an extremely efficient scorer for a guard, with shooting 49% from the field and 41% from three. He could go mid-to-late lottery as well, and has shown great maturity as a young player.

There are more prospects of course – Egor Demin of BYU, Labaron Philon of Alabama, international prospect Nolan Traore, and even a combo guard like Kam Jones of Marquette. It will be interesting to see what teams value in lead guard prospects in this draft.