2025 NBA Draft: Charlotte Hornets specific big board 2.0

Cooper Flagg has only strengthened his vice grip on this spot on my (and everyone's) big board. The über-talented freshman has been one of the country's best offensive players while providing nightly defensive highlights on Duke's dominant run to the Final Four.

On offense, Flagg is comfortable operating as an isolation scorer, pick and roll ball handler, second-side spot-up shooter, cutter, driver, facilitator...if you name it, he has proven that he can do it at a modest level at worst.

On defense, it's just more of the same. Flagg has proven adept at switching onto guards, defending in the post, or erasing shots and passes with metronomic timing and genius-level IQ.

Combine all of those abilities into a massive frame with Flagg's famed competitiveness and you get one of the best NBA draft prospects of the century.

Tier Two: The sure-thing

2. Dylan Harper - Point guard - Rutgers

As I've studied this draft class, the gap between Harper and his non-Flagg peers continues to grow. Harper is a large, sturdy ball-handler that sees the game like the son of a former NBA player that he is.

Harper will walk into the NBA with great positional size (6'6"), a nuanced ability to get to the rim (Harper shot 70% on close twos in his freshman year at Rutgers), something that the Charlotte Hornets lack, and facilitation skills that off-ball specialists will laud the chance to play alongside.

The fit with Ball and Harper on defense is questionable at best, but the duo would light it up when Charlotte possesses the ball. Allowing both supersized shot creators to feed off of the other's strengths is a match made in basketball heaven.

Tier three: The difference-makers with some question marks

3. Ace Bailey
4. VJ Edgecombe
5. Khaman Maluach

Bailey and Edgecombe have been covered at length by Hornets on SI and will continue to be discussed as the draft approaches, but Maluach's run in the NCAA Tournament has elevated him up this big board and he deserves some praise.

Maluach, the 7'2" center from Duke, is supremely skilled on both ends of the floor although he's only played basketball for six years. His catch radius on lobs looks like it could reach the top of the backboard, and his defensive versatility continues to improve as Duke's romps through overmatched opponents on their way to San Antonio for the Final Cour.

The skill that differentiates Maluach from other stiff big men like Rudy Gobert and DeAndre Jordan is his touch. He's shooting 77% from the free throw line, and in a minuscule sample size, has shown a glimmer of an ability to knock down long-range jumpers. It is unlikely that he will ever become a consistent threat from the perimeter, but even the mere thought of him shooting from the outside makes his viability in a close playoff series that much greater, in-turn raising his draft stock.

Not only is he an burgeoning offensive player, Maluach has proven to be more than just a rim detterent on defense. A few times during Duke's run the freshman big has swallowed up opposing guards in switch situations, showing a fluidity in his footwork that is beyond his years.

Tier four: The wild cards

6. Derik Queen
7. Kon Knueppel
8. Tre Johnson
9. Collin Murray-Boyles
10. Kasparas Jakucionis

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