And-Ones: 2025 Draft, Team Assets, Top 100 Players

With training camp now two weeks away and 2024 rookies set to embark on their debut seasons, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN take a look at some top players and storylines to watch ahead of the impending 2025 draft.

Givony and Woo note that, though stars Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, and Dylan Harper are expected to be the top three picks next year, sleeper prospects have been carving out a niche for themselves over the summer in various competitions. They add that Baylor freshman shooting guard V.J. Edgecombe would probably be the top selection in a less loaded draft.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

• Heading into the season, HoopsHype’s Mark Deeks breaks down the relative value of the draft and player assets on each NBA squad. For the third straight season, the Thunder top the list, as both a club with an incredibly bright, young present and a deep portfolio of future equity.
• In the spirit of the impending 2024/25 NBA season, Frank Urbina and Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype revealed their top 100 rankings of the best players in the league. The top five is pretty predictable, though the order may surprise some. MVP Nuggets center Nikola Jokic ranks first, followed by (in order) Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Sixers center Joel Embiid.
• In case you missed it, former two-time All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, now 35, is hoping for his next NBA opportunity.