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Five potential stars in NBA Draft besides Duke's Cooper Flagg
In the NBA Draft, fans often obsess over which teams have the top few picks every year. But the best players rarely all come from the top of the draft. In fact, superstars can be found at any point — even in the second round.
Here's where each of this season's first-team All-NBA players got drafted: Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (11th), Denver's Nikola Jokic (41st), Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo (15th), Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell (13th) and Boston's Jayson Tatum (third).
So, while Duke’s guard-forward Cooper Flagg seems to be a stud and top prize in this draft, there’s a decent chance stars will be found near the bottom of the first round, too. Like Jokic, perhaps a star also will be found in the second round this year.
Here are five players not named Flagg to monitor in the run-up to this season's draft (June 25, Barclays Center in Brooklyn):
Rutgers guard Dylan Harper
Heading into the college season, Harper and his teammate, Ace Bailey, were considered Flagg’s biggest threat as the top prospect. Both displayed flashes of brilliance, but ultimately each underwhelmed. Bailey doesn’t pass, so he wasn't in the ballpark for this list, but Harper intrigues.
In his lone college season, Harper, who averaged 19.4 points, battled injuries and poor spacing — a problem he shouldn’t run into much in the NBA. He’s a 6-foot-5 power point guard who will be a great downhill attacker and playmaker. (He's similar to Pistons All-NBA third-team guard Cade Cunningham.)
Harper, who is almost guaranteed to go second overall, will be a stud if he develops a jump shot. He might flourish if the Spurs, who have the second overall pick, trade it to a rebuilding team (Bucks or Jazz) that would hand him the ball from Day 1, giving him a chance to learn from his mistakes.
Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears
Fears, naturally, is a fearless point guard with superstar potential, and he won't turn 19 until Oct. 14. Last season, he averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
Fears, like former UConn star Kemba Walker, is one of those players who stands out for having an excellent feel for the game. The 6-foot-4 stud is quick and athletic enough to get anywhere he wants on the court. If he develops his jumper the way Walker did in his early 20s, watch out. Fears could go anywhere from fifth to 10th.
Washington State wing Cedric Coward
The comparison with Oklahoma City guard-forward Jalen Williams practically writes itself. Williams is 6-foot-6 and so is Coward. Williams' wingspan is 7-foot, 2 1/4, the same as Coward.
Williams’ numbers in his last season in college were 18 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 4.2 APG and 51.3-39.6-81 shooting splits. Coward’s were 17.7 PPG, seven RPG, 3.7 APG and 55.7-40-80.9 shooting splits. Williams was a fast riser during the draft process and ended up going 12th to OKC. Coward is shooting up draft boards despite beginning his career in Division III at Willamette University.
Guess who happens to have a pick in the middle of the first round? The Thunder.
Forward Noa Essengue | Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany)
Guard Ben Saraf | Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany)
Essengue and Saraf are interesting case studies because most European draft prospects barely get minutes in top-level European leagues and are selected entirely upon potential, not production. Sometimes that yields a Dirk Nowitzki, a Hall of Famer; sometimes it yields a Nikoloz Tskitishvili, who averaged 2.9 points in four years in the Association.
Every once in a while, an international prospect will play a larger role before entering the NBA Draft. Those guys tend to be studs in the NBA. (Think Luka Doncic, Ricky Rubio and Nikola Mirotic.)
In this draft class, Essengue and Saraf are playing big minutes for Ratiopharm Ulm, a competitive team in Germany’s top basketball league. Essengue, a skinny 6-foot-10 forward who doesn't turn 19 until Dec. 18, plays with reckless abandon on drives to the basket and is averaging 12.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in 23.7 minutes a game. He’ll be one of the younger players in this draft.
Squint a little closer and you could convince yourself that he has some Pascal Siakam to him. Teams picking near the back half of the lottery should seriously consider taking a flyer on Essengue.
Saraf, who averages 12.8 points and 4.6 assists in 24.4 minutes a game, also plays with a ton of confidence for such a young guard. At 6-foot-5, the flashy lefty’s highlight tape makes you instantly think of some of the creative international guards who have come before him (Goran Dragic and Manu Ginobili). Like Dragic and Ginobili, there’s a chance Saraf could be available in the second round. That would be an epic steal.
More must-reads:
- Johni Broome 2025 NBA Draft Profile
- A 2025 NBL Champion’s Path From the NBL to the NBA Draft
- The 'NBA minutes leaders by season' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
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