Draft Notes: Flagg, NIL, Combine, Lakhin, International Prospects
Cooper Flagg is as close to a lock to go number one in the 2025 draft as any non-Victor Wembanyama prospect can be, writes Sam Vecenie for The Athletic. In breaking down Flagg’s potential fit with all of this year’s lottery teams, Vecenie illustrates how the 18-year-old’s well-rounded skill set on both sides of the ball will allow him to slot in seamlessly with just about every team construction.
In his breakdown, Vecenie writes that the Pelicans and Raptors are the only rosters in the lottery that could make for a questionable fit, given that the two teams are already primarily built around a plethora of wings and forwards.
Still, Vecenie emphasizes that questions around fit are secondary to adding the level of talent Flagg promises, so even those two teams shouldn’t hesitate to take the 6’8″ forward if the opportunity presents itself. However, that scenario might necessitate a trade involving one or more of the incumbent forwards already rostered.
More from around the 2025 draft:
- NIL is playing a massive role in the dismantling of the middle class of the NBA draft, writes The Athletic’s John Hollinger. He says that while the draft still has the one-and-dones and seniors it always has, the amount of NIL money coming in has meant non-lottery locks with additional college eligibility are more inclined to return to school than go pro. Hollinger notes that Collin Murray-Boyles and Rasheer Fleming have a chance to be the only sophomore and junior, respectively, taken in the first round.
- The NBA combine scrimmage rosters have been released, and ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has identified the top 10 prospects taking part (via Twitter). Yaxel Lendeborg, Maxime Raynaud, and Tahaad Pettiford top Givony’s list, followed by Alex Toohey, Milos Uzan, Boogie Fland, Kam Jones, Darrion Williams, John Tonje, and Michael Ruzic. Toohey and Ruzic are international players, coming from Australia’s NBL and the Spanish Liga ACB, respectively, while Fland is considered a name worth monitoring as he tries to regain draft stock following a thumb injury that caused him to miss 15 games.
- Clemson’s Viktor Lakhin, a projected second-round pick in the 2025 draft, will be sidelined for at least three months with a torn tendon in his left foot, Givony reports (via Twitter). The 6’11” big man shot 37.5% from three while adding 1.5 blocks per game as a senior in 2024/25.
- Several international draft prospects will not be attending the combine because their teams are still playing, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (via Twitter). This list includes Noa Essengue, Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf, Hugo Gonzalez, Joan Beringer, Noah Penda, and Bogoljub Markovic. Many of these players are expected to receive first-round consideration and will participate in pre-draft workouts upon completion of their team responsibilities.
Draft Notes: NBAGL Elite Camp, Niederhauser, Combine, Ruzic
Malique Lewis (South East Melbourne), Amari Williams (Kentucky), Caleb Love (Arizona), Caleb Grill (Missouri), and Yanic Konan Niederhauser (Penn State) are among the top prospects teams will be watching at this weekend’s G League Elite Camp in Chicago, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
The standout players at the G League event typically earn invitations to the full-fledged combine that will take place this coming week. Givony expects about five-to-eight prospects to move on, noting that players like Terance Mann, Cody Martin, and Aaron Wiggins have gotten “called up” from the Elite Camp to the combine in the past before going on to establish themselves in the NBA.
According to Jon Chepkevich of Rookie Scale (Twitter link), Niederhauser has been the “early star” of the G League Elite Camp, racking up 17 points, four rebounds, and a pair of blocks in the first scrimmage. The Penn State forward looks like a safe bet to be among the players who advance to the combine, Chepkevich adds.
Missouri’s Tamar Bates led all scorers in the first Elite Camp scrimmage with 19 points. The full stats can be viewed here (via Twitter).
Here are a few more draft-related notes:
- Jeremy Woo of ESPN.com identifies Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB), Boogie Fland (Arkansas), Darrion Williams (Texas Tech), Rocco Zikarsky (Brisbane), and Miles Byrd (San Diego State) as five prospects to monitor at the combine, noting that they still have the option of withdrawing if they don’t have strong showings this week.
- Lendeborg, the No. 26 prospect on ESPN’s big board, has committed to transferring to Michigan and may only decide to turn pro if he draws serious first-round interest from a specific NBA team or teams, Woo writes, since he can make “excellent” money if he spends 2025/26 with the Wolverines.
- PJ Haggerty, Jamir Watkins, and RJ Luis Jr. are three more NCAA prospects whose performances at the combine will be of particular interest to college teams, Givony notes in the same story. In addition to testing the draft waters, all three players are in the transfer portal and haven’t yet committed to a new school, so they’ll be popular targets if they opt not to remain in the draft pool.
- Although Joventut Badalona’s season isn’t over yet, Croatian power forward Michael Ruzic, who plays for the Spanish club, has been cleared to attend the NBA’s draft combine this week and will be a full participant in 5×5 scrimmages, agent Bill Duffy tells Givony (Twitter link). Ruzic missed significant time due to a thumb injury this season and has played a limited role when healthy, so the Chicago combine will give NBA evaluators an opportunity to take an extended first-hand look at a prospect who ranks 49th overall on ESPN’s board.
NBA Announces 75 Invitees For 2025 Draft Combine
The NBA announced today (via Twitter) that 75 prospects have been invited to attend this year’s draft combine, which will take place in Chicago from May 11-18.
In addition to those 75 players, a handful of standout players from the G League Elite Camp, which is also held in Chicago just before the combine begins, are expected to receive invites to stick around for the main event.
Not all of the prospects invited to the combine will end up remaining in the 2025 draft pool, since many are early entrants who are testing the waters while retaining their NCAA eligibility.
College players must withdraw from the draft by the end of the day on May 28 if they wish to preserve that eligibility, while non-college players face a decision deadline of June 15. The feedback they receive from NBA teams at the combine may be a deciding factor for players who are on the fence.
Here’s the list of players who have been invited to the 2025 draft combine:
(Note: For players in international leagues, the country listed is where they had been playing, not necessarily where they’re from.)
- Izan Almansa, F/C, Australia (born 2005)
- Neoklis Avdalas, G/F, Greece (born 2006)
- Ace Bailey, G/F, Rutgers (freshman)
- Joan Beringer, C, Slovenia (born 2006)
- Koby Brea, G, Kentucky (senior)
- Johni Broome, F/C, Auburn (senior)
- Carter Bryant, F, Arizona (freshman)
- Miles Byrd, G, San Diego State (sophomore)
- Walter Clayton Jr., G, Florida (senior)
- Nique Clifford, G, Colorado State (senior)
- Alex Condon, F/C, Florida (sophomore)
- Cedric Coward, F, Washington State (senior)
- Egor Demin, G, BYU (freshman)
- Eric Dixon, F, Villanova (senior)
- V.J. Edgecombe, G, Baylor (freshman)
- Noa Essengue, F, Germany (born 2006)
- Isaiah Evans, G/F, Duke (freshman)
- Jeremiah Fears, G, Oklahoma (freshman)
- Cooper Flagg, F, Duke (freshman)
- Boogie Fland, G, Arkansas (freshman)
- Rasheer Fleming, F/C, St. Joseph’s (junior)
- Vladislav Goldin, C, Michigan (senior)
- Hugo Gonzalez, F, Spain (born 2006)
- PJ Haggerty, G, Memphis (sophomore)
- Dylan Harper, G, Rutgers (freshman)
- Ben Henshall, G/F, Australia (born 2004)
- Kasparas Jakucionis, G, Illinois (freshman)
- Sion James, G, Duke (senior)
- Tre Johnson, G, Texas (freshman)
- Kameron Jones, G, Marquette (senior)
- Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton (senior)
- Karter Knox, F, Arkansas (freshman)
- Kon Knueppel, G/F, Duke (freshman)
- Chaz Lanier, G, Tennessee (senior)
- Yaxel Lendeborg, F, UAB (senior)
- RJ Luis, F, St. John’s (junior)
- Khaman Maluach, C, Duke (freshman)
- Bogoljub Markovic, F/C, Serbia (born 2005)
- Alijah Martin, G, Florida (senior)
- Liam McNeeley, F, UConn (freshman)
- Jalon Moore, F, Oklahoma (senior)
- Collin Murray-Boyles, F, South Carolina (sophomore)
- Grant Nelson, F, Alabama (senior)
- Asa Newell, F, Georgia (freshman)
- Otega Oweh, G, Kentucky (junior)
- Dink Pate, G/F, Mexico City Capitanes (born 2006)
- Micah Peavy, G/F, Georgetown (senior)
- Noah Penda, F, France (born 2005)
- Tahaad Pettiford, G, Auburn (freshman)
- Labaron Philon, G, Alabama (freshman)
- Drake Powell, G/F, UNC (freshman)
- Tyrese Proctor, G, Duke (junior)
- Derik Queen, C, Maryland (freshman)
- Maxime Raynaud, F/C, Stanford (senior)
- Jase Richardson, G, Michigan State (freshman)
- Will Riley, F, Illinois (freshman)
- Michael Ruzic, F, Spain (born 2006)
- Hunter Sallis, G, Wake Forest (senior)
- Kobe Sanders, G, Nevada (senior)
- Ben Saraf, G, Germany (born 2006)
- Mark Sears, G, Albama (senior)
- Max Shulga, G, VCU (senior)
- Javon Small, G, West Virginia (senior)
- Thomas Sorber, F/C, Georgetown (freshman)
- Adou Thiero, F, Arkansas (junior)
- John Tonje, G, Wisconsin (senior)
- Alex Toohey, F, Australia (born 2004)
- Nolan Traore, G, France (born 2006)
- Milos Uzan, G, Houston (junior)
- Jamir Watkins, G/F, Florida State (senior)
- Brice Williams, G/F, Nebraska (senior)
- Darrion Williams, F, Texas Tech (junior)
- Danny Wolf, F/C, Michigan (junior)
- Hansen Yang, C, China (born 2005)
- Rocco Zikarsky, C, Australia (born 2006)
It’s worth noting that the NBA and the NBPA agreed to several combine-related changes in their latest Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here are a few of those changes:
- A player who is invited to the draft combine and declines to attend without an excused absence will be ineligible to be drafted. He would become eligible the following year by attending the combine. There will be exceptions made for a player whose FIBA season is ongoing, who is injured, or who is dealing with a family matter (such as a tragedy or the birth of a child).
- Players who attend the draft combine will be required to undergo physical exams, share medical history, participate in strength, agility, and performance testing, take part in shooting drills, receive anthropometric measurements, and conduct interviews with teams and the media. Scrimmages won’t be mandatory.
- Medical results from the combine will be distributed to select teams based on where the player is projected to be drafted. Only teams drafting in the top 10 would get access to medical info for the projected No. 1 pick; teams in the top 15 would receive medical info for players in the 2-6 range, while teams in the top 25 would get access to info for the players in the 7-10 range.
Yaxel Lendeborg Entering Draft While Maintaining Eligibility
UAB power forward Yaxel Lendeborg, who led the Blazers in points (17.7), rebounds (11.4), assists (4.2), steals (1.7) and blocks (1.8) per game this past season, plans to enter the 2025 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
Ranked No. 28 overall on ESPN’s latest big board (Insider link), Lendeborg says he is committed to the draft process, but if he instead uses his final season of eligibility, he intends to transfer to Michigan.
“I’m focused on the draft process and making the NBA right now,” Lendeborg said. “I want a guaranteed contract. That’s the biggest thing. Make sure I am in a good spot. I would prefer to play college basketball in Ann Arbor than be in and out of the G League on a two-way. I want to find a safe spot.”
As Givony writes, Lendeborg has an unusual background for a possible first-round pick, as the 22-year-old grew up playing video games and not basketball. Since he started playing organized basketball much later than most prospects, he believes he is “just scratching the surface” of what he “can evolve into, and with more work I can reach that potential.”
According to Givony, Lendeborg is only the second Division I player in history to record at least 600 points, 400 rebounds and 150 assists in a season, joining Hall of Famer Larry Bird. He was named first-team All-AAC and Defensive Player of the Year each of the past two seasons, Givony adds.