From the top overall pick, Cooper Flagg, flashing franchise-player potential in Dallas, to Kon Knueppel and Derik Queen lighting it up in Philadelphia and New Orleans, the 2025 NBA rookies are making waves across the league. So much so that NBA analyst Bill Simmons believes this class is already staking a claim as one of the best ever.
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Could the 2025 NBA Draft Class Be the Greatest of All Time?
Flagg being thrust into point-guard duties in Dallas during Kyrie Irving’s absence led to a slower start, but the No. 1 pick is still impressing and clearly remains the second-best rookie so far behind Knueppel. Both have flashed early All-Star potential and look like long-term franchise pillars.
The same can be said for Queen, Cedric Coward, V.J. Edgecombe, and Dylan Harper, all of whom are trending toward legitimate All-NBA ceilings. If even six players from this class eventually reach that level, the 2025 group would unquestionably rank among the greatest of all time.
But is it the greatest? It’s still far too early to say, and even Bill Simmons is hesitant to make that leap.
“Could this be the best draft since 1996? How many guys from this team can you see conceivably making an All-NBA team and being one of the 15 best guys in the league?” he asked. “Flagg, Harper, Kon Knueppel, Edgecombe, Derik Queen, Cedric Coward. So itself six and maybe one that we are not even thinking of cause maybe sometimes there are like late bloomer we didn’t say.
“So 1996, Iverson, Kobe, Nash, Ray Allen, Stojakovic, Marbury, Jermaine O’Neal, Shareef Abdul-Raheem..eight All-NBA guys. Three MVPs…Even getting six would be second highest total for a draft class.”
The 1996 and 1984 draft classes remain the gold standards. The ’96 class produced three MVPs in Bryant, Nash, and Iverson, along with 11 All-Stars and multiple Defensive Player of the Year winners. The ’84 class included Hall of Famers Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton. Those are monumental benchmarks, and today’s rookies are still in the early stages of their careers.
However, this class has serious potential. Flagg looks like the potential Jordan or Kobe figure of the 2025 class, already averaging 17.3 points and 6.3 rebounds on 47.5% shooting while anchoring Dallas. Knueppel has been the most impressive rookie statistically, putting up 18 points and 5.5 rebounds on 45.9% shooting. Coward’s numbers (13.3 ppg) don’t pop, but he has been a winning player from day one.
Queen has delivered some of the best individual rookie moments of the season, even if inconsistent, averaging 13 points and 6.3 rebounds on 50.4% shooting. Edgecombe cooled off after a scorching start but still averages 14.4 points and 5.7 rebounds. Harper has missed time, but when available, he’s been one of the class’s most impactful players, averaging 13.4 points.
The ceiling is enormous. Whether it reaches historic levels is a question only the coming years can answer.
