2025 NBA rookies: 5 big questions for this year’s class, including Cooper Flagg’s fit and Yang Hansen’s hype

The 2025-26 NBA calendar year is upon us. The draft is over, and so is most of free agency. While some rosters still need tweaking and adjusting, we know for the most part how teams will enter the season.

As such, we can start to ponder the big questions, like how the 2025 rookie class — which got its first taste of NBA action during Summer League — will perform in the coming season.

How will Cooper Flagg mesh with a roster led by veterans?

The Mavericks are in a weird spot, as they feature Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson, all in their 30s, and now have to balance that with Flagg, their prized rookie.

Whether they believe they have enough to make a title push right now, or hope to win a championship within the next few years, they’re going to need Flagg to produce at a near All-Star level in order to turn that dream into reality. Fortunately, despite not turning 19 until December, Flagg is one of the most complete forwards to enter the NBA in a while.

Flagg is a 6-foot-9, two-way dynamo who will likely defend at an NBA level right off the bat, just as he’ll be able to rebound, push the ball in transition, and score in a role as the secondary or tertiary offensive option. While it’s impossible to pencil him in for a certain stat line, Flagg should be, at minimum, a high-end production starter from opening day, making the fit with Davis, Irving (when he returns from injury), Thompson, and D’Angelo Russell much more seamless.

Will the Nets have a rookie who pops?

The Brooklyn Nets more or less built a brand new starting lineup in the first round of this year’s draft, which is impressive in its own right. But looking at each pick individually, you have to wonder if any of the rookies are ready to make a big impact in their debut season.

Egor Denim was a reach at No. 8, but the 19-year-old guard has size at 6-8 and ball-handling capabilities to become impactful down the road. Nolan Traoré, the French international, is slight and still an inefficient shooter. Like Denim, he could use a year or two of seasoning before he’s ready to contribute.

Drake Powell is an athletic monster who could be a defensive ace sooner than later, but his all-around game remains underdeveloped. Danny Wolf, the 6-11 center out of Michigan, is developed but comes with a set ceiling. He’s a wonderful play initiator, but can he ever become a solid post player on both sides of the floor?

If anything, it’s Ben Saraf, the 6-6 wing from Israel who could come in immediately and produce. The lefty guard/wing has a strong tool belt of skills at his disposal, in particular as a passer and as an aggressor when going toward the rim. His solid frame will also help him against NBA defenders. If his shot comes along, there’s certainly something there.

What role will Dylan Harper play in San Antonio?

Remember when the Spurs had basically no point guard during Victor Wembanyama’s rookie season? Well, now they’re loaded at the position. San Antonio will have to juggle between De’Aaron Fox, Harper, and Stephon Castle, while having to play them at off-guard at times just to fit everyone in.

Harper was the second player chosen in last month’s draft, and his upside is substantial. He’s a big 6-6 guard with a 6-10 wingspan and a developed frame, and he has a game that lends itself well to the NBA via his ability to pressure defenses at the rim, and pass out of screen-and-roll action.

If that sounds familiar to what Fox provides, you’re not mistaken. Fox, like Harper, is best with the ball in his hands, and offers many of the same attributes. This can have benefits, however, as the Spurs can install a consistent system, which runs regardless of whether it’s Fox or Harper on the floor. Most teams have to alter their play calling when they go to their second unit, but the Spurs can run many of the same actions due to the similarities between the two, particularly when Wembanyama is on the floor.

Harper, despite the crowded backcourt, should be able to find his way in such a streamlined system.

How is Ace Bailey best developed?

The Utah Jazz are clearly tanking this coming season, as they shipped away several veterans to open up minutes for the youngsters, which includes Bailey, who will enter this season with the greenest of lights to do, well, whatever.

That might prove fruitful, in the sense that Bailey’s green light could carry him toward stardom, or it might have the opposite effect of having him lean into empty numbers and become this era’s Michael Beasley, which surely isn’t the scenario Utah envisioned when it picked him fifth overall.

There isn’t a set formula, and that’s what we all need to remind ourselves of when it comes to Bailey. Some players, like LeBron James, flourished under a green light as a rookie, in large part because he was mature and responsible enough to learn from the mistakes he made along the way. Others, like Jimmy Butler, needed years to get ready despite a long college career, and had to take several steps before they were ready to handle a significant offensive load.

Which path is best for Bailey? It could be either of those, or even something in-between. Responsible freedom is, arguably, the best approach to any project, and in the case of Bailey, there has to be communication between him and the coaching staff, where both sides are ready to engage in some give-and-take.

Yang Hansen: Question mark?

Okay, look. Yang was off the board earlier than virtually everyone expected, but that doesn’t mean he’ll prove to be a bad pick. NBA teams, for the most part, know what they’re doing, and clearly the Blazers felt they needed to grab him early, out of fear someone else would pick him in that same range. Who are we to question that process?

If anything, Yang getting picked 16th overall only spices up the regular season, and makes him a particularly interesting player to track across next season.

Yang is 7-1, and he hits 3-pointers, blocks shots, rebounds, and passes the ball like a guard. Yet the vast majority of NBA fans and pundits are only somewhat familiar with him — based off the occasional highlight, which would make its way across social media — meaning there are a ton of questions hovering over him as he enters the league.

Is he ready to play already? Can he defend in space at the NBA level? Is the 3-point shot legitimate? Are the passes we saw in Summer League something we’ll see against real competition?

It’s going to be enormously fun to find out.