Duke's Cooper Flagg (2) handles the ball during an NCAA college basketball exhibition game against Lincoln in Durham, N.C., Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)

Duke’s Cooper Flagg (2) handles the ball throughout an NCAA school basketball exhibition sport in opposition to Lincoln in Durham, North Carolina, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Picture/Ben McKeown) | Ben McKeown

The Utah Jazz are dangerous.

At 0-6, the Jazz are the one winless staff within the NBA this season, they usually have misplaced their first six video games by a median of practically 19 factors. We might go on with extra stats to explain how dangerous the beginning was, however this needs to be sufficient.

Maybe the very best information for the Jazz — and their followers — is that the faculty basketball season is scheduled to start Monday. Which means it is time to begin evaluating prospects the Jazz might choose within the 2025 NBA Draft.

The consensus high decide at this level — and it will likely be a problem for anybody to supplant him — is Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, who has a expertise that does not come alongside fairly often.

Listed at 6-foot-9 and 205 kilos, Flagg is superb on each ends of the ground. He has a relentless motor on protection and might dribble, cross and shoot on offense.

However what would occur if the Jazz did not find yourself with the No. 1 decide regardless of all of the losses they’re keen to endure this season? Who’re the opposite prospects to observe?

This is a have a look at 4 to observe intently which are unanimously listed within the high 10 of the seven main mock initiatives analyzed, in addition to an inventory of everybody else who was within the high 10 of a minimum of two of the mock initiatives. Gamers are listed in alphabetical order.

Airious “As” Bailey

Wing, 6-foot-10, 200 lbs., Rutgers, freshman: A participant with as a lot upside as anybody within the class resulting from his purposeful athleticism and talent set, Bailey is a wonderful shooter, though one criticism of him has been that he takes too many tough photographs . A quite common comparability for Bailey is Tracy McGrady.

VJ Edgecombe

Guard, 6-foot-5, 180 kilos, Baylor, freshman: Extraordinarily athletic guard able to leaping, attending to the rim and making contact, in addition to making photographs. Already thought-about a high prospect, Edgecombe performed for the Bahamas this summer time in Olympic qualifying and impressed whereas sharing the court docket with gamers already within the NBA.

Dylan Harper

Guard, 6-foot-6, 215 lb., Rutgers, freshman: Sure, you learn that appropriately. Bailey and Harper will each be freshmen at Rutgers this season because the Scarlet Knights got here out of nowhere to land the 2 elite prospects (Harper is from New Jersey). The son of longtime NBA participant Ron Harper, Dylan Harper has nice measurement for some extent guard (his father performed extensively as some extent guard within the league) and is called an clever playmaker. Some surprise if his lack of athleticism will harm him.

Nolan Traore

Guard, 6 toes 4 inches, 180 kilos, France: American followers could not be capable of observe Traore as intently within the coming months since he opted to remain in his native France as a substitute of enjoying school soccer or at an even bigger worldwide membership (his membership is Saint Quentin, the city the place longtime jazzman Rudy Gobert grew up), however he’s extensively anticipated to be a top-five decide subsequent June because of his standing as an elite level guard.

Different prospects to observe (gamers listed alphabetically):

  • Egor Demin, BYU.

  • Hugo Gonzalez, Actual Madrid (Spain).

  • Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois.

  • Tre Johnson, Texas.

  • Kon Knueppel, Duke.

  • Khaman Maluach, Duke.

  • Liam McNeeley, UConn.

  • Drake Powell, North Carolina.

  • Ben Saraf, Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany).

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