Upside and Motor: 2025 NBA Draft Big Board 3.0, Ace Bailey's magical mystery tour

The 2025 NBA Draft class ranks as one of the strongest in recent memory.

Cooper Flagg continues to set himself apart with a historic level of production for an unstoppable Duke team. Among high-major freshmen, Flagg ranks first in BPM (by an absurd margin) and second in usage, despite his 6-foot-9 frame and longstanding reputation as more of a connector than a creator.

Duke has thrust enormous responsibilities upon Flagg and watched him work through growing pains in recond time. There was a narrative going around early in the season that Duke might struggle to overcome Flagg's inexperience as a go-to option late in games.

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Flagg has upped his 3-point rate and developed into quite the advantage creator, leveraging his size against mismatches and quickly polishing his playmaking repertoire. The 18-year-old is an efficient three-level scorer with quick processing speeds and outlier athleticism, especially by college basketball standards. It helps that he is also the best defensive prospect on the board.

Right behind Flagg in the "holy s**t" metric, however, is Rutgers' Ace Bailey. The 6-foot-10 wing has been on an absolute tear of late. He leads the Big Ten in scoring at 20.1 points per game, with a low turnover rate and extreme efficiency despite one of the most absurd shot diets imaginable.

It's hard to endorse the sheer volume of long, contested 2s Bailey steps into, but man, he just finds a way to sink 'em. He's a shot-maker of the highest order, with an unblockable jumper complemented by uncommon touch and coordination. Bailey needs to tighten his handle and learn to pass more often, but there aren't very many NBA wings with his blend of athleticism, size, and shooting. The raw clay of future stardom is readily apparent, and it's getting more challenging to poke holes in his prospect profile.

Here are just a few recent stat lines from Bailey: 18 points and 11 rebounds on 7-of-13 shooting against Illinois, with zero 3-point attempts. 37 points and six rebounds on 13-of-20 shooting against Northwestern, with five made 3s. 30 points and seven rebounds on 13-of-15 shooting against Penn State, hitting 9-of-10 from 2-point range and 4-of-5 from deep.

Combine those three standout performances, and Bailey tallied a grand total of two assists. And five turnovers, a low number when considering how often Bailey takes matters into his own hand, but comical when considering he also dished out just two assists. There hasn't been a more confounding and spectacular prospect in quite some time. At a certain point, you just tip your cap and say, "hell yeah."

2025 NBA Draft Big Board: Cooper Flagg holds strong at No. 1, Ace Bailey rises, Kam Jones keeps ballin'

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VJ Edgecombe has figured it out with Baylor

Don't look now, but Baylor freshman VJ Edgecombe is on a roll. After some early struggles from deep, Edgecombe is up to 39.1 percent on 3s this season, attempting 4.6 per game. He has some electric shooting performances under his belt, including six made 3s against BYU on Jan. 28.

Edgecombe is a one-percent athlete. His first step, explosiveness around the rim, and elite defensive playmaking have always kept him near the top of boards. Now he's stretching defenses, throwing sharp passes (3.2 assists to 2.0 turnovers), and coming into his own as a legitimate offensive fulcrum for a wonky Baylor lineup. He won't create his own offense at a high level, but if he's commanding respect on catch-and-shoot 3s, defenses will struggle to effectively close out without giving Edgecombe easy access to the paint.

Sergio De Larrea is making gains with Spain's Valencia

Sergio De Larrea continues to shine against top competition in Spain. His minutes are limited on a solid pro team, but he's shooting 45.2 percent on 3s while coming into his own as a primary facilitator. He operates at his own speed and shows incredible poise as a ball-handler, never overreacting to pressure and consistently delivering high-level passes, especially out of pick-and-rolls.

He processes the floor quicker than most guards his age and is virtually peerless in this class when it comes to setting up teammates, at least on a per-minute basis. He will need to answer questions about defense and his ability to scale up in a more robust role, but De Larrea's skill level and basketball IQ are exceptionally high. He's a fast riser who merits your attention.

Flory Bidunga is starting to pop at Kansas

Kansas freshman Flory Bidunga was relegated to a minor role out of the gate, but he is steadily earning more minutes for the Jayhawks, and it's easy to see why. He's one of the very best athletes in this class, blessed with incredible open-floor agility and vertical bounce. He is slightly undersized for a center at 6-foot-9, but Bidunga can thrive in a variety of defensive coverages, and his motor always runs hot.

He's averaging 1.7 blocks in 16.4 minutes this season and has three games of four-plus blocks in his last five appearances. Bidunga won't stretch the floor or tread new ground on offense, but he's finishing at a 78.3 percent clip this season (almost exclusively around the rim) and there are enough face-up flashes to make one think of an underrated first-round center from the 2024 draft, Yves Missi.

Drake's Bennett Stirtz is a name worth watching

Bennett Stirtz, a former D-II star turned lifeblood of D-I Drake, has quickly emerged on NBA radars this season. A 6-foot-4 point guard, Stirtz displays excellent pace operating out of ball screens and dribble handoffs. He has a knack for getting the defender on his back and slipping into tight spaces for a crafty finish.

While not a great vertical athlete, nor exceptionally strong for his position, Stirtz's creativity more than makes up for it. He has delicate touch on floaters and enough size to score over the top or around a gaping contest at the rim. Stirtz throws some eye-popping dimes when working the middle of the defense, and Drake has been privy to more than a few genuinely remarkable shot-making displays from the 21-year-old junior. Remember his name.