Raptors Murray-Boyles, Hornets Knueppel part of amazing NBA rookie crop

As soon as phenom Cooper Flagg announced he’d graduate high school a year early, hence becoming an option for the 2025 NBA draft instead of the 2026 edition, it was expected that last June’s crop was going to be one of the best to come along in years.

But prospects don’t always live up to expectations, let alone those of the sky-high variety, so there were still questions leading into this season as to whether the class of 2025 was really worth all of the hype.

Not even halfway through the campaign, Flagg and his peers have not only answered in the affirmative, they’ve changed the narrative to: Is it possible this group wasn’t lauded enough?

It certainly feels that way. Flagg only turned 19 days before Christmas, yet has already been tremendous defensively, while also averaging 18.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game on 47% shooting from the field. In a few years he should be a perennial All-NBA and all-defensive team candidate.

Yet until recently, he wasn’t even the rookie of the year favourite. His former Blue Devils teammate Kon Knueppel is turning in perhaps the best shooting season by any rookie in league history. Knueppel, 20, plays Toronto Wednesday averaging 19.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists with absurd .483/.435/.879 shooting splits. Charlotte only won 19 games all last year, yet has already won 13 largely thanks to how good he’s been. Knueppel has torched the Raptors so far, with the Hornets winning two games and only dropping a third by two points thanks to a pair of game-saving blocks by Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes. Knueppel has averaged nearly 22 points on close to 55% shooting, including 50% on three-pointers and has been a big reason Charlotte has gotten to the free throw line at will against a team that overall ranks third in the NBA in defensive efficiency.

It will be interesting to see if he can keep it up at home on Wednesday.

CMB making his mark

We’ll get to the other stars of the class shortly, but locally, Toronto’s lottery prize is starting to really turn heads. Collin Murray-Boyles, billed as the best on-ball defender in the draft and one of the top all-around defenders, sure looked the part in Monday’s win over Atlanta. Though undersized height-wise, Murray-Boyles is strong as an ox (he quipped “No. I lift (weights)” when asked postgame if he’s surprised he’s been able to bang with the NBA’s biggest players, is always in the right place and reacts extremely quickly in terms of how he reads the game. He had three steals and a couple of emphatic blocks against the Hawks filling in for the injured Jakob Poeltl and also scored 17 points (on 8-for-10 shooting) and had seven rebounds. Atlanta isn’t the biggest team around, even with 7-foot-3 Kristaps Porzingis back in the lineup, but Murray-Boyles overpowered them.

“He has a really good feel,” said Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic after the game. “As coaches, we’re just trying to learn who he is as a player and really mold him and come up with a plan that’s going to help him and create a vision for him. Right now he’s giving us some clues of where this can go. Now our job is to have a clear vision for him and a good plan for him and develop him into the player we want to see for the next four, five years.”

Toronto’s had great luck picking ninth. First it was future Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady, then legendary Raptor DeMar DeRozan and later Poeltl. Murray-Boyles seems like a worthy addition to that lineage.

Best of the rest

If Flagg and Knueppel have been the cream of the 2025 draft crop and Murray-Boyles amongst the best defensively and all-around, who else has stood out?

You have to start with Philadelphia 76ers guard V.J. Edgecombe. Seen as the best athlete in the draft, Edgecombe, a former Baylor star, wasn’t expected to look comfortable right away. But he has, mixing explosive dunks, speedy drives and heady passing with 38.7% three-point shooting. Anytime you’re compared to the likes of Dwyane Wade and a healthy Victor Oladipo you’re doing something right.

Edgecombe went third, one pick before Knueppel and one after San Antonio selected Dylan Harper. Harper was regarded as the clear No. 2 and a player that would go first in many other drafts, but not one with Flagg.

Slowed by injury early and playing in a crowded Spurs backcourt (with star point guard De’Aaron Fox and reigning rookie of the year Stephon Castle needing lots of time), Harper has still stood out. The son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper (and brother of former Raptors 905er Ron Harper Jr.), Harper hasn’t yet compiled stats that make eyes widen, but if you watch him play, you quickly figure out why he should be an all-star down the line. There are shades of Cade Cunningham because he’s a 6-foot-6 point guard, but he also compares favourably to other top lead guards. Can he reach his full potential on such a loaded team? Time will tell, but Harper is a supreme talent.

New Orleans traded a ton to get centre Derik Queen at 13 and were mocked for it, but Queen has showcased a monster offensive skill-set. Whether he projects as someone who can drive winning like the far less flashy Murray-Boyles won’t be known for some time.

Teammate Jeremiah Fears (taken seventh) has had his moments too.

Memphis hit a home run at 11 with Cedric Coward, a ready-made successor at shooting guard to Desmond Bane, Brooklyn’s Egor Demin (eighth overall) is coming along and later picks like Charlotte’s Ryan Kalkbrenner, Golden State’s Will Richard and Sacramento’s Maxime Raynaud have looked good, while No. 5 and No. 6 picks Ace Bailey (Utah) and Tre Johnson (Washington) can be 20 point scorers one day.

All in all, everyone was right. These kids can play.

@WolstatSun