The 2025 NBA Draft is inching closer, and three rookies from this past season's Duke basketball team are expecting to hear their names called in the top ten selections. For the top prospects, NBA player comparisons are drawn ahead of the beginning of their careers.

We all know the Dallas Mavericks will be taking Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick, but Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach haven't had tons of buzz with one specific franchise. Both are still top ten prospects and are guaranteed lottery picks if not top ten.

Flagg received a great player comparison to a former Blue Devil phenom, and Knueppel, along with Maluach, were given high-praising comparisons too. Let's see ESPN's player comparisons for Duke's three rookies in this year's draft.

Jayson Tatum with more defense

Andre Iguodala with more offense

ESPN says that Flagg's floor is an NBA Finals MVP, but with a slightly better offensive skillset. Safe to say the Flagg hype is real. But for his ceiling, ESPN compared the Maine native to one of the biggest stars in the NBA and a former Duke freshman sensation in Tatum. The Boston Celtics superstar is widely viewed as a top-five player in the NBA, yet weirdly never gets any hype as the potential face of the league. Tatum is a six-time NBA All-Star, has made the All-NBA First Team for four years in a row, and brought an NBA Championship back to Boston in 2024. "If Flagg continues to make strides creating his own shot - where he has flashed comfort level in the midrange but needs refinement - the possibility of a Tatum-like scoring leap is on the table," ESPN's Jeremy Woo said. One of the biggest criticisms of Flagg as a top prospect is whether he can be the No. 1 scorer on a championship team, since he does just about everything at an elite level. If Flagg can develop his shot creation with the ball in his hands, both off the dribble and off the catch, his scoring ceiling is sky high.

Desmond Bane

Joe Harris

Knueppel is the best shooter in this year's draft class, and ESPN recognizes that by comparing him to a career 41% three-point shooter in Bane and a career 43.6% perimeter shooter in Harris. Knueppel is as elite of a 3-and-D NBA prospect as it gets at 6'7, as the Wisconsin native can guard the one through four on the court with physicality and aggressiveness. Although, Knueppel's offensive arsenal doesn't stop at outside shooting. He's extremely talented at getting to the basket off the dribble and finishes off two feet into contact so well. Aside from his scoring, Knueppel contributes to winning basketball in every way possible. He makes the right pass, doesn't get sped up, and will always put his body on the line for a loose ball. Despite only being 20 years old at the start of the 2025-26 NBA regular season, Knueppel is one of the most pro-ready prospects in the lottery.

Rudy Gobert but quicker

Daniel Gafford but bigger

Maluach has legitimate potential to be one of the best defenders in the NBA as he develops with his elite rim protection, athleticism to run the floor in transition with the guards at 7'2, and ability to guard the one through five on the court. Maluach was switched onto guards regularly throughout his freshman season at Duke, and his ability to stay in front of them on the perimeter has rarely ever been seen by a player of his frame. It's also been reported that Maluach has improved his three-point shooting throughout the pre-draft process, making him an even more lethal weapon offensively long-term. "While Gobert can read as a slightly obvious comparison point for paint-protecting 7-footers, in this case, it illustrates Maluach's upside as a player who could potentially provide major defensive backbone in a winning context," Woo said.