PORTLAND, Ore. – There is a wave of talent poised to reach the NBA in the coming years. And NBA fans got a glimpse of it Saturday night at the Nike Hoop Summit, where 24 of the top prospects competed in a matchup that pitted America’s top high school talent against top international talent. Team USA defeated Team World 98-75.
Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey, the top two projected prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft and the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in high school respectively, played for Team USA and each had their moments. The entire high school season it was Cooper vs. Ace for first place, but both players were just happy to compete and work together this week.
“I don’t really care about high school rankings, and I don’t think he does either [Bailey] Frankly, neither,” Flagg told Yahoo Sports. “This is a competitive group and we have been working hard all week, pushing each other and getting better and better. I’m just looking ahead and trying to achieve my goals and compete at the highest level.”
AJ Dybantsa, who represented both Jamaica and the Republic of Congo for the World Team, was one of the youngest players on the court and established himself as one of the best players in high school basketball regardless of class. French point guard Nolan Traore came under the radar a bit this week, but showed why he is one of the top guard prospects. He was the best point guard in Saturday’s game.
A number of NBA scouts and executives attended the Nike Hoop Summit to watch the prospects participate in practices throughout the week. Yahoo Sports takes a look at six players who stood out and are worth keeping an eye on in the upcoming 2025 and 2026 NBA Drafts.
AJ Dybantsa
The 6-foot-1 guard is the best player in the high school junior class and an early favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. His scoring instincts are elite and he has the ability to take over games with how well he can score at all three levels. Dybantsa has great body control around the rim and appears to hang in the air before unleashing his shot. During Saturday night’s game, Dybantsa led all players with 21 points and added seven rebounds and three assists. His three-point shot remains an area of improvement, but his shot selection continues to improve. Dybantsa passes the eye test with his length and ease of scoring and has the potential to become a very special player at the NBA level.
“The NBA scouts here know for the most part what I can do and I’m just trying to be louder and more consistent,” Dybantsa told Yahoo Sports. “I never take it for granted when I get the opportunity to step on the pitch and improve my game, and I will continue to work hard whether they are sitting here in training watching me, or I am working .only behind closed doors.”
Dybantsa currently has 24 High Major, Division I offers, including from Auburn, UConn, Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina and Baylor.
Nolan Traore in the Hoop Summit vs. Team USA:
– 18 PTS
– 2 REB
– 4AST
– 1 STL
– 8/14 FG (2/4 3PT)Traore showed great poise and maturity on the pitch today at the age of 17, playing game after game. Easily the best guard display today. The future looks bright for the French. #NBADraft pic.twitter.com/PXO3Tg9jQg
— Mohammed (@mcfxz) April 14, 2024
Nolan Traore
Traore was the biggest surprise during training this week. The 6-3 point guard is next from France and his style of play and the way he spreads the floor fits well with the NBA game. Most of his teammates played with him for the first time and were more than impressed.
“Nolan Traore is the best point guard I’ve ever played with, and I learned so much from him this week and how he sees the game,” Baylor commit VJ Edgecombe said after the game. “He won’t talk much, but he will lead and facilitate. France certainly has a good one. Moreover, he is very fast.”
Traore finished with 18 points and four assists and was so good at reading the pick-and-roll and attacking the mismatch off the dribble. The elite talent coming out of France isn’t slowing down anytime soon, and Traore is now an early projected lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Cooper Flagg
Flagg was one of the key players that NBA scouts and executives made the trip for. The 6-9 forward is the No. 1 prospect in the high school class and the first projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. His combination of rim protection, passing and off-the-dribble style gives him the all-around versatility NBA teams are looking for top players. Flagg, a Duke commit, will lead Jon Scheyer’s No. 1 recruiting class next year, and he also got to compete against his future teammate, 7-2 center Khaman Maluach.
“It was great to go against him and learn some of his tendencies,” Flagg said of Maluach after the game. “He is a great rim protector and I can’t wait to play with him next season.”
No one has had a better ending to their high school career than Flagg. He was named Boys Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year, played in the McDonald’s All American game and his high school team, Montverde Academy (Florida), went undefeated this year and won the Chipotle National Championship. Flagg led the charge in the second half for Team USA at the Nike Hoop Summit and had a team-high 19 points, 11 rebounds and two assists in the win.
VJ Edgecombe
The 6-4 guard bound for Baylor has played very well in recent weeks, first at the McDonald’s All American game, then with consistent guard play at the Nike Hoop Summit. Edgecombe, originally from the Bahamas, is one of the most athletic guards in the high school ranks and has made strides in his play and switch guarding on the perimeter. Edgecombe was one of the few players to get things going offensively in the first half for the World team, and he finished with 13 points and two steals in the game.
“Every country has hoopers,” Edgecombe told Yahoo Sports. “It’s becoming more and more universal and there is now talent coming from everywhere, not just from the American Buddy [Hield] and Deandre [Ayton] paved the way for someone like me from the Bahamas, and I want to do the same for little kids who see me play.”
Asa Newell
The versatile 6-9 forward came to the Nike Hoop Summit with a tap on the shoulder after being rejected by the McDonald’s All American committee despite being a top 15 player in his high school class. Newell will head to Georgia next year and showcased his inside-out game in the pick-and-pop and with his footwork in the paint all week. Newell and Flagg were the only players to finish with double-doubles, with Newell scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He is a player high on NBA scouts’ 2025 draft boards because of his offensive versatility and the way he can guard multiple positions.
“I just hope to show it [NBA executives] that I am a leader and that I talk about both offense and defense,” Newell told Yahoo Sports. “I know when I come into the league I’m not going to be that guy who goes right away, so I’m just showing that I can play my role and I can do all the little things.”
Ace Bailey
Along with Flagg, Bailey is the other top high school player and will be attending Rutgers next year. The 6-9 wing is a scoring machine who can connect from 3-point range in catch-and-shoot situations and also create off the dribble. Bailey is also in the conversation for the top spot in the 2025 NBA Draft, and both he and Flagg enjoyed healthy competition in practice and from teammates this past week.
“We’re both here to get better and it’s all talk, what everyone thinks about who’s the best,” Bailey told Yahoo Sports. “Me and Cooper really bonded this week and that’s what basketball is, a brotherhood, so we’re going to keep pushing each other to be better.”
Bailey finished with 14 points, six rebounds and two steals in Team USA’s victory. Bailey leads Rutgers’ No. 3 recruiting class and enters next year alongside five-star point guard Dillon Harper, who also put up solid numbers (14 points, seven rebounds) and played well all week.
