On this episode of the Locked On NBA Big Board Podcast, Rafael Barlowe and Leif Thulin break down Cooper Flagg’s potential as the number one pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Thulin dives into Flagg’s best outcomes, examining how his skillset and versatility align with Dallas’s current roster. He highlights Flagg’s impressive growth rate, his rapid developmental curve, and the ceiling that makes him a franchise cornerstone. But the real headline is Thulin’s fiery rant on Flagg landing in Dallas—questioning how Nico Harrison ends up with a generational talent like Flagg after trading Luka Doncic, and whether the Mavericks deserve such a reward.

2:24 – Cooper Flagg’s best outcomes
5:40 – Is Cooper Flagg’s offense being underrated because stylistically he doesn't resemble other freshman standouts like Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, or Michael Beasley?
8:55 – Part one of Leif's rant about the Dallas Mavericks getting Cooper Flagg
11:25 – Who is Cooper Flagg if he maximizes his potential?
14:16 – Kevin Garnett comparisons
16:37 – Flagg’s fit with the Dallas Mavericks lineup
20:21 – Leif's rant, part two
23:48 – Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison being rewarded with Cooper Flagg
28:45 – Flagg’s trajectory, growth rate, and ceiling
30:15 – Has Flagg benefitted by playing with elite talent? His high school and college teams were stacked with high-level players, and he now lands in a similar situation in Dallas rather than on a rebuilding team

#CooperFlagg
#FlaggToDallas
#NBA2025Draft
#NBADraft2025
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#NicoHarrison
#LeifThulin
#RafaelBarlowe
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In this episode of the Locked On NBA Big Board podcast, Leif Thulin joins Rafael Barlowe to rank his top big men prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft, opening with a notable deviation from consensus by placing Maryland’s Derik Queen ahead of Duke’s Khaman Maluach. Thulin defends the move by explaining his preference for Queen’s offensive polish, feel for the game, and impact as a decision-maker, despite Maluach’s superior physical tools. The conversation continues with in-depth breakdowns of Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud, Georgetown’s Thomas Sorber, Michigan’s Danny Wolf, Georgia’s Asa Newell, and French prospect Joan Beringer, as Thulin assesses each player’s strengths, role projection, and areas of concern through his nuanced, context-heavy scouting lens.

Bullet Point Timestamps:

1:50 – Leif’s opinion on the bigs in the 2025 NBA Draft class
2:50 – Derik Queen vs. Khaman Maluach
7:08 – Khaman Maluach
8:53 – Khaman Maluach’s best comparison
9:46 – Derik Queen’s ceiling
12:31 – Maxime Raynaud
21:36 – Thomas Sorber
24:46 – Danny Wolf
28:41 – Asa Newell
31:56 – Joan Beringer

#DerikQueen
#KhamanMaluach
#MaximeRaynaud
#ThomasSorber
#DannyWolf
#AsaNewell
#JoanBehringer
#NBADraft2025
#NBABigBoard
#LockedOnNBA
#NBAProspects
#CollegeBasketball
#NBAInternationalProspects
#NBADraftScouting

Breaking news out of the pre-draft cycle: Ace Bailey has canceled his workout with the Philadelphia 76ers, making him the only U.S.-based prospect yet to visit a single NBA team. In this episode, Rafael and James Barlowe went live to break down what this means for his stock. Is there a hidden guarantee? A strategic play for leverage? Or is the red flag finally starting to show? The Barlowe Brothers also dive into Bailey’s polarizing combine feedback, his confusing pre-draft strategy, how his draft night could unfold plus answer questions from the live chat.

1:33 – Breaking News: Ace Bailey cancels his workout with the Philadelphia 76ers
2:16 – Is Ace Bailey’s draft strategy any different than Tyrese Haliburton’s in 2020?
3:15 – James explains why the Sixers are a good fit for Ace Bailey
4:10 – Why this type of negative press isn’t good for Ace Bailey
5:32 – Is Ace Bailey getting bad advice?
5:57 – Does Ace Bailey have a draft promise?
6:30 – Strategic bet or red flag?
8:09 – Revisiting Dante Exum’s pre-draft strategy with his agent
8:50 – Is Ace Bailey willing to take a PR hit to land in the right situation?
9:05 – Would Utah consider Ace Bailey at No. 5 if he’s still on the board?
10:41 – Further discussion on Utah's potential interest at No. 5
13:49 – Viewing the Ace Bailey saga from a front office lens
15:00 – Comparing Ace Bailey’s situation to Alex Sarr’s strategic decisions in 2024
16:47 – What might Ace Bailey’s agency be trying to accomplish?
18:52 – How lottery picks drafted into win-now teams have struggled to develop
22:46 – Continued discussion on lottery picks in win-now situations
31:40 – Could the negative PR hit impact Ace Bailey's actual draft spot?
34:58 – What’s the best team fit for Ace Bailey?
39:05 – Who could have made a draft promise to Ace Bailey?
41:50 – The Barlowe Brothers field live chat questions

#AceBailey #AceBaileyNews #AceBaileyDraft #AceBaileyUpdate #AceBaileyWorkout #AceBaileyNBA #AceBaileyRumors #AceBaileyStock #AceBaileySlide #AceBaileyDrama #NBADraft #NBADraft2025 #2025NBADraft #NBADraftProspects #DraftSeason #DraftStock #DraftStrategy #DraftBuzz #DraftNight #NBAProspects #NBADraftNews #DraftScouting #Philadelphia76ers #Sixers #SixersDraft #SixersNews #UtahJazz #NBAFrontOffice #NBAScouting #NBADraftTalk #NBAInsider #DraftPromise #StrategicDrafting #PlayerDevelopment #DraftRedFlag #DraftLeverage #ProspectWatch #BasketballBusiness #NBADecisionMaking #AgentStrategy #NBAPodcast #DraftPodcast #BasketballTalk #NBAContent #NBAHotTakes #BasketballBreakdown #HoopsAnalysis