With two former G League players recently committing to play for Division I schools, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said he doesn’t “respect” the NCAA powerbrokers who’ve allowed those moves to happen.

“I am going to get myself in trouble, but I listen to people talk about how kids changed. Kids aren’t the problem, we’re the problem,” Izzo told reporters Tuesday. “This was sprung on us again yesterday where a guy can be in the G League for two or three years and then all of a sudden, he’s eligible. Most of my people knew nothing about it. … I’m not real excited about the NCAA or whoever is making these decisions, without talking to us, just letting it go. They’re afraid they’re going to get sued.”

On Monday, London Johnson — a former four-star recruit who has averaged 7.6 points over three seasons in the G League — announced his commitment to Louisville. Last month, another G League player, Thierry Darlan, announced his commitment to Santa Clara.

Both moves seem to defy the NCAA’s previous amateurism and eligibility rules, which barred any players who had previously competed for money at a professional level from playing Division I basketball.

Per the NCAA’s Division I manual, any athlete who has been compensated as a professional beyond “actual and necessary expenses” — a category that includes health insurance, meals, lodging and transportation — cannot play college basketball. But the NCAA has bent those rules recently for multiple international prospects who’ve participated in professional leagues overseas.

The murkiness presented by the name, image and likeness and revenue share eras have made the line between professional and amateur grayer than it has ever been.

Darlan, who is from the Central African Republic, played in the NBA Academy Africa program. His admission is more in line with the other international professionals who’ve recently secured Division I eligibility. While he was the first G League player in history to be granted eligibility to play college basketball, Johnson’s commitment as a player without those international ties could be even more groundbreaking — and destructive, according to Izzo.

“Someone is going to say, ‘Well, if they go pro and it doesn’t work out, they should be able to come back,'” said Izzo, who added that college basketball has “no rules” right now.

“Well, what about the freshmen you recruited there? That’s somebody’s son and he thinks he’s got himself a good place, and all of a sudden, shazam, they pull out of their hat and bring a 21- or 22-year-old in [from the G League]. To me, it’s ridiculous. It’s embarrassing, and I love my job. I don’t respect my profession, and I don’t respect whoever is doing that. Whoever made those decisions because they’re afraid that a lawyer is going to sue them, sooner or later, you’ve got to fight the fight. … Maybe I’m the dummy, but I’ll never agree to that stuff.”

The G League could create another talent pipeline for collegiate talent, which Izzo called a slippery slope for the sport.

“The NCAA has got to regroup. They’ve got to regroup. That’s my opinion — only my opinion. Don’t be mad at anybody else. Be mad at us, but I’m not going to be mad at the players. I’m going to be mad at the adults in the room and so don’t blame the players anymore. Blame the adults that make the decisions, that allow some of these ridiculous things to happen.”

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo

He joked, however, that the “silver lining” is that he might call Magic Johnson, Jaren Jackson Jr. and other former Michigan State stars who’ve had success in the NBA since the NCAA’s stance on former professionals being allowed to play college basketball appears to be changing. But he also made it clear that he doesn’t view the issue as a laughing matter.

He said he’s most concerned about high school seniors, who could lose their spots to G League players with professional experience, which could encourage even more young players in the future to enter the transfer portal.

He also said the lack of communication from decision-makers was troubling and he challenged the NCAA to consider the “unintended consequences” of the recent moves.

“The NCAA has got to regroup. They’ve got to regroup,” Izzo said. “That’s my opinion — only my opinion. Don’t be mad at anybody else. Be mad at us, but I’m not going to be mad at the players. I’m going to be mad at the adults in the room and so don’t blame the players anymore. Blame the adults that make the decisions, that allow some of these ridiculous things to happen. And then the unintended consequences hurt kids that are trying to do it the right way with a process, not jumping around. And that’s my 2 cents, so put that wherever you want.”

Braden Smith played with Zach Edey in the 2024 national championship game and followed his large footsteps by becoming an All-American last season.

The Purdue guard had a chance to leave for the NBA over the summer, but, like Edey before him, decided to return for another chance at a national championship under coach Matt Painter.

Smith’s decision earned him another similarity to Edey: unanimous preseason All-American.

Smith earned all 57 votes from a media panel in The Associated Press preseason All-America team released on Monday, a week after the Boilermakers were voted preseason No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the first time. He was joined on a big-man-heavy first team by Texas Tech‘s JT Toppin (52 votes), Michigan‘s Yaxel Lendeborg (30), BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa (22) and Florida forward Alex Condon (16).

“That’s just how Purdue has always been, how every player has always been,” Smith said. “Paint recruits players, recruits the same people, and that’s how they think, how we think. We always want to be a part of a program like this, a culture like this.”

Smith has been one of the nation’s most productive guards since his freshman season at Purdue in 2022-23. The heady 6-foot guard played a key role on the Boilermakers’ first run to the national title game in 2024, averaging 12 points, 7.5 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game while setting a school record for minutes.

Smith was even better as a junior last season, becoming the first player in NCAA history to have at least 550 points, 300 assists, 150 rebounds and 75 steals in a season. Smith averaged 15.8 points, 8.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game on a team that reached the Sweet 16.

Toppin’s impact

Toppin had a superb first season at Texas Tech after transferring from New Mexico.

The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 18.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.5 blocks while leading the Red Raiders to the Elite Eight, where they lost to eventual national champion Florida. Toppin was a second-team AP All-American and the Big 12 Player of the Year before opting to return to a team ranked No. 10 in the AP preseason poll.

Landing Lendeborg

Lendeborg had a successful stint at UAB, helping lead the Blazers to the 2024 NCAA tournament. After testing the NBA waters, the 6-9 forward decided he wanted a chance to reach the Final Four, so he stayed in college and transferred to Michigan.

The addition of Lendeborg helped the Wolverines earn a No. 7 ranking in the preseason poll after reaching the Sweet 16 a year ago.

Last season, Lendeborg joined Indiana State‘s Larry Bird as the only players to have 600 points, 400 rebounds and 150 assists in a season. He averaged 15.8 points and 11 rebounds per game in two seasons at UAB, earning American Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors both years.

AJ arrives

BYU took a big step in its first season under coach Kevin Young last season by reaching the Sweet 16.

The No. 8 Cougars have even higher expectations this season after landing Dybantsa.

The nation’s No. 1 recruit had nearly every major program jockeying for his services but chose to play in Provo. The athletic 6-9 forward is an efficient scorer who finishes strong at the rim, has a good midrange game and is a superb defender — attributes that have him projected as a potential No. 1 NBA draft pick.

Condon returns

Condon announced he was heading to the NBA draft after Florida’s national championship last season before changing his mind.

The 6-11 Australian averaged 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while leading Gators with 49 blocked shots. Condon was superb in the national title game against Houston, finishing with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals, diving for a loose ball in the closing seconds of the 65-63 win.

Condon returned for a chance to lead the Gators to consecutive national titles and helped them earn a No. 3 ranking in the AP preseason poll.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the overwhelming favorites to win the 2025 World Series and become the first repeat champion in a quarter century.

That doesn’t mean they’ve cornered all the talent in this year’s Fall Classic.

In fact, the American League champion Toronto Blue Jays feature two of the top three players heading into the series and nearly half of our top 20.

Let’s dig into the stars — ranking the best of the series participants on how good I think they’ll be in this series and predicting who will take home some superlatives by the time the dust settles.

Top 20 players in the World Series

1. Shohei Ohtani, SP/DH, Dodgers

Ohtani put up a combined 9.4 WAR in the regular season and is a huge favorite to win the National League MVP again. Then, he one-upped himself with one of the greatest athletic performances of all time: six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and three home runs in the clinching game of the NL Championship Series.

2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Blue Jays

Guerrero had a big regular season — 3.9 WAR despite the sixth-worst ball-in-play luck in the league — but has been white hot in the playoffs, leading postseason players in most major offensive categories.

3. George Springer, DH, Blue Jays

Springer led the Jays in WAR in the regular season, has been very good this postseason and his iconic ALCS Game 7 homer will live on.

4. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, SP, Dodgers

All four of the Dodgers’ starting pitchers are on a heater, but Yamamoto was the best of the group in the regular season by a lot and one of the top five pitchers in baseball.

5. Blake Snell, SP, Dodgers

Snell missed the first two-thirds of the season with shoulder inflammation but came back looking as good as ever. He might be on the best run of his career right now, with a 0.86 ERA in three playoff starts and the second-best underlying numbers (xFIP and xERA) in the playoffs among starters, behind Detroit’s Tarik Skubal.

6. Mookie Betts, SS, Dodgers

Betts, a clear future Hall of Famer, is 33 years old and has lost the standout power from his peak years but is still an impact player.

7. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Dodgers

One of the most consistently elite hitters of this era, Freeman just keeps performing — and he has a history of coming up large in the playoffs.

8. Alejandro Kirk, C, Blue Jays

Kirk was quietly the second-best all-around catcher in the league this year behind Seattle’s Cal Raleigh, but isn’t a huge star since his value is largely driven by on-base skills and pitch framing.

9. Max Muncy, 3B, Dodgers

Muncy is surprisingly solid as a baserunner and a defensive third baseman, and he’s always been a dangerous hitter.

10. Tyler Glasnow, SP, Dodgers

Glasnow’s walks crept up during the regular season and the playoffs, but he’s been missing bats as always and is inducing weak contact during his current hot streak.

11. Will Smith, C, Dodgers

Smith hasn’t been very good offensively in the playoffs but had the third-best WAR amongst catchers in the majors this season, behind only Raleigh and Kirk.

12. Ernie Clement, 2B/3B, Blue Jays

Clement posted a quietly solid 3.2 WAR this season, driven mostly by contact and defense, but has gone to another level in the postseason, hitting .429 with almost no ball-in-play luck, due to his 4% strikeout rate. He’s on a heater, but the Dodgers’ staff is the type to possibly end that streak.

13. Daulton Varsho, CF, Blue Jays

Varsho is above average at basically everything on the baseball field but isn’t truly elite at much. He missed time with shoulder and hamstring issues this year but was on track for a career-best 4-ish WAR season.

14. Kevin Gausman, SP, Blue Jays

Gausman posted the 10th-best pitcher WAR in baseball this season but has one of the lowest fastball velocities of pitchers in that range and has been hit around in the playoffs, though his career playoff performances are close to his regular season quality.

15. Tommy Edman, 2B, Dodgers

Edman is a good defender at almost any position but had the 12th-least lucky ball-in-play outcomes this regular season. That luck has turned around in the playoffs.

16. Trey Yesavage, SP, Blue Jays

Like Gausman, Yesavage’s splitter is his best secondary pitch, and he doesn’t have standout fastball velocity or breaking ball quality. That said, Yesavage’s splitter has been confounding hitters in his six career big league appearances, half of which have been in the playoffs.

17. Bo Bichette, SS, Blue Jays

It sounds like Bichette will be able to return to the Jays’ lineup for the World Series, but he’s been out the past six weeks with a knee injury and it’s hard to know what he’ll look like in the short term.

18. Addison Barger, RF, Blue Jays

Barger is usable defensively at a number of positions and broke out this year to be an above-average hitter, mostly due to his power.

19. Andy Pages, CF, Dodgers

Pages hasn’t been terrible at the plate this postseason, but he was a standout hitter (.272 average, 24 homers) and defender (plus-7 runs in 117 starts in center field) in the regular season, en route to 4.0 WAR.

20. Teoscar Hernandez, RF, Dodgers

Hernandez hit for power in the regular season (25 homers) but didn’t draw many walks or stand out defensively. This postseason, he’s been hitting for even more power on a rate basis, so he sneaks on this list.

Superlatives

Fastest pitch of the World Series will be thrown by: Roki Sasaki

Sasaki narrowly wins this matchup with the hardest-thrown pitch among these teams in the playoffs at 100.8 mph, and he’s fresher than Louis Varland (100.7 mph) and can go more max effort than Ohtani (100.3 mph).

Others in the mix: Ohtani

Best breaking pitch will be: Emmet Sheehan‘s slider

Sheehan’s slider was, per pitch thrown, the best pitch on the Dodgers’ staff this season. It doesn’t have a gaudy spin rate or crazy movement but he throws it hard and hitters can’t seem to track it.

Others in the mix: Yariel Rodriguez‘s slider, Braydon Fisher‘s slider, Brendon Little‘s curveball, Jack Dreyer‘s slider, Glasnow’s curveball, Shane Bieber‘s curveball

Best changeup/splitter will be: Yesavage’s splitter

Yesavage offers a unique combination of movement profile (his slider moves to his arm side), a very high arm slot, and short extension which brings his release even higher. Hitters haven’t seen something like this before, then add in a killer splitter (which he barely threw at East Carolina, where he was last season) and hitters don’t know what to do.

Others in the mix: Yamamoto’s splitter, Gausman’s splitter, Snell’s changeup

Most whiffs will be thrown by: Snell

Snell has been red-hot in the postseason (I explain why here) and should get two starts, but there’s a number of strong candidates for this.

Others in the mix: Yamamoto, Yesavage, Glasnow

Hardest hit ball in play will be hit by: Guerrero

The odds for this are as close to 50/50 as you can get. Guerrero (120.4) and Ohtani (120.0 mph) were second and third in max exit velo during the regular season behind Cincinnati’s Oneil Cruz (122.9). Ohtani has a slight edge in playoff max EV at 117.7 to Vlad’s 116.0. I’ll lean to Vlad because he’s been running hotter at the plate and thus will get a few more chances to smoke one at a gaudy number, but Ohtani will be facing a weaker pitching staff, so this is still a coin flip.

Also in the mix: Ohtani

Highest sprint speed will be recorded by: Clement

The other main candidates are part-time players who might get only some chances to open it up on the bases, but I expect Clement to be on base often in the series.

Others in the mix: Hyeseong Kim, Edman, Myles Straw

The batter who will record the most hits: Guerrero

Clement (second in postseason hits with 18) might be held back a bit by the quality of the Dodgers’ pitchers while Guerrero (first in postseason hits with 19) also makes a ton of contact but gets the margin for error of having huge power, too.

Others in the mix: Clement, Nathan Lukes, Betts, Freeman, Springer

Best defender will be: Kirk

If you consider framing to be a part of defensive value (you definitely should) and also factor in positional difficulty (I think you should), then Kirk is the answer. He’ll be impacting roughly half of the pitches in the series and he was the second-best framer in the league behind San Francisco’s Patrick Bailey this regular season.

Others in the mix: Clement, Edman, Betts