Duke’s freshman superstar, Cooper Flagg, already has heavy expectations set for him once he enters the NBA. He is widely considered the top prospect this season and is already drawing interesting comparisons from a few NBA executives. Some are going as far as to compare him to Jayson Tatum, Kawhi Leonard, and even NBA legend, Scottie Pippen. However, there are still some concerns from an offensive upside standpoint.
“Both of them at Duke presented really positively as guys that were going to have a couple of off-ramps to be super successful,” said a Western Conference executive about the Tatum comparison. “We’re seeing that with Flagg recently, he’s had poor shooting nights like against [Alabama in the Elite Eight], and still was super impactful [toward] winning. People questioned both of their shots, which turned out to be a silly concern, probably. They both have really good feel offensively in a way that’s just uncommon for their size and usage.”
“I say Scottie because he could have been a number guy, and was after MJ left [Chicago], but he became by far the best number two,” said an Eastern Conference general manager. “I think Cooper will be a hell of a number 10, but he might need a top 10 [player] running mate with him. He can obviously prove me wrong, but I don’t see him as a number one on a championship team in his career.”
Another NBA scout had this to say about Cooper Flagg.
“[Flagg]’s really good defensively and can be a game changer on that end pretty much immediately with his size, effort and IQ,” said the scout. “He’s always been a very good defender and the offense is coming along. It’s a very similar path to the one Kawhi was on early in his NBA career, as a guy who had all these really useful qualities, and then entered as a real two-way force as he rounded out his game.”
Cooper Flagg and the Duke Blue Devils are currently preparing to play in the upcoming Final Four.
Cooper Flagg Expected to be the First Pick in the NBA Draft
His Career at Duke
Flagg has had a sensational season at Duke. He has averaged 18.9 points, 7.5 total rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Flagg has also been efficient from the field logging shooting splits of 48.3 percent from the field, 37.4 percent from three-point territory, and 83.4 percent from the free-throw line. Flagg’s collegiate resume also boasts plenty of accomplishments. He is the ACC Rookie of the Year, a Consensus All-American, and the ACC Player of the Year. With numbers and a resume like this, it is clear why Cooper Flagg is considered the top prospect going into the 2025 NBA Draft. Teams such as the Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, and the Utah Jazz have to be salivating at the possibility of adding him to their respective rosters.
