Image courtesy of YouTube
Cooper Flagg being the number one pick of the 2025 NBA Draft is the worst-kept secret in basketball. The Duke Blue Devils youngster is such a hot favorite to be picked first that several NBA online betting sites have stopped taking bets on it happening. Those that are accepting wagers price Flagg’s name being first out of the hat at between -6600 and -10000. So, while it is nailed on that Flagg will be first picked, is he really as good as the hype surrounding him suggests, and where will he call home in the NBA?
Let us address that first question: Is Flagg as good as the hype suggests? Yes is the short answer; Flagg is a superstar in the making, a player destined to reach the upper echelons of the NBA. The Maine native is only 18, and a lot can happen as a boy transforms into a man, but everything points to the 2025 National College Player of the Year achieving basketball greatness.
Flagg’s Rise Through The Ranks
The signs were there for all to see when Flagg was a Nokomis Regional High School freshman. Flagg helped Nokomis win the Class A state championship, finishing his freshman season averaging 20.5 points, 10 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 3.7 steals, and 3.7 blocks per game. Those incredible numbers resulted in Flagg becoming the first freshman named the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year.
Flagg continued developing after transferring to Monteverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, at the end of his freshman year of high school. Flagg was not short of college offers but signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Duke Blue Devils in November 2023, during the early signing period. In 2024, the 6ft 9in Flagg was named Gatorade National Player of the Year, Mr. Basketball USA, and the Naismith Prep Player of the Year and finished as the highest-rated recruit of the 2024 class.
A Single Season of Brilliance for the Blue Devils
Image courtesy of Duke Athletics
If people had not heard of Flagg before his college days, they certainly have now. Flagg helped the Blue Devils to the ACC Regular Season title and reach the Final Four of March Madness. Through 37 games and starts, Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. Additionally, he enjoyed a .385 three-pointer percentage and a .481 field-goal percentage.
Understandably, he was named the ACC Rookie of the Year and the ACC Player of the Year. Only Marvin Bagley III, Jahlil Okafor, and Zion Williamson have won both awards in the same season in the conference’s history.
ESPN college basketball analyst and former coach Fran Fraschilla knows a thing or two about basketball. He has been singing Flagg’s praises for some time now, but a tweet he posted on the social media platform X was full of superlatives.
“Studying Duke Cooper Flagg this morning for NBA Draft & he’s even better than I thought,” tweeted Fraschilla. He went on to state that Flagg is “made for NBA offenses” and called him an “open court assassin.” High praise, indeed.
Where Will Flagg Land?
The hype surrounding Flagg is not far from the furor caused by Frenchman Victor Wembanyama in 2023. The San Antonio Spurs got their hands on “Wemby,” who went on to win the coveted Rookie of the Year award.
Whoever secures Flagg’s signature has one of the hottest prospects ever on their hands. The 14 teams that do not make the playoffs have a chance to land the number-one pick, and we all know Flagg will be it. The three teams with the worst regular season records have the highest chance of winning the number-one pick. Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, and Charlotte Hornets are currently that trio; each has a 14% chance of landing Flagg.
The draft lottery determines the order of the first 14 picks. A lottery machine randomly selects four numbered ping-pong balls to reveal a four-number combination. The team that has that combination assigned receives the first pick. This process continues for the first four picks, with the remaining picks determined on teams’ regular-season records, in reverse order.
Obviously, the lottery system makes it challenging to predict where Flagg will embark on his professional career. That said, no team in their right mind would pick anyone other than Flagg if they are fortunate enough to win the 2025 NBA Draft lottery.
Who Are the Other Highly-Rated Draft Picks?
With so much hype, rightly, surrounding Flagg, it is easy to forget that some talented players are up for grabs during the 2025 NBA Draft. Rutgers Scarlet Knights’ Dylan Harper is just one of those supremely talented individuals. Harper will likely be the number-one guard option during the draft and most likely to be the second pick behind Flagg.
When, not if, Harper is selected, he will become the third member of his family to play in the NBA. His older brother, Ron Harper Jr, played for the Toronto Raptors, and his father, Ron Harper Sr, enjoyed a 16-year career.
Ace Bailey is another name to watch on June 25, when the first round of the draft occurs. The 6ft 10in small forward is a polarizing figure due to some less-than-stellar statistics, but Bailey is still only 18 and has an incredibly high ceiling to go with his impressive physique and court presence.
And let’s not forget about Baylor’s V.J. Edgecombe, a highly athletic individual. Edgecombe is an elite-level defender who made 32 dunks in 31 games. Although his shotmaking remains a little on the streaky side, the Bahamian should massively improve once the NBA coaches put an arm around him.
Exciting Times for Basketball Fans
The NBA Draft is always exciting for basketball fans, and the lottery aspect adds more drama to the proceedings. On June 25, when the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft takes place, all eyes will be on the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Flagg is all but guaranteed to be the first player selected, but who will obtain the signature of one of the hottest prospects the game has ever seen? We do not have long to wait to find out.
