2025 NBA Draft: There is no legitimate argument that Cooper Flagg shouldn’t go No. 1 overall

2025 NBA Draft: There is no legitimate argument that Cooper Flagg shouldn’t go No. 1 overall

We are over four months away from the 2025 NBA Draft, with the two-day event beginning on June 25. Heck, we’re still a month away from the granddaddy tournament of them all: The NCAA Tournament.

It’s never too early to talk about the draft, and this class is expected to be loaded. One of the players who will be under the spotlight is Duke sensation Cooper Flagg, the overwhelming favorite to go No. 1 overall.

While Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, Kasparas Jakucionis and VJ Edgecombe have all impressed, there isn’t any legitimate argument to take them over Flagg, who put together another remarkable performance Saturday in just 28 minutes against Stanford.

The 6-foot-9 forward tallied 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting and 3-of-6 from 3-point range with five rebounds, six assists and two steals.

Cooper Flagg Highlights vs Stanford 😈🌲 pic.twitter.com/fiqLCFAd4n

— DukeLights 𝕏 (@DukeLightsX) February 16, 2025

Duke has dominated the ACC this season, and Flagg is the biggest reason why–even though the team is loaded with talent with potential top-10 pick Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach and Tyrese Proctor.

There aren’t very many that live up to the hype. He’s been in the national spotlight since his freshman year of high school and was touted as the best Team USA Select Team player alongside other pros before he even stepped foot at Duke. Yet, he’s superseded expectations–and he’s only continuing to get better.

In conference play, he’s averaged 22.1 points, 67 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.5 steals and one block on 53.5 percent shooting, including 46.4 percent from 3-point range (4.0 3PA) and 85.3 percent from the free-throw line. His shooting and his ballhandling in traffic were his two biggest knocks early in the season. But Flagg has done nothing but shore up those deficiencies while being the head of the snake for the nation’s fourth-best defense.

He doesn’t quite have the burden to create that Bailey or Harper has given the talent Duke has. But he’s still exceptional at creating his own shot and has developed into a true three-level scoring threat. Though Flagg also has an excellent feel for the game and takes care of the ball well for a player who sports a 31.0 usage percentage.

Can Cooper Flagg Lead Duke To A National Title?

Not to mention, the 6-foot-9 forward turns 19 in December and will become the second-youngest player ever to be drafted. None of this is to disparage the aforementioned prospects–multiple of them have the potential to be franchise-altering prospects–but Flagg wasn’t eligible to vote in last year’s presidential cycle and is the best player in college basketball.

Flagg is hyper-competitive and has adjusted to the college game as well as anyone–and he’s only getting started. Should he declare, he should be the undisputed No. 1 pick.

If you’re not going to listen to me, listen to Karl.

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