Duke power forward Cooper Flagg, projected to be the number one overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and 12 games into his college career, has done little to dissuade people of that notion. Thus far, he's averaged an impressive 16.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game, showing his versatility as a prospect.
While his stats don't compare favorably to other recent American first-overall picks such as Zion Williamson or Anthony Davis, there is an important caveat. Flagg literally just turned 18 years old and is one of the youngest draft prospects ever. Once drafted, he will have played nearly a season and a half before turning 20. That hints at major untapped potential that should leave NBA teams salivating.
Flagg is seen as a stellar two-way prospect, especially on the defensive end, where he is putting up one of the best defensive box plus/minus in college basketball history. In fact, he is on pace to have the 17th-best DBPM in college basketball history.
Considering how many players have played college ball, that is impressive to say the least. Averaging nearly three stocks per game is an impressive feat and proves that he is worth the hype even this early on in his college career.
NBA Draft: Can Duke power forward Cooper Flagg live up to the hype?
While Flagg has competition to be the number one overall pick in next year's draft, assuming that he continues to play at this level, then one lucky team could have their fortunes changed. The Washington Wizards currently have the worst record in the NBA, and while they would only share the top odds for the number one overall pick.
They are in desperate need of a franchise player. Flagg possesses the type of skill on both sides of the ball that could make him a go-to scorer and a game-changing defender for more than a decade, a la Davis.
With so much at stake for struggling teams, they may have an incentive to tank to try and better their lottery odds. The same thing occurred two seasons ago with San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanama.
The season before that draft, there were several NBA teams that bottomed out to try and land him, but only the Spurs were lucky enough to do so. Flagg isn't quite on his level as a prospect, but being a step below what some have called the greatest prospect ever still makes Flagg a potentially great one.
Ultimately, Flagg's college career at Duke is off to a promising start, reinforcing the hype surrounding him as a player. If he can keep that up and if he lands in the right spot, he could make an immediate difference for a struggling team for years to come.