Based on the hype he’s received and the words thrown around about his talent, the competition for [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] seems to revolve around ghosts more than other college basketball players.
The debates, to this point, haven’t been whether Flagg is better than any other freshman in his class. The questions have been whether he’s the best prospect since Zion Williamson or Anthony Davis, looking at the last decade of No. 1 picks.
On Friday, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo released an early 2025 NBA mock draft, and while the duo had Flagg go first overall to the Detroit Pistons, they did take a second to break down whether the future Duke star’s a lock to be the first player off the board.
Givony espoused praise for Flagg’s ability on both ends of the floor. His athleticism has always been his selling point, but the longtime NBA draft writer circled an improved jump shot as a reason for even more optimism. However, even with that considered, he mentioned Rutgers commits Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper as potential threats to his status.
“Some NBA teams say they have Harper ranked No. 1 in the 2025 class, but others are enamored with Bailey’s upside,” Givony wrote. “However, most are sticking with the status quo with Flagg as the early favorite since he’s clearly the most accomplished of the group.”
Givony said the pressure on Flagg once the 2024-25 season kicks off will be intense, but as of June, there seems to be no reason to think he won’t be the top player on the board in 12 months.