Cooper Flagg is trending as one of the best NBA Draft prospects in modern history

The NBA had a hunch that Cooper Flagg would be a future superstar long before he ever put on a Duke jersey. Due to NBA interest, Flagg decided to reclassify and essentially skipped his senior year of high school to enroll in college at age 17. It was at the request of the NBA that he arrived at USA Basketball's training camp this summer, where he famously outperformed the world's best players in a scrimmage before the Paris Olympics.

Flagg was pre-ordained as the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft before he even set foot on campus, but that was just part of the hype. All he had to do to live up to the overwhelming expectations was to establish himself as one of the best players in the country despite being one of the youngest players in the sport and lead the team to success. It was just to promote. Threading the needle should be nearly impossible for someone his age, but with the calendar turning to 2025, Flagg has no doubts he can pull it off.

Duke has won 10 straight games thanks to the performance of its superstar freshman and is ranked No. 3 in the new AP poll. Flagg's last game was his best yet: ACC freshman scores 42 points in victory notre dame cathedral highlighted by others stupid poster slamhotter shooting from 3-point range, and an incredible passing display that tied him for a season-high in assists.

Flagg looked like he belonged from his first game at Duke, but he didn't always live up to the “generational” tag. Things seem to have changed since he celebrated his 18th birthday on December 21st. The flag numbers around birthdays are as follows.

It's also unfair to say that 18 is a “normal” age for new students. This is because in recent years, there have been many first-shot passes higher than that in the NBA Draft. For example, Flagg is 17 months younger than Baylor University's VJ Edgecomb. He was also a lottery pick in June's draft after his freshman year.

Nothing says that producing a work that dwarfs the competition from a young age will make you a future star. Flagg is the process of achieving all the potential successes in college basketball over the past two decades. Box score plus/minus is a metric that estimates a player's contribution when he is on the floor. Since 2008, 21 freshmen have exceeded BPM 10 in a single season. Flagg's current mark of 14.3 ranks him as the fifth-highest in that group. He is by far the youngest player on this list to play his freshman year.

The only players with a higher BPM than Flagg this year are Auburn senior Joni Bloom and Houston junior Emmanuel Sharp. Flagg also ranks third in the nation in win shares and leads the nation in defensive win shares. by Sports Reference. He's not only good as a freshman; He should rightfully be the runner-up for National Player of the Year behind Bloom. Bloom may win outright due to his recent ankle injury, but that's only what Zion Williamson, Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant accomplished as freshmen.

Flagg is unique among super prospects in that he's not exactly a scorer, or at least not yet. Instead, Flagg is an elite defensive prospect and also a very good offensive player with versatility.

Duke's defense currently ranks second in the nation, allowing just 87.8 points per 100 possessions. Flags are chess pieces that can become any defensive elite. At 6'9 and with a 7-foot wingspan, the freshman can move between wing stopper, off-ball roamer, rim protector, and pick-and-roll detonator. He has an incredible combination of length, athleticism, smarts, and athleticism, all of which combine to produce game-changing plays on a daily basis.

Flagg's versatility and defensive edge unlocks so many potential team-building avenues. Do you have a center that is very good offensively but a little soft as a rim protector? Flagg is the perfect four for them. Are your twos and threes struggling to contain the ball at the point of attack? Flags could also be in on it. Smaller, super-fast ball handlers can sometimes beat him off the bounce, but Flagg has incredible recovery tools to wipe out shots even if someone gets away from him. .

Offensively, Flagg is still only an average shooter and ball handler, but he contributes in many other areas. Duke shoots frequently with Flagg in possession, which led to some tough moments, but should be great for long-term development. Overall, Flagg has performed very well in his role. He has a very high usage rate of 30.9% and is above average scoring efficiency, posting a shooting percentage of 58.3% and an impressive assist rate of 25.5%.

Flagg's efficiency numbers look much better in a play-finishing role where his length, athleticism, and athleticism help him win consistently. Flagg, whose creative skills seem to improve every week, also has great versatility on offense. He will be an incredible finisher when he masters the tools. Increased creativity will eventually take him to the next stratosphere.

Flagg may only be a 34.5 percent 3-point shooter right now, but he has the balance and mechanics to be a better shooter in the future.

As a scorer, Flagg is too big and athletic for most individual defenders. He's a burden to deal with on the downhill, and he's explosive enough to get close to the basket as soon as he creates an advantage.

The fact that Flagg keeps his eyes up while driving may be the most appealing part of his long-term potential. Flagg's dream as a jumbo playmaker has always felt like a north star for his development, but the truth is he's closer to it now than many expected. Look at this lob to teammate (and future lottery pick) Carman Maruaha.

I've been lucky enough to cover the NBA Draft for SB Nation since 2013 (feel free to revisit my old combine reports on Rudy Gobert, Zach LaVine, and Dennis Schroder). The only prospect I could reliably beat Flagg at that time was Victor Wembaneyama, who I was casually giving a Kareem comp to a year after his draft date. I think Luka Doncic probably has an advantage over Flagg as well. Prospect Zion Williamson also deserves to be in this tier, even if he hasn't lived up to expectations due to body injuries and struggles with conditioning.

Flagg deserves to be in the same breath as all of these studs ahead of super prospects like Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Paolo Banchero, and Chet Holmgren. The numbers speak for themselves. Cooper Flagg is already very good.

As much as Dylan Harper did at Rutgers, Flagg deserves to sit in the same class as him in the 2025 NBA Draft. He's a promising type that's definitely worth acquiring, as whoever acquires him will be acquiring a queen-like chess piece that can be moved around the board.

It's hard to live up to expectations when you have as much hype as Flagg, but so far he's doing just that. Prospects like Flagg don't come along very often, so sit back and enjoy watching talent like this grace the college level.