Cooper Flagg's inevitable NBA Draft decision has every lottery team crossing its fingers

While the NBA playoffs are underway, the 14 teams that aren't participating in the postseason have their eyes on a different prize. In a move that was inevitable, Duke freshman Cooper Flagg officially declared for the NBA Draft to become the most hyped collegiate prospect since Zion Williamson in 2019.

While Flagg couldn't get the Blue Devils to a national title in his only year in Durham, Duke benefitted greatly from his presence. Head coach Jon Scheyer sung Flagg's praises in a video posted to Duke's social media account, offering some NBA fans who don't regularly keep up with the college game with a look at what makes Flagg so special.

Flagg made an impact all over the floor as a freshman, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 48.1 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from beyond-the-arc. There have been some lofty NBA comparisons for Flagg, with ESPN's Jeremy Woo compiling a report with takes from NBA scouts that say Flagg can play like Kawhi Leonard or Scottie Pippen at the next level.

Everyone would love to get Cooper Flagg

With more of the league's top players staying with their current teams on big dollar extensions instead of testing free agency, the draft is the best place for a team to land a potentially franchise-changing talent. While Williamson hasn't quite lived up to the hype at the NBA level due to his injury issues, NBA teams can hope Flagg has a transformative impact on their rosters like Victor Wembenyama has had with the San Antonio Spurs.

The top contenders to land Flagg are the Utah Jazz, Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards, each of whom has a 14 percent chance to snag the top pick from the lottery. Next in line would be New Orleans (12.5 percent), Philadelphia (10.5%) and Brooklyn (9 percent), with odds diminishing from there based on how teams finished the regular season and Play-In Tournament.

Anyone who watched Flagg play in the collegiate ranks saw his ability to make an instant impact on both ends of the floor, which should make Flagg a cornerstone piece for whichever team is fortunate enough to land him with the top pick. Any of the top three teams could use a player like Flagg to accelerate their rebuilds while the most intriguing lottery scenario would be if the 76ers win it and can add Flagg to a roster that already has three stars in Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey.

The NBA's Draft lottery is scheduled for May 12th, which will tell us where Flagg's home will be once the order of the top 14 picks is revealed. Teams with the best odds to win the lottery have claimed the top pick in eight of the past 10 drafts, although the team with the worst record (in this case Utah) hasn't gotten the top pick since 2018, when Phoenix took DeAndre Ayton at No. 1.

The league flattened the odds for the top pick in 2019, allotting 14 percent odds to each of the top three teams and expanding the lottery to cover the top four picks to combat rampant tanking in the manner of the 76ers' infamous "Process" that helped them land Embiid and Ben Simmons in short order.

The only drafts over the past decade that produced a winner who didn't have the highest odds to get a top pick were in 2019 (when the New Orleans Pelicans had a six percent chance and landed Williamson) and 2024 (when the Atlanta Hawks had a three percent chance and took Zaccharie Risacher). Time will tell if another long shot has some lottery luck or if Flagg should prepare to begin his NBA career in either Utah, Washington or Charlotte.