While he's certainly not a lock on the level of Victor Wembanyama, Cooper Flagg sure looks like he'll be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. He held pole position coming into this college basketball season and only improved his stock, averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game for the best team in the country.
He's 6-foot-9 with plus athleticism and a terrific motor. He's an absolute impact player at both ends of the floor who can defend multiple positions and fill multiple roles on offense. His outside shot was the biggest question mark coming into the season and he hit 36.8 percent from beyond the arc. Not elite but certainly good enough.
Flagg sprained his ankle in the ACC Tournament but will reportedly be ready to go as Duke kicks off their NCAA Tournament schedule Friday at 2:50 p.m. ET against Mount St. Mary's. A potential second-round matchup with Baylor and fellow top prospect VJ Edgecombe would give Flagg another chance to show out.
There are other contenders for the first pick, but he's been the No. 1 prospect on draft expert Chris Kline's Big Board all season and for good reason. The bigger question at this point is which NBA team is going to end up with the No. 1 pick.
Which team has the best odds at the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft?
If the NBA season ended today, here's how the odds would look heading into the NBA Draft Lottery.
PICK | TEAM | RECORD | Top 4 PICK% | No. 1 PICK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Wizards | 15-53 | 52.1% | 14.0% |
2 | Jazz | 16-54 | 52.1% | 14.0% |
3 | Hornets | 17-51 | 52.1% | 14.0% |
4 | Pelicans | 19-51 | 48.1% | 12.5% |
5 | 76ers | 23-46 | 39.9% | 9.8% |
6 | Nets | 23-46 | 39.5% | 9.7% |
7 | Raptors | 24-45 | 31.9% | 7.5% |
8 | Heat | 29-40 | 23.5% | 5.3% |
9 | Bulls | 29-40 | 23.1% | 5.2% |
10 | Spurs | 29-39 | 13.9% | 3.0% |
11 | Trail Blazers | 31-39 | 9.4% | 2.0% |
12 | Mavs | 33-37 | 6.2% | 1.3% |
13 | Rockets (via PHX) | 33-37 | 5.7% | 1.2% |
14 | Hawks (via SAC) | 35-33 | 2.4% | 0.5% |
Both the Wizards and Hornets finished in the bottom three of the NBA standings last season as well, giving them the best odds for the No. 1 pick, only to be leapfrogged by the Hawks. There are also three teams in this group — the Jazz, Mavs and Heat — who have never held the No. 1 pick in any NBA Draft, with the Jazz holding the best chance of escaping infamy this year.
At this point, there's no reason to think any of these teams would prefer Flagg more or less than any other, but all situations are not created equal. The 76ers would be an extremely interesting scenario, plugging Flagg into a lineup that, with some health, could bounce back and be a contender next season. The Pelicans aren't quite at that level but are another team with a lot of talent who found themselves in the lottery primarily because of injury luck.
One other fun but wildly unlikely scenario is the Spurs bouncing up to No. 1. They've arguably won the last two drafts, landing the No. 1 pick in 2023 and selecting Victor Wembanyama. They then took Stephon Castle at No. 4 last season and have watched him build a strong case as the Rookie of the Year. Putting Flagg onto that roster, with De'Aaron Fox and the rest of their young core, could rapidly accelerate their turn toward contention.