Cooper Flagg became the fourth-ever freshman to win the Wooden Award this season, joining Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson. That puts him in rare air. Next up, he will be the No. 1 overall pick to the Dallas Mavericks next Wednesday. We can go ahead and lock that in.
Flagg has been propped up as a generational talent throughout the pre-draft process, and rightfully so. But how does he really stack up with the very best prospects of his generation?
There's not much to dislike about Flagg, a super young, super athletic try-hard who gets after it on every possession, and whose game is preciously short on real weaknesses. That said, he does have some pretty stiff competition among the best of the best draft picks.
Let's rank the last 10 first overall picks in the NBA Draft — and Flagg — to see how the Duke product fares.
11. Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks
The 2024 draft was widely considered the "worst" in recent memory. Every draft evaluation lies in the eye of the beholder, but the 2024 class was uniquely short on true, top-end talent. There were like a dozen prospects with a real case to go No. 1. Zaccharie Risacher emerged as the ~consensus~ pick, but he was 15th on FanSided's board, so there was a wide range of opinions.
Risacher vastly outperformed my expectations as a rookie. He started slow, but finished strong as a sharpshooting wing with impeccable spatial awareness and feel for operating without the basketball. He put some Klay Thompson-like moments on tape, constantly relocating to open space and putting himself in position for a clean look from 3-point range.
All that was evident in his prospect tape overseas, but Risacher's lack of on-ball creation and NBA-level strength led many to fade him as a realistic star bet. He could shoot and defend a few positions, but he was also too skinny to handle physical wings at the point of attack and it was unclear if he would ever develop into anything more than a reasonably efficient play-finisher. He was far and away the worst prospect on this list.
10. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
There was never really a true consensus opinion around Anthony Edwards as the No. 1 pick. A lot of scouts and draft experts like LaMelo Ball for his free-flowing style of play and high skill level. Others favored James Wiseman, the hulking 7-footer with prototypical physical tools and a seemingly endless ceiling.
Edwards got the nod for Minnesota at No. 1, which has aged fantastically. Not only has Edwards performed on par with a typical top pick, he is being billed by many as the next face of the NBA. That said, Edwards was an inefficient volume scorer in college with minimal playmaking feel and a real 'will he, won't he' approach to defense. Sometimes guys improve on weaknesses and dramatically outperform expectations. Edwards the prospect was a lot more flawed than folks seem to remember.
9. Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
Paolo Banchero put up monster numbers at Duke, albeit on lackluster efficiency. There was always tremendous appeal in his archetpye — that of a bruising, 6-foot-9 forward who can bully mismatches and create for teammates — but like Edwards, Banchero wasn't exactly a consensus pick. A half hour before the draft, we all thought Orlando would take Jabari Smith. Chet Holmgren was No. 1 on a lot of boards, and he still may prove to be the best overall player from this class.
Banchero's physical tools and hypothetical ceiling made him a worthwhile pick for the Magic, but he was a bad shooter in college and has only marginally improved at the NBA level. There were real questions about his fit and general IQ on defense, concerns which still persist, even if Orlando's batallion of long, rangy defensive stoppers gives Banchero a nice layer of insulation.
It seems like Banchero is on track to outperform his pre-draft expectations as well. The Magic are looking to join the contenders circle next season, and Banchero will be leading the charge. That said, he was a deeply flawed prospect with plenty of red flags to counterbalance the obvious athletic gifts.
8. Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns
In all fairness, Deandre Ayton never should've been the No. 1 pick. He looked the part of course, with a gaping 7-foot-6 wingspan and a frame that resembles the great Grecian statues of yore. But anyone who turned on a Real Madrid game that season knew Luka Dončić was a generational talent. He was the most accomplished European teenager ever and if he wasn't a plodding white guy from Europe, he would've been the overwhelming favorite atop draft boards.
Still, Ayton was a tremendous prospect in his own right. The defense at Arizona was quite poor metrically, but anyone with his tools projected reasonably well on that end. Naturally, he obliterated college competition offensively, with a blend of brute strength and finesse post skills that made him a walking mismatch in Arizona's favor. Ayton's NBA career has fallen by the wayside in recent years, but he was an elite talent, with unfair expectations foisted upon him due to NBA teams' (and mainstream draft evaluators') inability to see the obvious with Dončić.
7. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
Cade Cunningham was not without his red flags — primarily averaging 4.0 turnovers to 3.5 assists — but any 6-foot-7 point guard shooting 40 percent on 3s and working the mid-range like Cunningham was always going to play well at the next level.
There were plenty of avid Jalen Green and Evan Mobley fans leading up to the 2021 draft, but Cunningham was far and away the top prospect, despite leading a mediocre Oklahoma State team. Cunningham perfectly encapsulates what the modern NBA is all about. That intersection of size, skill and feel is why Detroit is back in the playoffs, with a real chance to build toward something special.
6. Markelle Fultz, Philadelphia 76ers
Pour one out for the best that never was.
You could honestly mount a strong case to bump Markelle Fultz up a few spots on this list. His NBA demise is well documented by now, but folks forget just how special Fultz was at Washington. He was earning comparisons to James Harden while James Harden was at his absolute peak. And the thing is, those comps were totally valid.
Fultz was the total package for a guard prospect, with elite size, incredible fluidity and a deadeye jumper. His ability to manipulate defenders as a ball-handler was next to none. Fultz was strong enough to finish through contact at the rim, tall enough to stick jumpers with a hand in his face, and shifty enough to create separation whenever he wanted. The footwork was textbook. The jumper was pure as filtered water.
What happened after the draft has nothing to do with Fultz as a prospect. He got some bad advice, hurt his shoulder, and lost all confidence in his scoring. But if you're ever looking for a fun way to kill time on a random week night, turn on some old Markelle Fultz Huskies highlights and rejoice.
5. Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
Ben Simmons was billed as the next Magic Johnson. The Sixers' knack for landing point guards with a complete aversion to shooting 3s should be studied, but Simmons didn't really need the 3 like Fultz did. He was a 6-foot-10 missile — one of the fastest players in the NBA upon his arrival, with the athleticism and basketball IQ to earn praise on par with LeBron James.
It hasn't really worked out, but Simmons was a historically dominant rookie and a three-time All-Star by his fourth season, so let's not pretend like this was a complete misfire. That infamous missed layup in the 2021 Eastern Conference semis and the mental and physical hurdles that followed are a freak development. Totally unpredictable. Simmons was a prolific playmaker and an elite defender at his peak, providing top-20 value for a team consistently knocking on the door of title contention.
He was a non-shooter at LSU and a mostly tuned-out defender, and there may have been a few red flags about his "commitment to winning" or whatever, but point blank — Ben Simmons was an elite prospect. Don't get it twisted.
4. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
Karl-Anthony Towns only averaged 10.3 points in 21.1 minutes at Kentucky, which is quite mediocre on the surface. But he played on a super-stacked roster, for a Wildcats team that finished a historically dominant 38-1. He was always far better than the raw counting stats, with a game that has predicated much of what makes the "modern" NBA modern.
KAT didn't shoot as well in college as he has in the NBA, but a rangy 7-footer comfortable stepping out to the 3-point line, attacking closeouts with his handle and scoring from all areas of the floor was still a fairly novel concept in 2015. Towns has never been an elite defender, which has been a problem at times in his NBA career, but the offensive skill level and versatility remains almost unmatched historically for his position.
3. Cooper Flagg, (soon to be) Dallas Mavericks
Cooper Flagg experienced historic levels of success at Duke, where he arrived as a 17-year-old with uncommon pedigree. He trained with Team USA ahead of the 2024 Olympics before he even achieved legal adult status. The Newport, Maine native has long been known as a fiery competitor. Rarely do such talented teenagers exert so much effort across the board. Flagg takes every defensive matchup personally. He dives for loose balls. And sells out for stops. And, on top of that, he's an unbelievably gifted offensive player, with a level of size, skill and IQ we rarely see in tandem.
Flagg has never let the pedastal he stands on hold him back. There is no lackluster defense to lampoon, no lack self-awareness nor self-aggrandizing ego. He scores efficiently at all three levels, he made major strides as a facilitator at Duke, and he's a future All-Defense candidate on the wing. Invest with confidence.
2. Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
It has been a complicated NBA tenure for Zion Williamson, who electrified college basketball fans with a never-before-seen combination of power and finesse in the frontcourt. We still don't have a real point of comparison for Zion's athletic profile. He was a 6-foot-6, 280-pound forward with the downhill burst of John Wall and the finishing force of Shaq.
Zion's defense was never a consistent factor at Duke, which has proven more problematic in the NBA. There's no doubting his ability to defend — Zion can blow up passing lanes, touch the sky for blocks and move his feet plenty well on the perimeter — but the effort just isn't there. It wasn't there at Duke either, but folks thought he might flip the switch in the NBA.
Still, Zion is probably the best offensive prospect since LeBron James. He was a walking paint touch and an absurdly efficient finisher at the rim for a player his size. Injuries have held Zion back in the NBA, but we've still seen him sniff his MVP ceiling when he's operating at full strength.
1. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
Duh.
When discussing the greatest prospects of all time, the conversation tends to revolve around Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James. Victor Wembanyama earned comparisons to both, we many proclaiming him — bare minimum — as the greatest prospect since LeBron walked across the stage in 2003.
Wemby is just an absurd physical anomaly, standing 7-foot-4 with elite dexterity and mobility for the center position. He's a black hole on defense, devouring anything in his orbit. Even when he's beat on the perimeter, Wemby can recover and turn that loss into a win. Testing him at the rim, even on the perimeter, is a daring quest. One not to be taken lightly.
Offensively, he can spray 3s, create off the dribble and score from all areas of the floor. He has dealt with a few efficiency quirks in the NBA, but Wemby was always going to shoot and shoot it well. Moreover, he's an easy lob target with the widest catch radius in the NBA.
As great as Cooper Flagg and Zion Williamson were, the Duke products can't hold a candle to the lanky big man from Metropolitans 92 in France.
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NBA news roundup:
- Pascal Siakam (16 PTS, 13 REB), Obi Toppin (20 PTS) and T.J. McConnell (12 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST) led the way for Indiana in a shocking Game 6 blowout. Tyrese Haliburton battled admirably through a severe calf injury and the Pacers put the 68-win game Thunder on the brink as this series shifts back to OKC one last time.
- Ace Bailey canceled his planned pre-draft workout with the 76ers. ESPN's Jason Dumas reports that Bailey insisted on a guarantee from Philadelphia at No. 3. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line refutes that. Either way, the Rutgers star has not worked out with an NBA team yet and the draft is less than a week away, so... who knows what his goal is?
- Jeanie Buss has sold the Lakers to Mark Walter, the billionaire owner of the LA Dodgers, at a $10 billion valuation. Expect a more liquid front office in the years to come, with Buss still serving as Lakers governor for the foreseeable future.