Cooper Flagg has officially been named ACC Player of the Year (and Rookie of the Year) after a historically dominant freshman campaign for the Duke Blue Devils.
It has been a truly impressive showcase for the projected No. 1 overall pick, who arrived in Durham at 17 years old and immediately carved out a starring role in Jon Scheyer's offense. The Blue Devils, smartly, put an outsized load on Flagg's plate from the beginning, forcing him to overcome past limitations and develop into a bonafide playmaking fulcrum.
Flagg checks just about every box for NBA front offices. He's a rangy, hard-nosed defender who often out-hustles players with half his talent. There is also a craving for players in his archetype — the 6-foot-9, do-it-all forward with a bankable 3-point shot, a high basketball IQ, and the physicality to score efficiently around the basket.
Duke has unleashed Flagg in every way, whether he's bombing spot-up jumpers and attacking closeouts, finishing lobs in the dunker spot, or straight up running the offense as a jumbo point guard. He still has a few kinks to iron out, such as navigating pressure as a ball-handler, but Flagg doesn't have too many weaknesses. He feels like a surefire bet to thrive at the next level.
But, what if Flagg shocks the world and returns to Duke? It's not impossible, though it's highly improbable. Flagg has said he'd like to return to Durham for a sophomore season, and with NIL, he'd make a pretty penny doing so. That said, the amount of money he'd be sacrificing long term — essentially tacking on another year before he reaches his second and third NBA contracts — would be substantial.
Flagg is almost guaranteed to commit to the draft and come off the board No. 1 overall, but Duke fans continue to hold out hope. Bovada gives Flagg better odds of returning to Duke (+290) than playing for either the Charlotte Hornets (+550) or the Washington Wizards (+550) next season. That is also part of the equation. What if Flagg doesn't like his randomly prescribed NBA destination and decides to put off the draft for another year?
That, again, will not happen. But what if it did? It's fun to think about, as the implications on the 2025 NBA Draft would be vast.
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Projected NBA Draft Lottery if Cooper Flagg returns to Duke
Order | Player | Team | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dylan Harper | Washington Wizards | G | Rutgers |
2 | VJ Edgecombe | Utah Jazz | G | Baylor |
3 | Ace Bailey | Charlotte Hornets | F | Rutgers |
4 | Kasparas Jakucionis | New Orleans Pelicans | G | Illinois |
5 | Khaman Maluach | Toronto Raptors | C | Duke |
6 | Collin Murray-Boyles | Philadelphia 76ers | F | South Carolina |
7 | Jeremiah Fears | Brooklyn Nets | G | Oklahoma |
8 | Tre Johnson | San Antonio Spurs | G | Texas |
9 | Derik Queen | Chicago Bulls | C | Maryland |
10 | Kon Knueppel | Portland Trail Blazers | F | Duke |
11 | Liam McNeeley | Miami Heat | F | UConn |
12 | Noa Essengue | Houston Rockets (via PHX) | F | France |
13 | Jase Richardson | Dallas Mavericks | G | Michigan State |
14 | Thomas Sorber | Atlanta Hawks (via SAC) | C | Georgetown |
With Cooper Flagg off the board, Dylan Harper is the No. 1 overall pick
While VJ Edgecombe has made this more of a debate than ever before, Dylan Harper feels like the consensus top prospect behind Cooper Flagg. He becomes a logical selection for Washington at No. 1 with Flagg out of the mix.
The Wizards, as with most tanking teams, still need that foundational star to build around. Harper, at 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds, offers the unique versatility of a point guard in a wing's body, guarding up and down the positional spectrum on defense while also creating consistent paint touches as a ball-handler and posing a varied threat out of pick-and-rolls.
VJ Edgecombe and Ace Bailey continue to duke it out for next-best prospect
VJ Edgecombe is the No. 3 prospect on FanSided's draft board (No. 2, if Flagg returns to school). The Baylor product has been on fire the second half of this season, upping his 3-point rate while scoring prolifically on bursty drives to the cup. He has also come a long way with his passing. While Edgecombe is not a natural point guard, he makes strong decisions in the flow of the offense and can leverage his rim pressure to set up teammates.
There should be others in the mix with Ace Bailey, but the Rutgers forward maintains a strong national consensus as a top-four prospect. He's a shot-making wizard at 6-foot-10, with enough tools to one day become a high-level defensive playmaker in the frontcourt. It's not hard to understand the appeal. He has longer to go than others in this range, but if it all comes together, Bailey's ceiling reaches as high as anybody's in this range.
Duke still has two lottery prospects without Cooper Flagg
Flagg's return would shock the NBA world and elate Duke fans, but don't think for a moment that Duke wouldn't be well represented in the 2025 draft. Both Khaman Maluach and Kon Knueppel feel like lottery locks, with Maluach in particular gunning for a potential top-five selection.
Maluach, at 7-foot-2 and 250 pounds, has every physical tool you could dream of at the center position. He's a fluid mover with coordination on finishes around the rim and touch out to the 3-point line, on occasion. There's a world in which he's a longtime DPOY candidate with a diverse offensive skill set, which should become easier for front offices to envision as Maluach expands his repertoire in pre-draft workouts.
Knueppel, meanwhile, just has a basket of intangibles that NBA front offices and coaches will latch onto. He's not a special athlete, but he's a special shooter with a hard competitive edge and a high basketball IQ. Duke has no problems letting Knueppel run the occasional pick-and-roll either. He's a strong, crafty ball-handler for a wing, with the court vision to rifle live-dribble passes to an open shooter or a diving big. He feels like a strong role player bet with an even higher ceiling tied to his feel and skill level.