Cooper Flagg isn't just a great NBA Draft prospect. He's one of the best NBA Draft prospects in recent memory: The 6-foot-9 phenom has been penciled in at No. 1 overall in this summer's draft since before he even stepped foot on Duke's campus, and all he's done since is average 19.6 points per game to go with 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks on nearly 50-percent shooting for arguably the best team in the country. As good as we hoped he'd be coming out of high school, he's somehow been even better.
NBA teams are currently scrambling over themselves to tank for his services, and he's proven everything he can and then some at the collegiate level. So of course there's no chance that Flagg is anything but one and done in Durham, right? Well, Flagg himself doesn't seem to think it's such a ridiculous idea.
Cooper Flagg gives Duke fans a glimmer of hope during potential final home game
The Blue Devils played their final home game of the regular season on Monday night, a 93-60 demolition of Wake Forest. Flagg was his usual self, pouring in 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting (3-of-6 from three, as his outside shot continues to grow by leaps and bounds) with eight rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and two steals. It was the sort of performance that the Cameron Crazies have grown accustomed to seeing over the last few months, and they made sure to show Flagg their appreciation — while pleading with him to stay just one more year.
This is the sort of thing that student sections always do. But Flagg's reaction was at least a little bit noteworthy: Rather than just shrug it off, he turned to look at head coach Jon Scheyer and said "run it back".
Crazies: “ONE MORE YEAR”
— Zion O. (@DukeNBA) March 4, 2025
Cooper Flagg: “Run it back”
With parents laughing 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/eQ1LuzPUXT
Pandering in the heat of an emotional moment? Almost certainly. Flagg seems to have loved his time in Durham, and he'll surely be sad to see it end, but it would be a downright insane business decision to forgo cashing in on his NBA dream to risk another year of potential injury at the college level. But hey: NIL has changed the landscape of college sports, so you never really know. If nothing else, it serves as a pretty great recruiting tool for the next five-star considering the Blue Devils.