Upside and Motor: Can anybody challenge Cooper Flagg as the No. 1 overall pick?

The Duke Blue Devils enter the 2024-25 season shrouded in question marks. Primary among them, can Cooper Flagg emerge as the world-beating superstar Duke needs to reach the mountaintop under Jon Scheyer?

Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, and Zion Williamson are the only freshmen in NCAA history to win the Wooden Award for the best player in men's college basketball. Many expect Flagg, who will be 17 years old when the season starts, to become the fourth. Those are high expectations for a literal "kid," and it speaks to the unprecedented nature of what Flagg has accomplished to date.

Not many teenagers get the chance to train with the U.S. national select team over the summer, competing against the likes of, well, Anthony Davis in the frontcourt. Flagg scrimmaged against the very best players in the world and made a solid impression. The highlights went viral.

So, as we embark on this new column — Upside and Motor, dedicated to discussing the past, present, and future of NBA Draft prospects and diving deeper into the nuances of player evaluation — there isn't a better prospect to start with than Cooper Flagg, who very much embodies the core tenets of upside and motor.

Cooper Flagg is the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Can anybody catch him?

Flagg has been No. 1 on 2025 draft boards ever since he reclassified as a high school sophomore. The 6-foot-9 forward does not turn 18 until December, making him the youngest prospect in his class. Not only does Flagg have all the physical tools and intangibles one might associate with a top pick; he's unusually young, which just means the runway is longer and his ceiling is higher.

For such an inexperienced prospect, Flagg's basketball IQ and unyielding hustle stand out. You won't find a prospect who competes harder across the board. He's one of the most polished and disruptive defenders in recent history, covering large swathes of area as a weak-side rim protector and roamer. When switched out on a ball-handler, Flagg has the lateral quickness and core strength to hold his own.

His exceedingly high defensive baseline is what sets Flagg apart from many of his peers. The 2025 draft is brimming with special offensive players, including several more polished on-ball weapons. But, in Flagg, teams can envision a prototypical wing-forward hybrid who will immediately elevate the defensive scheme he inhabits at the next level. The motor truly does not stop. Flagg processes the floor in real-time, always jumping passing lanes or springing for blocks without finding himself out of position. It shouldn't take long before Flagg is annually in the All-Defense conversation.

Flagg has earned his No. 1 status on defense alone, but the offense is special, too. Flagg has steadily progressed as a self-creator, flowing smoothly into pull-up jumpers ranging out to the 3-point line and leveraging his unique combination of size, quickness, and touch to get downhill and finish with power or finesse around the rim. He's not the most jittery ball-handler, but Flagg can attack in straight lines off the catch and punish mismatches, of which there will be plenty at Duke and in the NBA.

Moreover, Flagg is ready-made for a complementary role. Even if he doesn't reach bell-cow status in the NBA, the Maine native should excel as a second option. He's totally selfless in his approach, supplying ample screens and connective passing at the four spot. Flagg is comfortable operating out of pick-and-rolls, whether that means facilitating on the short roll or diving hard to the rim, maybe even catching a lob. Or, he can handle the rock and distribute. His IQ, again, is special at just 17 years old. Flagg is a highly instinctive player whose athleticism, hustle, and burgeoning skill are virtually guaranteed to yield something positive in the NBA.

Now, is he the lock for No. 1 overall? It's too early to say. It's October and much can change, from injury status to our perception of Flagg as a prospect. He received a nice influx of buzz this summer, but if Flagg does not emerge as a fully realized No. 1 option for the Blue Devils, that could lead scouts to second guess and overthink.

This is an especially loaded draft class, so Flagg will inevitably feel the fire on his heels at some point. Rutgers has two worthy challengers in Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, two symbiotic stars who should elevate each other as co-commanders of the Scarlet Knights' offense. Baylor's V.J. Edgecombe, who spent his summer training with the Bahamas national team, is a one-of-one athlete on the wing. His downhill explosiveness and shot-making are hard to come by and he oozes star power. France's Nolan Traore, meanwhile, has been prolific on the international stage, and nothing completes the top of draft boards these days like a buzzy French prospect.

Flagg should be No. 1 as the most complete and youngest player in the draft, with a clear path to improving as a ball-handler and creator for teammates. At his size, with his well-documented work ethic and intelligence, it's hard to earnestly vouch for anybody else. The competition is stiff, though, and Flagg will need to live up to lofty expectations if he wants to avoid debates in the leadup to next June.

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You're wrong about Pistons rookie Ron Holland II

All summer, the Detroit Pistons were on the receiving end of LOLs and not-so-kind jabs after selecting G League Ignite's Ron Holland with the No. 5 pick in the June draft. The 2024 draft was the crapshoot to end all crapshooters, so the idea of consensus at the top of boards was laughable. That said, Holland was the clear No. 1 prospect for yours truly, and Detroit "reaching" in an unexpected way at No. 5 was an admirably bold maneuver from a new front office.

Sure, it's a terrible fit on paper. A little part of me died when my top-ranked name appeared next to the Pistons logo on the broadcast. Holland's one area of true weakness is shooting, at least consistently, and the Pistons' spacing is already a blackhole that threatens to obliterate all in its orbit. But, even with concerns about the fit and the path to minutes, the collective and anonymous "we" are severely underrating what the 19-year-old is capable of.

ESPN currently slots Holland as the third-string small forward in Detroit behind Ausar Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr., which, sure. But there's no way Hardaway is outplaying Holland more than 20 games into the season, and it should become clear sooner than later that Holland is the real deal — and perhaps even the obvious second pillar next to Cade Cunningham.

Holland has that 'can't keep him off the floor' quality. Scoring efficiency was a struggle in the G League, but context is essential to understanding Holland the prospect. The Ignite couldn't shoot last season, top to bottom, and there wasn't a single dependable point guard on the roster. Too much was hoisted on Holland's shoulders and he still managed to average a hair shy of 20 points in a pro league on respectable, if not great efficiency. Combine that with plus-plus athleticism, a deadly first step, and a relentless defensive motor, and Holland will find ways to contribute for a Detroit team desperate for difference-makers.

Who are the five best prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft?

Future Upside and Motor columns will feature more targeted, specific snapshot rankings, but since this is the debut — and since our updated preseason big board hasn't gone live yet — let's establish a working baseline with my top five prospects going into the season This will inevitably shift ane change quite a bit in the months to come.

1. Cooper Flagg, Duke

For all the reasons stated above. Flagg is a generational defender with appreciably "modern" tools on the wing and a voracious appetite for impacting winning. The offense has come along quickly and he's already competing with the NBA's crème de la crème.

2. Nolan Traore, Saint-Quentin (France)

A shifty 6-foot-3 point guard with a sharp passing eye and a talent for mixing speeds off a live dribble, Traore should appeal to lottery teams looking for that go-to initiator. He needs to get more consistent from 3-point range, but the physical tools, IQ, and creativity all scream All-Star.

3. Ace Bailey, Rutgers

The latest installment in the Paul George-to-Brandon Miller pipeline, Ace Bailey is a 6-foot-9 wing with an effortless pull-up jumper and tantalizing tools. He needs to clean up his shot selection and become more involved off the ball, but in terms of baseline tools and skill, there's a reason he is widely viewed as Flagg's biggest threat.

4. Dylan Harper, Rutgers

A 6-foot-5 point guard who dazzles with his ball-handling creativity and passing IQ, Dylan Harper is equally comfortable attacking his man out of isos or pick-and-rolls. He lacks explosiveness on finishes at the rim and his 3-point shot can run cold, but Harper is a bonafide initiator with impressive polish at just 18.

5. V.J. Edgecombe, Baylor

V.J. Edgecombe is a one-percent athlete with credible shooting chops and a stalwart defensive reputation. If he can absorb on-ball duties at Baylor and consistently create for teammates, don't be shocked if he's in the No. 1 or 2 range come draft night.

Who has the belt right now? A mini-NBA mock draft