The Duke Blue Devils phenom was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft – as expected – and will join a playoff-ready roster as a top rookie pick. Flagg will join the likes of NBA champions such as Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson on a team that is only a year removed from an NBA Finals appearance.
“Making it can mean a lot of different things, but I think for me, obviously making it, becoming a professional basketball player is something I would say is making it,” says Flagg.”
The pressure of being the top overall pick and the national player of the year during his lone season at Duke will obviously still be there, but it definitely be alleviated by the fact that Flagg is playing with a ton of proven veterans. The 18-year-old Flagg probably will be fourth in the pecking order from an offensive standpoint during his rookie season. He’ll also be flanked by solid role players such as P.J. Washington, Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford.Enjoying the moment,” says Flagg of being the top pick. “Just completely blessed and honored. It’s been a dream of mine for a long time.”
Although the 2025 NBA Draft was this week, Flagg has been training as he normally does as he tries to replicate the success he had in college. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game during his freshman season at Duke.I’m training just like almost everybody, putting in my work, trying to get ready as best I can,” says Flagg. “It’s going to be a crazy week. Obviously, you have the draft and getting ready for that, and it’s kind of just been a whirlwind.Just trying to be in the gym and enjoy the moments – you only get to go through this stuff one time, the lottery, the draft and this sort of thing,” Flagg continues to say. “I’ve been trying to just enjoy it and still get in the gym and work on things.”
Flagg is the obvious NBA Rookie of the Year favorite at -190 odds, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The Washington Wizards’ Tre Johnson and the Utah Jazz’s Ace Bailey are tied for the second-best odds at +850.Observers have had a difficult time pin-pointing a player comparison for Flagg, with some comparing him to Kevin Garnett – Flagg grew up as a Boston Celtics fan in Maine and considers Garnett a favorite player of his – with former players such as Baron Davis comparing him to ex-Jazz swiss army knife Andrei Kirilenko and Gordon Hayward comparing him to Celtics great Larry Bird.
While Flagg acknowledges Bird as a player on his Mount Rushmore of greats and somebody that he watched a lot of film on, he hasn’t molded his game from any specific player past or present.
“I wouldn’t really say molded my game after,” says Flagg when asked about players he molded his game after. “I try to just be myself on the court. There’s definitely guys that I’ve watched film about and certain footworks and different moves and stuff that I’ve tried to take in and put into my game for sure.”Once A Duke, Always a Duke: Cooper Flagg On Being Selected By Dallas Mavericks: ‘Just Completely Blessed’
