The discourse around the 2025 NBA draft begins with Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, the top prospect in the ESPN Top 100 rankings and the projected No. 1 pick in June.
The NBA has been watching the promising forward closely over the past several years, including Flagg’s ascent from a top high school prospect to him reclassifying in August 2023 so he could enter college at 17 years old. At Duke, Flagg has become a star, currently averaging 15.9 points and 3.6 assists through 10 games for the No. 4-ranked Blue Devils.
“If he couldn’t score a lick and was just a finisher and transition guy, he’d still be a top-10 pick,” said one NBA Eastern Conference general manager.
So what are NBA teams saying about him behind closed doors six months out from the draft? With the aim of better understanding how front offices are evaluating Flagg, ESPN spoke to 10 general managers, executives and scouts, granting anonymity in exchange for their candid opinions.
Here’s what our panel of NBA executives had to say about Flagg and his prospects at the next level:
Jump to a question:
What’s so unique? | Expectations on offense?
Comps to recent No. 1s? | College/NBA comps?
Could someone else go No. 1?
