How does Duke star Cooper Flagg compare to past NBA prospects?
• 2025 NBA Draft: Complete coverage
NEW YORK – Cooper Flagg left Florida’s Monteverde Academy the likely No. 1 prospect in this 2025 NBA Draft class, and then played a season at Duke that cemented it.
He is widely praised for his basketball skill, on-court IQ and overall maturity of spirit. So much so that what passes for a scandal with the Maine product is drawn out by high school teammate and fellow first-round talent Liam McNeeley, crashing a press conference while transitioning out of his own.
Cooper, being from Maine, do you like lobster?
Flagg – the pride of the Pine Tree State – concedes it ‘isn’t (his) favorite’ though he appreciates a good Maine lobster roll. This seems like a considered appendage, a people-pleasing hanger to ensure he stays on the right side of the locals next time he returns.
At Lotte New York Palace hotel today, Barclays Center tomorrow. Flagg’s NBA future seems destined for Dallas after the Mavericks cashed in on 1.8% odds (fourth-lowest of the lottery era) to land the No. 1 pick.
“You play him anywhere you can,” ESPN NCAA and NBA analyst Jay Bilas said. “He’s kind of like a queen on a chessboard because he can guard multiple positions, he’s super athletic, he’s long, got a really good second jump, he’s got court awareness.
“He’s not a player that goes into a game and people know he’s gonna go for 25; what he does is he tries to make the right play right now, and by stacking the right play over and over again at end of the game, he may have 25 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, two steals and three blocks.
“You can talk about reasonable expectations, but with this guy, I don’t know why you have to be reasonable.”
That could bode well for the Mavericks, famously constructed to win now under GM Nico Harrison in the wake of the Luka Dončić trade, as Flagg joins a talented roster deep in the frontcourt.
Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II and PJ Washington are all in the mix, with varied skill sets that should provide Flagg with both lessened pressure to produce as well as opportunities to thrive in different roles.
The 18-year-old forward stands to become the fifth No. 1 pick from Duke in the last 30 years, extending the Blue Devils’ lead on the field while joining Elton Brand (1999), pending teammate Kyrie Irving (2011), Zion Williamson (2019) and Paolo Banchero (2022).
“He competes at the highest level,” said college teammate Kon Knueppel, also a projected lottery pick. “At the end of the day, he’s just a great guy, too. And that can be more important than anything about being a good basketball player.”
Here are four more things to know heading into tomorrow’s Draft:
1. The Montverde Four
Flagg and McNeeley aren’t the only Montverde products in this class. They also played high school ball with Maryland’s Derik Queen and Georgia’s Asa Newell, a pair of bigs who could both be tabbed in the first round, if not joining Flagg among the lottery’s 14 slots.
“It’s crazy,” Flagg said. “I think having the four guys from Montverde, my 3 teammates from there, and my teammates from Duke [Kon Kneuppel and Khaman Maluach], I have 7 people in the green room I know and played with personally. It’s incredible to go through this experience with them.”
Each of the four was quick to praise the others, the word ‘brother’ flying freely. And like any blood siblings with shared interests, the rivalries are real.
“Everybody wanted to beat everybody,” Queen said. “Everybody wanted to fight everybody. Everybody wanted to win, so it was very competitive. Everybody was trash talking, trying to get under each other’s skin. It was pretty fun.”
Under coach Kevin Boyle, Montverde has produced a slew of NBA talent. Flagg going No. 1 overall would mark the third recent alum to achieve the feat (Ben Simmons 2016, Cade Cunningham 2021) and another top five among notables Joel Embiid (No. 3, 2014) and Scottie Barnes (No. 4, 2021).
“We call Montverde ‘The Factory’ and that’s what it is,” Newell said. “It prepares NBA players. On that team, everybody had their own role, and that’s something that helped me prepare to play with really good players; that’s how it’s going to be in the NBA.”
2. Rutgers will be represented
Rutgers guard Dylan Harper (son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper) is regarded as the second-best talent in the Draft, essentially owning a tier between Flagg and the field after producing 19.4 ppg on 48.4% shooting (including 33.3% on 150 3-point attempts).
The shot-making – elite for any college player, astounding for a freshman – helped him earn 2024-25 AP All-America Honorable Mention honors, to go with All-Big 10 Third Team and a slot among the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award Top 10 candidates.
“Dylan Harper is a clear choice after Flagg for the Spurs, and I believe that’s what’s going to happen,” Bilas said. “I don’t think you can undervalue how important length and athleticism are in the NBA.
“Harper is so good in pick-and-roll situations, getting into the lane and creating for himself. He’s strong, has a great court sense. I happen to feel he’s going to have a great NBA career as long as he stays healthy.”
Dylan Harper projects as the No. 2 pick to team with Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio.
A rub on the shine is Rutgers finishing 15-17 overall (8-10 conference) and missing the NCAA Tournament. ESPN NBA analyst Bobby Marks views that as context for Harper’s character, that the 19-year-old hung tough throughout, continuing to deliver and improve within a team construct.
It helped to have done it alongside fellow top prospect Airious “Ace” Bailey, who profiles among the lottery selections and could rise as high as No. 3. Bailey, a 6-foot-8 forward, averaged 17.6 points and 7.6 rebounds in 33.4 minutes per game, showing enough range to connect on 34.6% of his 3s.
“Ace, that’s like my best friend,” Harper said. “Me and him been tight for like four or five years. So to be on the same court with him, I’ll miss it, but that was special.”
The feeling is clearly mutual.
“That’s my dog, man,” Bailey said. “On and off the court, not just basketball. A lot of people might fake a lot of friendships on the court because they play together, but it’s bigger than that. Me and him practiced throwing the first pitch [ahead of Harper doing so Sunday at Yankee Stadium and Bailey taking the mound Monday night at Citi Field]. It was fun.
“It’s been very, very funny, very joyful, very energetic, very humble, very hard-working. We’ve been putting a lot of work in individually, so I know he gonna be all right.”
3. International depth
After back-to-back seasons with an international player going No. 1 overall (and a French takeover of last year’s lottery), this Draft presents a different look.
“You could see seven or eight guys in that 9-to-30 range,” Marks said. “There’s probably more quantity – you’re not getting a Victor [Wembanyama] at 1, or even Zaccharie Risacher or Alex Sarr [like 2024]. It’s not top-heavy, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad draft for international players.”
Notables expected to be among the first-round mix include Joan Beringer (France), Noa Essengue (France), Hugo González (Spain), Noah Penda (France), Ben Saraf (Israel) and Nolan Traoré (France).
And in a developing trend, several others opted to dip into the American college ranks, lured by a chance to advance the transition while cashing in on Name, Image & Likeness opportunities. That group claims BYU’s Egor Demin (Russia), Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe (Bahamas), Illinois’ Kasparas Jakučionis (Lithuania) and Will Riley (Canada), Duke’s Khaman Maluach (South Sudan) and Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud (France).
While a slew of countries are likely represented yet again (10 international players every year since 200), France is primed to further stack its NBA deck. And these players are beginning to feel like it’s an annual tradition.
“French players are playing great right now,” Traore said. “We have a lot of attention on us. It’s well deserved.”
Said Beringer: “It’s a pride. It is a dream of everybody, every basketball player on this planet. I’m just blessed to be here, to have this chance.”
4. Nets set for a haul
Brooklyn is hosting the Draft, and likely to keep the home fans amped and engaged; they entered the week with a league-high four first-round picks (Nos. 8, 19, 26, 27) and stand to add a fifth.
It’s what Marks terms “the Bingo Board”:
“That controls the offseason, just because of the sheer volume of your options following Wednesday night, and they’re really one of the few teams that has salary cap space and can go outside for free agents, take back contracts – however they want to go about reshaping the roster.”
Beyond Brooklyn, the Spurs (2, 14), Jazz (5, 21), Wizards (6, 18), Pelicans (7, 23) and Thunder (15, 24) enter Wednesday locked in with multiple first-round selections.
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Ben Couch is director, editorial content for NBA Digital at TNT Sports.
