Duke's Cooper Flagg Draws 'Prime Kawhi Leonard' Comparisons from Scouts, Says NBA GM

Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg is widely projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, and he's already drawing comparisons to some of the league's best players.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo spoke to a Western Conference general manager who said scouts have told them that Flagg has traits similar to arguably the best two-way player in the NBA.

"The best comp I've heard from our scouts is prime Kawhi Leonard," the GM said. "Now, that's not perfect because they are very different players at the same age, but it's the one I like in terms of their style of play, two-way versatility, passing and the fact that they can both guard point guards, wings and big men."

Leonard entered the league as a defensive specialist before his offensive skills eventually developed. He's been limited to 26 games this season for the Los Angeles Clippers after coming back from a knee injury, but he's still posting respectable averages of 19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.5 steals.

Flagg has made a similar impact for the Blue Devils, leading the team with 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.2 blocks per game entering Friday's NCAA tournament first-round matchup against Mount St. Mary's. The Western Conference GM added that the youngster's steady demeanor further affirmed the comparisons to Leonard.

"Kawhi's defense was way ahead of his offense, and he has a lot of the same manufactured qualities [as Flagg] to his handle and shooting. … But I think about his unwavering confidence and relentless work ethic combined with his physicality, IQ and physical tools," the GM said. "That's what helped him become an MVP candidate and the best player on a championship team."