CBB Coach Praises 'Generational' Cooper Flagg Ahead of NBA Draft, 'He's Different'
College basketball coaches and NBA talent evaluators are showering likely No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg with praise ahead of next week's 2025 NBA draft.
David Aldridge of The Athletic spoke to several anonymous sources about Flagg, and it was seemingly unanimous among them that the former Duke standout has a chance to be a special player at the next level.
An anonymous assistant coach, who went up against Flagg and the Blue Devils last season, spoke highly of Flagg's ability and demeanor, and suggested that he could be a superstar in the NBA, saying:
"He's got swag, but he's a likable dude. There’s no p---k [in him], none of that bulls--t entitlement to him. I like how he plays. He plays the right way. … That was the best Duke team I played against—best team—since I've been in the ACC. Put well together. They did it all. I was very impressed. All of those guys were good pieces, Flagg being a generational talent. He's different."
That coach was far from the only source to commend Flagg, as another anonymous college assistant who coached against Flagg told Aldridge that he "checked a lot of boxes" and "carried" Duke as the 2024-25 season went on.
Flagg arrived at Duke carrying the weight of massive expectations, but he was every bit as good as anyone could have hoped.
As a freshman, Flagg led the Blue Devils in essentially every major category, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.
The 6'8" wing was also highly efficient, shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Flagg led Duke to a 35-4 record and a trip to the Final Four, and he was the ACC Player of the Year and just the fourth freshman in history to be named the Naismith Men's College Player of the Year.
An anonymous Western Conference scout said Flagg "plays the right way," while a Western Conference executive gave a highly detailed breakdown of Flagg's game and their opinion on what type of player he will be in the NBA.
The exec called Flagg a "big-timer" who has to be the No. 1 overall pick even if Rutgers guard Dylan Harper potentially develops into a better scorer.
"I just don't think he has any major weakness," the executive said. "He just may not be a guy to be all-universe as a scorer, but I think he's going to be pretty damn good. He's going to throw some big games at you. I don't think you have to really wait on him. Turn the crank in the back, and he's ready to go opening day, even though he's young. Think how ready he is, how he generated winning, had such a great year … and he's that young. He's going to get better, too."
Flagg, who doesn't turn 19 until December, is the heavy favorite to go first overall next week to the Dallas Mavericks, who may have hit the jackpot when they shockingly won the draft lottery despite only having a 1.8 percent chance to do so.
The Mavs were mired in turmoil during the 2024-25 NBA season, as they shockingly traded superstar guard Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers and saw their other star guard in Kyrie Irving tear his ACL about a month later.
Dallas went on to miss the playoffs, but that may have been a blessing in disguise, as the organization can now add Flagg to the core of Irving and Anthony Davis.
The Mavericks can provide Flagg with arguably one of the best situations of any team that could have won the lottery, which could go a long way toward helping him reach his immense potential.
