Featured Columnist IVJanuary 9, 2025
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Cooper Flagg appears to be solidifying himself as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NBA draft.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo released their latest mock draft Thursday, and it features the Washington Wizards selecting the Duke star with the top overall selection. He is followed by Rutgers playmakers Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey in the second and third spots.
B/R’s Jonathan Wasserman also projected those three players in the same order in his mock draft earlier this month, although Wasserman slated the New Orleans Pelicans with the No. 1 overall pick.
That would mean teaming Flagg up with Zion Williamson, which would mean trouble for the rims in New Orleans given their dunking ability and also be an intriguing development for Blue Devils fans.
“Everything we’ve seen so far with Cooper Flagg feels expected,” Wasserman wrote. “The athletic play-finishing, passing IQ and defense have translated first. His shot creation is sharpening and expanding—he’s separating into balanced looks off dribble-drives, spins, pull-ups and post-ups—but there are still reminders that his handle could tighten. His shotmaking appears shaky, yet it’s capable and improvable given his age and growth to this point.”
One big difference between Flagg and the Rutgers stars at the college level at this point is their overall team success.
Duke is 13-2 with wins over Auburn, Arizona and Louisville on its resume. It looks like a potential ACC championship contender, which may land it on a No. 1 seed line come Selection Sunday.
That would give Flagg the chance to further bolster his draft stock in front of a national audience during the NCAA tournament.
Yet Harper and Bailey may not be joining him in the Big Dance. After all, the Scarlet Knights are just 8-7 overall and 1-3 in Big Ten play with difficult games against nationally ranked foes in Purdue, UCLA, Michigan State, Illinois, Michigan and Oregon remaining.
Unless Harper and Bailey, who are averaging a combined 40.2 points per game as the team’s only double-digit scorers, can spearhead a dramatic turnaround down the stretch, NBA Fans tuning into March Madness to see the top prospects may not get the chance to watch two of the top three picks.
