2025 NBA Draft: Cooper Flagg Preseason Scouting Report
Duke Blue Devils freshman Cooper Flagg is my clear number one prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft before the start of the college basketball season.
Birthday: December 21, 2006
Team: Duke Blue Devils
Measurements:
Height: 6-foot-91
Weight: 205 pounds
Wingspan: N/A but projected 7+ feet
Standing reach: N/A
Offense:
Extremely young — 17 y/o until Dec. 21, 2024 — but already one of the most productive and enticing two-way prospects in the world. His special trait is his blend of competitiveness, engagement, and endless efforts to create advantages on both ends.
Not on the Wembanyama level as a prospect but I would put him in the same tier as Zion.
Was named to USA Select Team ahead of 2024 Paris Olympics before even suiting up for a college practice.
Best motor of any top prospect I’ve evaluated. Relentless in pursuit to win a game. I’ve never seen him turn his motor off at any level of play.
Very athletic. Not sure why this is a question mark for some. Explodes to the rim with just a few steps or a couple of dribbles. He makes plays in transition, moving off the ball, cutting, etc.
Plays with a certain fearlessness that can almost look reckless, but it’s because he is flying all over the court.
A supreme winner who pops up all over the floor. Underrated playmaking profile on offense, which has increasingly included shooting and self-creation.
Gets up-and-down the floor with velocity and intensity. Fits a team that plays fast. Can start and finish plays in transition.
As the ballhandler, but also in terms of actually creating the fast break himself with a stop on defense. Hard to stop when he fills a lane and is going to the basket full throttle. Never goes up soft.
Self-creation is the biggest knock on Flagg. Likely the streakiest part of his already pretty complete game, but I honestly think his growth in terms of ball handling, pull-up shooting, and overall offensive aggression is understated.
If the situation requires Flagg to pull up, I think he can do that now. If he needs to catch and shoot, he’s also capable of doing that.
I’m very open to the idea of him not being a first option in the NBA, but he is by no means a glorified role player.
Handle to break down defenders needs some improvement, but will be fine as long as he can get into his offense and to his spots in 1-3 dribbles. Doesn’t need to be Kyrie.
Just kinda shoots over the top sometimes, maybe off a bit of movement, but needs to improve his consistency creating space off the dribble still.
On catch-and-shoots, not hesitant, even doing so off some movement at times. Has shown improvement in some key areas such as: cleaning up his gather (can go fast off inaccurate passes), quickening up his release, and tightening up his footwork.
Will be able to attack closeouts and off the catch.
Uses size and length to create advantages and finish on drives. More functional than fancy, but not like he’s unpolished. Has grown more comfortable and capable using ball screens, even with left hand. Gets low and to two feet decently.
Handle and strength need improvement still. Handle prevent him from getting to preferred spots. Strength means he can lose balance when bumping bigger defenders.
No athletic concerns overall, but want to see how twitch in short spaces looks vs. college competition.
Not a primary initiator, but makes quick decisions and acts as a connective passer in transition, attacking closeouts, generally moving the ball, etc. Quick to execute his read after he makes his initial move. Plays with his head up and uses his size over the top.
At Montverde, showed flashes passing on the move out of face-ups or iso touches. Smart and unselfish ball mover for the most part.
Handle isn’t quite there yet in some situations. North-south is usually fine, but sideways and breaking a defender down can be more of a struggle (relatively).
Defense:
Special defender, especially from the help side, with a generational motor and a really quick improvement rate. One of the best defensive prospects I’ve evaluated.
Lethal off-ball helper. Snuffs out shots coming at the basket, but even on pull-ups against guards.
Averaged about 4 stocks as a high school senior. Averaged2 6.9 blocks per game at the 2023 Peach Jam.
He’s a tremendous help defender, but teams can also unleash him at the point of attack. Today’s NBA has a lot of ballhandling wings, so Flagg’s defense is extra valuable. Doesn’t shy away from defending other team’s best player.
Can slide on the ball versus guards also.
In the NBA, will defend the 3 and the 4 positionally. Will switch on guards. I also think he can play the small-ball 5, and not just in a draft cliché type of way. Remember: he’s 17 y/o until December 21.
Prototypical NBA dimensions and frame. Will get stronger over time. Might even grow more since he’s so young.
Nearly impeccable reaction time. Vertical athleticism is impactful but under control.
Maintains these principles while having the motor and stamina to make multiple efforts. Two-way motor is crazy.
Length and positioning deflects and breaks up passes+shots. Even when he doesn’t directly play, he alters attackers’ ideas. Sometimes even dissuades opponents from driving or attempting a shot.
Has that factor where attackers get scared of his defense and don’t want to test him anymore over the course of a game.
Creates two-way plays. Can get a stock, even a rebound, then an assist or a bucket in one sequence.
Will have more modest games as a freshman — who’s 17 to start the season, by the way — but I think any quiet offensive stat lines will be mitigated by his defensive impact.
In a super safe floor scenario, I think he’s an all-defense prospect in the NBA. At the U-17 World Cup as a 15 y/o, he was an amazing defensive “role player.”
Hard to poke holes in his defensive profile right now. Has room to get stronger, but it’s not a concern for me even in the short term.
Not a worry either, but always interesting to see how high-activity defensive playmakers do in college with regards to fouls, aggression, and pace of the game. If it took Flagg a couple of games to figure out, I wouldn’t be shocked.