Duke basketball's Cooper Flagg gets unsurprising claim from Coach K
01/17/2025 04:30 PM
Duke basketball star freshman Cooper Flagg has taken the college basketball world by storm with his elite level of play throughout the 2024-25 season so far. The 6-foot-9 guard/forward from Newport, Maine has caught the attention of everyone from NBA scouts to Duke and college basketball legend Coach K.
In an appearance on College Sports on SiriusXM, Coach K referred to Flagg as the best player in the country.
“I think that’s a big plus for our team, when you take that best player and let him go to different spots,” Coach K said. “Because he’s a great passer, that produces different relocation passes. Your best player touches it, no shot, it makes everyone better. He’s such a great teammate. You can see him on the bench, he has joy for his teammates. He’s only 18 and he knows all of this stuff. He’s the best player in the country.”
Flagg, who is averaging 31.1 minutes of action in each game, leads Duke basketball in all five major statistical categories. He averages 18.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 47.8% from the field. Flagg blew his previous season-high of 26 points out of the water in Duke’s win over Notre Dame basketball last Saturday, scoring 42 points.
As a recruit, Flagg was a consensus five-star recruit as well as the unanimous No. 1 player nationally in the class of 2024 according to all four major recruiting services.
Flagg and Duke basketball return to action on Saturday night when it takes on Boston College on the road. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET and ESPN will carry the television broadcast.
Will Cooper Flagg be the No. 1 overall pick in 2025?
Cooper Flagg has put himself in a good position to hear his name called early during the 2025 NBA Draft. Will he be the N0. 1 overall pick?
Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report believes so as he listed Flagg as the first overall pick in his latest draft projections.
“A down year for the ACC will limit Flagg’s chances to blow scouts away against mid-quality opponents over the next two months,” Wasserman wrote. “But he just turned 18, and at 17, he’d already gone for 26 points and 11 boards versus Kentucky; he had a 24, 7-rebound and 3-assist game in a blowout of Arizona; and he recorded 22, 11 and four assists in a big win against No. 2 Auburn.”
Flagg does not appear to have much competition at the top of draft boards currently, but there is a lot of basketball left to be played.
The post Duke basketball’s Cooper Flagg gets unsurprising claim from Coach K appeared first on ClutchPoints.
