How Cooper Flagg looked in Duke's top-25 win over Arizona
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It is still early in the 2024-2025 college basketball season but Duke freshman Cooper Flagg is already expected to be the consensus No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Performances like the one Flagg had against No. 17-ranked Arizona only boost that case.
In their fifth game of the season, Duke improved to 4-1 on the year while picking up their first win over a ranked opponent. The Blue Devils topped Arizona 69-55 in a fairly convincing performance on the road. In a classic defensive battle, neither team shot well from the floor. Only four total players reached double figures in the game with Flagg leading the way.
As one of the few players who found his offensive rhythm, Flagg led all scores with 24 points in the game on 10-for-22 from the field in a team-high 38 minutes. He was 2-for-5 from deep, tying his career-high in three-pointers made early in his career. On top of his scoring, Flagg added six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal.
Projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg against No. 17 Arizona:
24 PTS
6 REB
3 AST
2 BLK pic.twitter.com/a5oxNmvsOh— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) November 23, 2024
With his 24 points, Flagg bounced back from a modest eight-point effort in a blowout win over Wofford. His point total was the second-most of his five-game career, only behind his 26-point showing against Kentucky. Early in his collegiate career, Flagg has displayed an ability to elevate his game in big moments, with his two best performances coming in Duke’s two biggest games.
The biggest dark marks on Flagg’s performance were his four fouls and four turnovers, both season-highs. The 6-foot-9 guard’s foul trouble did not affect his playing time, as he was on the court for all but two minutes. Regardless, the Cooper Flagg hype only grew with his exceptional performance.
Flagg’s freshman teammate, Kon Knueppel, was the only other member of the team to reach double figures with 13 points. Knueppel added a team-high seven rebounds with three assists.
Junior guard Jaden Bradley led Arizona in a losing effort with 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Sophomore guard KJ Lewis added 13 points for the Wildcats, whose 55 points was a season-low by a wide margin.
Cooper Flagg remains atop 2025 NBA Draft boards
Five games are often too few for mock drafts to experience any major changes, but in the case of Cooper Flagg, they may have only become more set in stone. Analysts such as former NBA star Gilbert Arenas are not yet sold on Flagg’s potential, but the freshman sensation has convinced most that he is a budding superstar.
Despite Duke’s early loss to Kentucky, Flagg remains the unanimous No. 1 prospect across all 2025 NBA Draft boards. As the top-rated recruit in the class of 2024, his size, athleticism and shooting touch have many scouts believing he already possesses the skills to be effective at the next level.
Flagg’s status as the current top draft prospect puts him above fellow freshmen Knueppel, V.J. Edgecombe, Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, Tre Johnson and others. Aside from international prospects, the consensus top-10 prospects of the upcoming draft are all freshmen.
Most mock drafts have Bailey going at No. 2 in the 2025 NBA Draft, though it will likely depend on the upcoming draft lottery results. Edgecombe and Harper are also in the mix but Bailey is widely seen as the top guard of the class.
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