There’s almost no question about Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg’s status as the undisputed first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
While there are other exciting talents on Jon Scheyer’s roster, only a few players could hope to threaten the Newport, ME native’s status as the top prospect in this year’s class. With his impressive all-around game, he’s leading an exciting Duke squad through the ACC.
While some may find his talent a little too lacking to become the unanimous first overall selection, a legendary figure in the college basketball landscape had some things to say about his future in the pros.
Coach K shares honest opinion on Cooper Flagg’s NBA future as his Duke Blue Devils tenure ends
Mike Krzyzewski molded many NBA-level talent in an incredible coaching career that started in Durham in 1980.
Like everyone keeping tabs on the Blue Devils, he can see the tremendous potential he has as an NBA player and shared the one thing that should help him become successful once he joins the ranks of fellow Blue Devils in the league.
Per Ball Durham’s Kevin Connelly:
“He should do whatever he wants,” the Hall of Famer said on his SiriusXM radio show this week. “My thing was, just be smart for you.”
He also stressed how limited the shelf life of a pro basketball player is, and every decision he would make once he leaves the campus will directly impact his livelihood.
“You only get to do this once, and you’re only going to get to do it for a certain amount of time,” he explained.
It’s not hard to imagine how successful a man of Cooper Flagg’s talents would be in the league. The Montverde Academy product is putting up a monstrous stat line of 19.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.5 SPG, and 1.3 BPG on 49% shooting and 38% from deep.
While he has the physical tools and skillset to thrive as one of the NBA’s future stars, injuries can derail his career the same way it did Zion Williamson’s. The franchise’s situation can also affect his development the way it did for Brandon Ingram.
As long as Flagg works with his situation perfectly and surrounds himself with the right people once he makes the jump, there’s no reason why he wouldn’t be successful in the NBA.
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