The reasons why are simple. He’s 17 years old and still barely scratches the surface of his potential. Yet, still, he’s easily one of the most versatile defenders in the nation. It’d take a lot to supplant him, even if his offense hasn’t yet caught up to his defense an d late-game turnovers have been a problem.

The 2025 NBA Draft lottery is going to be one of the marquee events of the season. For all the talent in this draft class, there will be no drama over who gets selected with the No. 1 overall pick. Cooper Flagg is living up to every ounce of hype at the start of his freshman season at Duke.

While this isn’t quite as much of a lock as it was when Victor Wembanyama went No. 1 overall in 2023, there is little doubt that whatever team wins the lottery will select Cooper Flagg as he has maintained pole position early in the season thus far.

Few high school programs pump out talent like Montverde Academy in Florida does. Their former players are thriving to begin their college careers — Cooper Flagg at Duke, Asa Newell at Georgia, Liam McNeeley at UConn and more. The same is true for Maryland's big man Derik Queen, who dominated the beginning of his season.

Flagg has been tested during the first weeks of his college career, and the 17-year-old phenom still looks like the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

CAPTURE THE FLAGG: The Wizards are in first (or maybe last?) in the race for Cooper Flagg.