Cooper Flagg, the highly touted prospect from Duke, has expressed interest in returning to college for his sophomore year, potentially delaying his entry into the 2025 NBA Draft. This news has significant implications for both college basketball and the NBA.
Since the NBA implemented the one-and-done rule two decades ago, some of the most promising NBA prospects have briefly achieved superstardom in college before swiftly transitioning to the NBA. Players like Derrick Rose from Memphis in 2008, Anthony Davis from Kentucky in 2012, and Zion Williamson from Duke in 2019 left an enduring mark on college basketball within a few short months before being selected as the top pick in the NBA Draft.
The newest member of this lineage of elite prospects is Duke's Cooper Flagg. Hailing from Maine, the 6-foot-9 forward excels in all facets of the game. Offensively, he averages nearly 20 points per game through both strong interior scoring and a 37.8% shooting percentage from beyond the arc. He also demonstrates astute passing skills with four assists per game and converts 81.6% of his 6.3 free throw attempts per game. Defensively, the 18-year-old is even more impactful. He disrupts plays both on the perimeter and as a formidable rim protector, averaging 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. Due to this two-way dominance, Flagg is widely projected as the presumptive first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. This prediction assumes he will declare for the draft after a single year at Duke, following the path of many exceptional college freshmen stars before him. However, this assumption has been challenged after Flagg expressed his desire to return to Duke next year in an interview with The Athletic this past weekend. While he made no concrete commitments, Flagg's mere consideration of forgoing his draft eligibility this year is significant for various parties due to its potential implications.The Blue Devils are already favored to win the 2025 NCAA Tournament behind the star power of freshman Flagg. A sophomore year for Flagg would be even better. If the young forward returns to the program, Duke could assemble one of the most star-studded collegiate rosters ever, with top prospects Cam and Cayden Boozer joining the team in Durham next year. For current NBA lottery teams, this Flagg news is more negative than positive. Many of these teams are hoping to salvage their disappointing seasons by securing the top draft pick this June to select Flagg. But if Flagg withdraws his name from the draft pool, these struggling franchises will have to focus on other prospects as their top targets. While other college freshmen like Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey are promising prospects, they fall short of Flagg's potential, who many believe is destined for NBA superstardom
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