When the Dallas Mavericks presumably select Duke star Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft next week, he will become the sixth player in program history to be selected with the top pick. Flagg will join Art Heyman (1963), Elton Brand (1999), Kyrie Irving (2011), Zion Williamson (2019) and Paolo Banchero (2022) as players drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft out of Duke.
Flagg produced one of the best one-and-done seasons in college basketball history, capturing CBS Sports National Player of the Year honors and guiding Duke to the Final Four. Take it from former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who said in an interview with “Dusty and Danny in the Morning” earlier this month that Flagg is the best freshman to play at Duke.
“Grant (Hill) is the best player to ever play at Duke. (Christian) Laettner is the most accomplished,” Krzyzewski said last week on Sirius XM. “Cooper (Flagg) is definitely the best freshman that has ever played.”
2025 NBA Mock Draft: Cooper Flagg is top pick; Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey round out top three selections
Matt Norlander
Flagg has a pretty easy case as the best freshman to play at Duke. Only four freshmen have won Naismith College Player of the Year honors in college basketball history: Flagg, Duke’s Zion Williamson, Texas’ Kevin Durant and Kentucky’s Anthony Davis.
Ahead of the draft next week, here are our rankings for the best freshman in Duke history, starting with the obvious choice that Coach K would agree with.
1. Cooper Flagg (2024-25)
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