2025 NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Cooper Flagg remains No. 1 in freshman-heavy first round

While sitting courtside at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night and watching Cooper Flagg take the big stage in New York City as Duke beat Illinois 110-67, it became abundantly clear that we are witnessing a truly special talent. It's incredible to watch how easy the game comes to the 6-foot-9 Duke freshman, who only had one field goal in the first half, but when the final buzzer sounded, he finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a dominant win.

Throughout the history of college basketball, we have never seen a freshman lead their team in every major statistical category and reach the NCAA Tournament. Right now, outside of Auburn (+325), Duke has the second-best odds to cut down the nets in San Antonio, listed at +425. Flagg, who is currently averaging 19.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, is tracking to do a lot more than just make the Big Dance.

This Blue Devils team is so well-rounded, featuring another potential top-five pick in Khaman Maluach as a rim protector, a dynamic lead guard in Tyrese Proctor, an ultra-competitive top-10 pick in Kon Knueppel, a bulldog guard in Sion James and more. This looks like Duke’s best shot to win a title in a decade and reclaim their place on the throne in college basketball. But let’s turn the focus back to Flagg, who, for all intents and purposes, will be the No. 1 pick. I collected some thoughts from NBA front office executives, scouts and college coaches on what they’ve seen from the man they call "The Maine Event." 

"He’s really, really good. What I love about him the most is he’s a team guy," one NBA general manager told FOX Sports. "He epitomizes the idea of a winning player and does what his team needs that game.