Player of the Year Cooper Flagg is the consensus No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, though not everyone is convinced the All-American can be a franchise-changing player.
Flagg led Duke to the Final Four, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks on 38.5% shooting from 3-point range. He became the 22nd player in program history to be named a consensus first-team All-American.
The 18-year-old is considered a lock to be selected with the first pick by the Dallas Mavericks and projects as the next generational player the organization can build around. However, former NBA champion and 14-year veteran Tony Allen isn't so sure Flagg can be that.
“I don’t think Cooper Flagg is going to turn your franchise around like that,” Allen said recently on GrindCityMedia. “I’m serious. I ain’t seeing (Kevin Durant). I'm just not seeing it. I'm seeing Andrei Kirilenko. He is going to be a one-time All-Star. I don't see it, bro. I'm just not hyped on these Duke kids. He is nice, but his max-out potential is Andrei Kirilenko."
Flagg entered last season with tremendous expectations as the consensus top recruit in the class of 2024. He was highly touted as the likely top pick in the draft and lived up to the hype after becoming the face of the sport this past season.
Of course, Durant is considered one of the best players ever to suit up, while Kirilenko was an All-Star and a three-time All-Defensive team selection across 13 years in the NBA. Considering the tremendous hype placed on Flagg, he'll be expected to have a career like Durant.
After trading away cornerstone Luka Dončić, the Mavericks hope Flagg can step in and be their long-term solution once the likes of Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving move on. In the meantime, the discourse surrounding Flagg doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
The 2025 NBA draft will occur June 25-26 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Cooper Flagg: Former NBA champion isn't sold on likely No. 1 pick
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