In No. 4 Duke’s 76-47 win over Pittsburgh Tuesday night, freshman sensation Cooper Flagg continued to showcase why many believe that he will be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
You probably already saw the play at this point. With under 18 minutes left in the second half, Flagg, guarding a big in the low post, jumped into the passing lane, stole the ball and broke out into the open court. The 6-7 forward needed just three dribbles to get into the paint. Once in scoring range, he took off a few steps inside the free throw line and threw down a one-handed tomahawk slam over a 7-foot center.
Duke outscored Pittsburg 37-21 after Flagg’s dunk.
“I think him and I were pissed because I think there was a disagreement on the out-of-bounds call beforehand,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said when asked about Flagg’s dunk after the game. “I was still focusing on that, he was still focusing on the next play, which I should’ve been, too.
“So, I just caught the end of it. It reminded me of, like, a Zion [Williamson] kind of play. That’s what it reminded me of, because of how it sparked Cameron [Indoor Stadium].”
Was it college basketball’s dunk of the year? Possibly. Flagg’s legend continues to grow, and that is why bottom-dwelling teams across the NBA — the Nets included — would rather lose games than miss out on the chance to draft an elite prospect like him.
The Nets still have work to do if they hope to even sniff the No. 1 overall pick in June. According to Tankathon’s latest projections, Brooklyn would pick at No. 7, No. 19, No. 25 and No. 27 if the season ended today. It currently has a 32% chance at a Top 4 pick and a 7.5% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick.
“He gets angry, but he’s loose at the same time,” Scheyer said. “He loves being in the arena, but he’s got an edge to him now, and it can go quick. We saw that tonight. He picked up his third [foul] and it just got him going.”
Flagg, 18, finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists against Pittsburgh. Fourteen of his points came in the second half on 5-of-7 shooting. He is averaging 20.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and four assists over his last five games for Duke.
“He’s proven it with who he’s played with and how he’s done it in such a mature way,” Scheyer said. “He’s just so competitive, and he just brings out a lot of good stuff from his teammates.”