Duke freshman Cooper Flagg 'has to prove' he's No. 1 NBA pick

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke freshman forward Cooper Flagg, projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, said it's not a foregone conclusion he will be the first player selected in June.

"Absolutely not," Flagg told ESPN in a recent interview on Duke's campus.

"It's a day-to-day thing," said Flagg, who was the top overall recruit in the 2024 recruiting class. "I'm really just focused on today with my team. For me, it's just about focusing on my team and this year and what we have to do. That's not something that I'm worried about or even thinking about, at this time."

Duke coach Jon Scheyer echoed Flagg's sentiment, and said the 17-year-old has been just as good as advertised based on what he has seen in practice.

"Of course he has to prove it," Scheyer told ESPN. "I've seen guys who have been projected [No. 1], that have gone there, and then guys that are projected that don't go because you assume it's gonna happen.

"So I don't assume anything. I know Cooper doesn't. His thing is going to be deserved, at the end of the day, based on what he does. I think he's shown, how he's talked about, is rightfully so. And I know he's anxious to even build on that. ... I believe in Cooper at the end of the day. But again, we got a long way to go before we start thinking about that."

Flagg, who turns 18 on Dec. 21, wowed NBA scouts and executives in July as a member of USA Basketball's Select Team in Las Vegas, where he more than held his own in scrimmages against a group of future Basketball Hall of Famers that includedLeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry. The practices were in preparation for Team USA's build-up to the Paris Olympics.

The 2025 NBA draft class is being lauded by scouts as one of the deepest and most talented in years, with several top-shelf prospects vying to be selected No. 1 along with the presumptive favorite in Flagg. Rutgers' Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper will have significant platforms in the Big Ten to show off how their size, versatility and skill translate to college competition, while Baylor's V.J. Edgecombe had an outstanding summer with the Bahamas national team as part of its FIBA qualifying campaign.