Mike Krzyzewski knows what a top NBA Draft pick looks like and he provided some advice for Cooper Flagg on his decision to either remain with the Duke basketball program or head to the pros after his freshman year.
“He should do whatever he wants,” the Hall of Famer said on his SiriusXM radio show this week. “My thing was, just be smart for you.”
Is there really a chance Cooper Flagg could return for a second season at Duke?
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) February 28, 2025
"Just be smart...you only get to do this once and you're only get to do it for a certain amount of time."@DukeMBB
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Krzyzewski went through a similar situation with Blue Devil standout Zion Williamson, who expressed a desire to return to Duke after his freshman season but was urged to go to the NBA because the upside was too good to pass up.
However, that wasn’t in the era of NIL where players can earn millions of dollars while playing college basketball – something Flagg is doing right now with the Blue Devils.
“You only get to do this once,” he continued. “And you’re only going to get to do it for a certain amount of time.”
While the topic of Cooper Flagg returning to Duke has developed into an interesting conversation, the probability that he remains in Durham is nearly non-existent. Flagg just capped off one of the best regular seasons in Blue Devil history and is the runaway ACC Player of the Year as well as the favorite to win the National Player of the Year and has been projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft since his decision to reclassify.
Assuming he shines in the NBA like many experts anticipate, he will be due for a massive second contract in the league and remaining in college only delays that deal no matter what his NIL package would be at Duke.
“You’re talking about generational wealth,” Krzyzewski explained. “Really good generational wealth if you do it the right way.”
As for now, Cooper Flagg will focus on winning more championships for the Duke basketball team following its outright ACC regular season title. The Blue Devils are the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament and will play either Virginia or Georgia Tech on Thursday afternoon (12:00 p.m. ET, ESPN) in the semifinals.