Duke basketball freshman superstar Cooper Flagg is currently leading the kPOY (KenPom Player of the Year Standings) per KenPom's algorithm to determine a player rating. Yet according to this metric, Flagg is having the best season in KenPom history. Flagg has a kPOY rating of 2.910, setting a new record for the highest rating ever that was previously set by Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky in 2015 (2.794). KenPom began these analyses in 2001.
The Blue Devil freshman also has a fairly comfortable lead in these ratings, as the player with the second-highest rating is Auburn's Johni Broome with a 2.326 kPOY rating.
The kPOY ratings drop off quite a bit after Flagg and Broome as the next highest rating is Kansas' Hunter Dickinson with a 1.508 kPOY.
College basketball's National Player of the Year race has been viewed as a two-man contest for the majority of the second half of the season between Flagg and Broome, with much debate about who the best player in college basketball is.
Flagg was leading the charge for NPOY honors after Broome severely sprained his ankle back in January, but Broome has recently overtaken Flagg as the frontrunner, for now at least.
The Duke freshman has been nothing short of spectacular in every facet of the game. Flagg is averaging 19.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game this season to lead the Blue Devils program in all five of those categories.
He's also doing it on 49.7% shooting from the field and 38.2% shooting from three-point range.
In Duke's most recent game, a 93-60 victory over Wake Forest to secure a perfect 17-0 home record on the season for the Blue Devils, Flagg capped off his freshman campaign in Cameron with a game-high 28 points to go along with eight rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks.
Flagg received "one more year" chants from Duke fans in the stands and was seen saying "run it back" on the bench, although the chances are near zero that Flagg returns to Durham for another season.
He discussed his thought process on next season after the game.
Duke as a team has been a "metric darling" all season and has been between the top one to three highest-rated teams at KenPom all season.
Right now, The Blue Devils sit #1 at KenPom with the second-highest rating in adjusted offensive efficiency and the fourth-highest rating in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Duke is the only team in the nation to be rated in the top-five in adjusted offensive efficiency and adjusted defensive efficiency at KenPom.
The Blue Devils (27-3, 18-1 ACC) cap off their regular season on March 8th (6:30pm ET, ESPN) in Chapel Hill against North Carolina (20-11, 13-6 ACC).