Cooper Flagg heavy front runner to be #1 pick in ESPN's latest 2025 NBA Mock Draft

It's no secret that Duke freshman forward Cooper Flagg is one of most hyped-up prospects of the last century, as he was looked at as the favorite to be the #1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft as soon as he reclassified to the 2024 class.

With the college basketball season rolling around in just over a month, ESPN recently released its newest 2025 NBA Mock Draft, which saw Flagg as the heavy favorite to go #1 overall. The list also predicted that Flagg has a 51% chance to go #1 overall at this point in time.

Flagg truly is a generational prospect, with outstanding versatility at 6' 9" and 205 pounds. He has a unique ability to pass and score while also treating defense like a priority. Flagg has the initiative to be able to put defense first and use that side of the ball to aid in his offensive game. With the suffocating positional size and length this Duke basketball team boasts this season, there's no reason why it can't be the best defensive team in the ACC.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony also highlighted how although right now it seems like almost a lock for Flagg to be the first pick, there are other players that could potentially dethrone him, such as Rutgers' Ace Bailey or Baylor's VJ Edgecombe. He mentioned how some NBA executives aren't sold that Flagg is the true number one scoring option on a championship winning team and could see him as a "superstar role player" at the next level instead as the second or third scorer on a great team.

There has been word around the Duke program that Flagg will not just play small forward but will be expected to be a stretch four or five at times. With his ability to guard anyone on the floor and his improving three-point jump shot, there's no reason to believe Flagg will struggle with this throughout the entirety of the season.

The biggest thing that could affect Flagg's chances of being the #1 pick next June are just the expectations themselves. Flagg doesn't even turn eighteen years old until December 21st, and being a seventeen year old in the type of atmosphere that comes with playing for Duke along with the insanely high expectations, that could be a lot on a young player. Flagg has all the skills in the world to succeed and is already an extremely polished prospect. At his age, his continuing to develop mentally while playing in a crowded arena will be one of the biggest things for him in his first and likely only season in Durham.

This latest mock draft also has five other Blue Devils being selected: Khaman Maluach (#6 overall), Kon Knueppel (#17 overall), Tyrese Proctor (#28 overall), Caleb Foster (#39 overall), and Sion James (#44 overall).