Strengths

• He is an excellent point of attack defender. He moves his feet well, is very good at keeping his man in front of him, can glide through screens like it’s nothing, and is able to handle most matchups he is faced with. On the rare occasion that he doesn’t stay in front of the player he is guarding (most often when he is switched into small, quick guards with a tight handle), he is incredible at recovering quickly enough to contest a shot or get back in front of his man. I wouldn’t say he is a true 1-5 defender yet, but he is pretty darn close to it.

• He is a super impactful defender when he is being a roamer rather than guarding on the ball. He switches well, plays great help defense, and is excellent at protecting the rim without sitting in the paint like a typically great rim protector would.

• Flagg is a KING when it comes to stocks. He isn’t the completely insane outlier that he was in high school, but his ability to get blocks and steals has translated to college well. I’ve already discussed most of his shot blocking ability when he is roaming the court. He is also very good at getting steals with his great hands and by getting into passing lanes.

• He is an excellent athlete. I wouldn’t necessarily say he is in that upper echelon of athletes in the draft, but his vertical athleticism, speed, and footwork are all well above average, especially for his position.

• He is a great rebounder on both ends of the court. His athleticism and drive are what makes him such a good rebounder, and I would say he even has the potential to get better if he can continue to get stronger. He fights for position well and has the athleticism to jump for rebounds that a lot of players wouldn’t be able to reach.

• He is a really talented passer. He makes the passes you expect an initiator to make while also having more creativity (and ability to capitalize on that creativity) than most players do. I wouldn’t say he has primary imitator potential in terms of his passing, but he is a very good passer and will be able to run plays for teams as a secondary initiator.

• Flagg is one of the best play-finishers in the draft. He operates well in the dunker spot, has a big catch radius, and can finish through contact. He also is a solid offensive rebounder, and he is able to clean up misses because of that. He isn’t necessarily the best screen setter, but he is a good roller and has a great sense of timing with his jumps on lobs.

• He is a good finisher around the rim. He has good touch and can finish through contact very well.

• He has so much potential as a primary shot creator. He is a good tough shot maker and has shown that he has the ability to make shots from all ranges. He has the confidence to take shots from anywhere as well.

Weaknesses

• He’s struggled with his scoring efficiency, partly due to his shot selection. It isn’t as poor as someone like Ace Bailey’s is, but he too often settles for jumpers that really aren’t the best looks he could create during a possession.

• His shot, while having shown signs of improvement, has been inconsistent. He’s been inefficient and has struggled to get consistent good looks

• The handle is not very advanced. I’m not too concerned about it, but it’s definitely something that could hold back his potential as a scorer.

Conclusion

• Flagg has the potential to be a superstar in the NBA. He is already extremely talented and good at doing a lot of things. He may already be an all-nba caliber defender, and has the potential to reach that level offensively as well.

• I will be closely watching to see how he performances against better competition. It’s been a bit mixed bag thus far into the year

• He isn’t a lock for the #1 spot on my board, but it would be very difficult for anyone to surpass him for now.

Shades of — Jalen Johnson+++, Jayson Tatum, A LITTLE BIT of Kevin Garnett

Cooper Flagg is a generational talent from whatever side you look at. He's got everything you want in a player. He's the best player in this draft class and looks like a very good player in the future. Some abilities he will have to work on if he wants to remain at the top. However he was amazing at the US select team which has made us believe in him more to become the star we all think he'll be

Even though he does have some last minute turnovers with Duke, that will only matter in tight games. And depending on what team he goes to, could effect the whole draft.

Rating: A

Current Ranking: 1

solid well-rounded player.

while not the generational prospect he was deemed to be out of highschool (which has tainted people’s POV on him currently), flagg is still good and in contention for that #1 pick with harper.

shot is a concern but he seems fine in everything else.

Consensus #1 pick who plays with tenacity and toughness which will translate well to the NBA. Great defender, athletic, can score well around the rim, strong, rebounds well. His shooting needs to improve but he is getting better every day. It will be interesting to see how he stacks up against other bigger, longer centers and forwards.

NBA Comps: Jalen Johnson

Last Ranking: 1

Trend: Neutral

Prospect Tier: 1

Projected NBA rookie role: Aggresive Forward with 2-Way abilities

Projected NBA position: Forward

Projected Rookie Statline (Pts, Reb, Ast, Blk/Stl): 15, 7, 4.5, 1.5 (Blk)

Strengths: Great At finishing through contact, Aggresive at the rim, Confident (yet somewhat ugly) middy, Great switchable defender, Natural defensive instincts.

Weakness: Shot form, Inconsistent 3pt shooter, Can have tunnell vision offensively.

Shades of/comp: Jalen Johnson, Smlimmer Paolo Banchero, Andrei Kirilenko

Best outcome: Top player in NBA, Physical traits translate, consistent jumper.

mid outcome: Perennial All-Star, questionable jumper

worst outcome: Jumper never developes, not as physically dominant as advertised, becomes a solid player that still has 2-Way capabilities.

A relatively complete prospect, I can see why Flagg is considered the number one prospect in the class of 2025. He’s not the generational talent some people hype him up to be, but he’s extremely solid nonetheless and I imagine he would compete for Rookie of the Year had he been in the 2024 class. I’m seeing a lot of the features I like: shining under pressure both in college and the US Select Team, not forcing bad plays, and overall high IQ. His physical tools are solid (he moves very well but not going to jump out of the gym) but not the main affair for his defensive dominance. He reads offenses like a book and always knows where to be. Field goal percentage is a bit troubling and the eye test confirms he needs to work on that, but overall a very solid player who looks poised to have a long NBA career.

Comparisons: I’ve seen some folks say Tatum which I don’t love, Pippen has also been mentioned which is a much more accurate comparison for Flagg.

Dream Fit: Wizards

Strengths:

• Utilizes jab step well to create space

• Good vision from top of the key

• Good contact balance & hangtime

• Protects ball well on drives and gather

• As roll man does a good job moving into open space

• Good instincts on switches

• Finishes well through contact

• Good recognition, rotating to post when roll man is open

• Closes out quickly

• Tracks ball well in air

• Changes speed quickly

• Quick first step

• Recognizes doubles quickly & passes out

• Moves well with defenders laterally disruptung them with bumps & pokes at ball

• Keeps defender on back hip while driving using arm

• Soft touch on the block

• Navigates traffic well on drives

• Great timing on blocks

• Creates space in post well with pivots

• When pressing up on perimeter contests 3's well while not fouling

• Very controlled on drives

• Follows his shot well with putbacks on layups

Weaknesses:

• Can attack defenders and be overly physical instead of using finesse often missing by a wide margin

• Can force shots without space

• Turns body on shots unnecessarily

• Doesn't commit to defending three point shot, sagging off to defend drive

• Reliant on spin move in high post

• Looses balance at times - weak base

• Incosistent 3pt shooter

• Sometimes passes ball when he has a mismatch

• Needs to be more efficient on mid range shot considering his volume

• Beat on drives by quicker guards

• Can overcommit to helping on driving player leaving open man on perimeter

• Bad closeout angles recovering after screens

Synopsis

Cooper Flagg is a phenomenal prospect who is ready to make his mark the moment he steps onto an NBA court. He flashes high potential on both ends of the court as a versatile forward who could be an all-nba caliber defender and elite offensive weapon. He is one of the most well rounded prospects I have ever scouted, and he happens to be just about as young as you could possibly be for an NBA prospect that is eligible to be drafted.

Comparisons

Kevin Garnett

Jalen Johnson

Josh Smith

Tier 1: Franchise changing talent

Range: 1-2

Pro Comparisons: Scottie Pippen, Andrei Kirilenko

more analysis will be added soon