It's hard to be a more decorated college player than Cooper Flagg, especially with just a lone NCAA season under his belt.
While he and the Duke Blue Devils fell short in the Final Four, he took home virtually every individual accolade possible, despite being a year younger than most of his college rivals.
It's all but guaranteed that the Dallas Mavericks will select him first overall in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Between Flagg, Kyrie Irving, Zion Williamson, Anthony Davis, and Victor Wembanyama, the Southwest Division has its fair share of top prospects-turned-NBA stars, although the San Antonio Spurs, with Wemby, still hold the best young player in the NBA.
Flagg may have won Wooden, Naismith, Julius Erving, and All-American honors in college, although Wembanyama averaged 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 3.8 blocks while shooting from all over the floor last season.
According to one draft expert, Wembanyama is still the best prospect he has ever evaluated, although Flagg is a clear-cut second.
"Outside of Wembanyama, Flagg has the best combination of a ridiculously high floor and also a ridiculously high ceiling if everything goes right in his development," wrote The Athletic's Sam Vecenie (subscription required). "He has a chance to become the next apex wing in the NBA."
Flagg, like Wembanyama, offers crafty offense and dominating defense. However, fans have seen players of Flagg's ilk come and go. Most of them end up in Springfield, enshrined in the Hall of Fame, although Wembanyama is in a league of his own, offering two-way dominance and potential still never seen before.
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