The first round of the 2025 NBA Draft is set to commence on Wednesday night, and the Dallas Mavericks are expected to select Cooper Flagg with the first pick. Flagg has been the clear-cut choice for the top pick for quite some time now, following his exploits at Duke as a freshman.
Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game for the Blue Devils in 2024-25. While Duke failed to capture the national title, losing to Houston in the Final Four, Flagg was the consensus National Player of the Year. He certainly lived up to all the hype surrounding him before coming to Duke.
Cooper Flagg talks to the media during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at Marriott Marquis Chicago.
Cooper Flagg talks to the media during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at Marriott Marquis Chicago.
David Banks-Imagn Images
Flagg will now attempt to do the same in the NBA. He is one of the most hyped American prospects to enter the league in recent history, and there is sure to be a lot of intrigue surrounding his debut.
Speaking of that debut, Flagg was asked what he thinks his first NBA bucket would be during an interview with House of Highlights. The 18-year-old went for a dunk on somebody, which then led to another question: Is there anyone he would like to dunk on?
"Khaman Maluach," Flagg said. "I feel like that'd be pretty cool."
Khaman Maluach was Flagg's teammate at Duke. He has a lot of love for Maluach but would like to dunk on him regardless.
Maluach averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.3 blocks per game for Duke in 2024-25. He is expected to be a top-10 pick in this draft as well.