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Jay Bilas: Cooper Flagg 'is the best freshman player that Duke has ever had'

Untitled design (2)by: Sam Gillenwater06/24/25samdg_33
Duke F Cooper Flagg
Zachary Taft | Imagn Images

Cooper Flagg is a little over a day away from adding being the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft to his resumé. That’s after a one-year collegiate year that was the best freshman season that Durham has ever seen, according to Jay Bilas.

Bilas, in a sit-down with John Fanta and Bobby Marks this afternoon ahead of the start of the 2025 NBA Draft tomorrow night, was asked where Flagg is in comparison to the other top recent draft prospects from the United States. Bilas focused more so on their alma mater with him stating Flagg, based on his own production and team success, was the best freshman in the history of Duke Basketball.

“To your question about Cooper Flagg? You know, I happen to think he’s the best freshman player that Duke has ever had,” said Bilas. “That might not mean he’s the most-talented – Grant Hill and Kyrie Irving were incredibly talented players when they came out of Duke. Grant came out as a senior and Kyrie left after his freshman year after being injured for most of the season. But no other freshman produced, as an 18-year-old, like Cooper Flagg did across the board, not only in success of the team but in individual success. As an 18-year-old, to be as complete a player as he is right now, and as competitive as he is as an 18-year-old, is really hard to fathom…What he accomplished at 18 is really staggering.”

That’s high praise considering the history of the Blue Devils’ program. They’ve had several one-and-done recently like Paolo Banchero, Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, Marvin Bagley, Jayson Tatum, Brandon Ingram, Jahlil Okafor, and Kyrie Irving to name some since 2011. That’s not to mention their other, older legends who played full college careers, like a Hill for example.

Still, of them all, Flagg does have his case, posting 19.2 points (48.1% FG, 38.5% 3PT), 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 steals per game. That would win him several top accolades like ACC Player of the Year, AP Player of the Year, the Wooden Award, and the Naismith Trophy as a Consensus All-American. He, with that, would lead Duke to a record of 35-4 (19-1), winning both conference championships in the ACC and making it to the Final Four.

Again, Bilas couldn’t be much more impressed with Flagg. That goes beyond his play but to his level of maturity, presence, and competitiveness both on and off of the court.

“Going back to the competitive piece? Like, his maturity level at 18 is kind of hard for me to process,” admitted Bilas. “He takes advantage of every opportunity that’s in front of him. And, I don’t think I’ve seen an 18-year-old player that stays where his feet are more than he does. There may be others, but he really does take advantage of every practice, every meeting, every opportunity. And he’s not thinking, it doesn’t seem like he’s thinking beyond what he has to do today. And he just kind of, like we were saying stacking plays? He stacks days and that’s pretty impressive for anyone but for somebody of his age.”

So, how will that translate from college to the association? Seamlessly, actually. Bilas expects to see Flagg all over the floor, making good play after good play and showing some limitless-level potential in starting his career as the No. 1 overall pick with the Dallas Mavericks.

“Anywhere you can. Like, he’s kind of like a queen on a chess board for you because he can play (and) he can guard multiple positions,” said Bilas. “He’s super athletic. He’s long. He’s got a really good second jump. He’s got great court awareness.

“I mean, the thing that impressed me most about Cooper was he’s not a player that goes into a game thinking, well, I’m going to get 25. What he does is he tries to make the right play right now and, by stacking the right play over and over again, at the end of the game, he may have 25, 12 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and three blocks, something like that. He’s a team guy even though he’s got the ego of a great player. I think he can play (anywhere). And, reasonable expectations? I don’t know why you have to be reasonable. I mean, you know, why does the sky have to be the limit. There’s stuff beyond the sky. But, he’s willing to learn top. I mean, he understands he’s only 18 years old… He’s got credibility right away.”

Flagg left Duke in April as an all-time player for the Blue Devils. He’ll now look to continue that trend once he officially reaches the NBA, as an immediate contributor with all kinds of room to grow to Bilas, on Wednesday.

“I don’t doubt, if he stays healthy, that he’s going to do extraordinarily well,” said Bilas. “How great is he going to be? You know, we can all debate that. But, his floor? I don’t know where the ceiling is. It’s awfully high. But the floor is unbelievably high.