Cooper Flagg is regarded as a near-certainty to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. That assumption is based on the expectation that he will be a one-and-done player at Duke and enter the draft after his freshman campaign ends.
Flagg himself, however, hit the brakes on that sentiment in a new interview. The superstar freshman dropped a quote in a recent interview that suggested he might be open to returning to Duke for another year.
“S—, I want to come back next year,” Flagg told Brendan Quinn and Brendan Marks of The Athletic.
To be clear, there is a massive difference between admitting to such a move and actually doing it.
Much of the profile was focused on how quickly things are moving for Flagg and how he is trying to take in and enjoy his freshman year. His college season has moved very quickly, as the start of the NCAA Tournament is already roughly a month away.
Flagg’s season got off to a somewhat underwhelming start given the amount of hype he arrived with. Since then, though, he has been as advertised and then some. Entering play Saturday, he is averaging 19.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, including a 42-point effort against Notre Dame on Jan. 11.
It does remain possible that Flagg will shock the world and return for his sophomore season at Duke. More realistically, he is still likely to be a one-and-done after a single dominant season, and will wind up being the top pick in the June draft.
