Jazz 2025 NBA Draft Profile: Cooper Flagg, Duke

The 2024-25 Utah Jazz season will likely be remembered by who the team drafts on June 25th. This comes after losing a franchise record 65 games and securing the top odds in the draft lottery. Because of this, the team should end up in a good spot on draft night and will be able to add a high-level prospect.

As we head towards the combine, lottery, and draft night, let’s dive into the different prospects that could be playing in Salt Lake City next year. There’s no better place to start than with the future first overall pick out of Duke, Cooper Flagg.

Stats: 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.4 blocks, 48.1% FG, 38.5% 3P, 85.0% FT

Draft Range: first-overall pick

Player Comparison: Jayson Tatum/Scottie Barnes

Flagg is one of the elite prospects to enter the NBA in recent years. At 6’9 “and 205 pounds, he’s a jumbo playmaker who took bounds forward as an initiator in his one collegiate season. 

He’s always been a good passer who consistently makes the right play, but Duke asked him to be the motor of their offense, and he not only filled the role seamlessly, but he was also the best player in college basketball at 18 years old and led his team to a Final Four appearance. His gravity, pace, and IQ helped him manipulate defenses to either score for himself or find one of his talented teammates.

As a scorer, Flagg has a versatile attack and can score from all three levels of the court. He improved as an off-the-dribble threat greatly as the year progressed. His shot, viewed as one of the biggest question marks early in the year, turned into a massive strength for Flagg during conference play and the NCAA Tournament.

Flagg shot 33.3% from deep in out-of-conference games, but a blistering 42.3% against ACC opponents. While it’ll likely take some time for the shot to consistently translate to the NBA game, Flagg projects to be a good shooter, both behind the arc and from the mid-range.

On top of the shot and creation, Flagg’s athleticism makes him a terror around the rim. He had many eye-popping dunks and finishes around the basket. While he tends to settle for mid-range shots, Flagg has all the tools offensively. 

An interesting thing about Flagg is that his defense is what was most often talked about before he arrived at Duke. His athleticism, special motor, timing, and size still stand out, but tasked with so much offensively, his defense took somewhat of a backseat during his lone collegiate season.

He was still a very impactful defender who delivered his fair share of highlight blocks, but his role at the next level will likely depend on how much he’s asked to do offensively.

Flagg has few, if any, weaknesses, which makes him such a fascinating prospect. He’s one of the most versatile prospects that we’ve seen in recent years and has all the skill, athletic tools, and mental makeup to be an impactful player wherever he ends up. Hopefully for the Jazz, that impact is for them.

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