Jonathan Givony
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Jonathan Givony
ESPN
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Jeremy Woo
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Jeremy Woo
ESPN
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Mar 25, 2025, 08:39 AM ET

Editor's note: This story was originally published on March 21.

Duke freshman Cooper Flagg has held the top spot in ESPN's Top 100 rankings since we first projected the 2025 NBA draft class more than a year ago.

Despite starting the season as the projected No. 1 pick, he has improved his standing this season, hitting his stride in ACC competition, particularly since turning 18 on Dec. 21. Duke (31-3, 19-1 ACC) and coach Jon Scheyer challenged him to be the focal point of a young team, playing against four top-25 ranked teams in the first month of the season.

In 20 ACC regular-season games, Flagg averaged 21.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists. The ACC's player of the year and rookie of the year, who was also named an All-American, has showcased his ability as a passer, decision-maker and shooter. Flagg became the fourth Division I freshman, along with Kevin Durant (Texas), CJ McCollum (Lehigh) and Michael Beasley (Kansas State), over the past 25 seasons who had 20 PPG on 50% field goal percentage and 40% on 3-pointers in respective conference play, according to ESPN Research.

Flagg injured his left ankle in the ACC tournament, causing him to miss Duke's run to the conference title. Flagg returned for the Blue Devils' first-round NCAA tournament win against Mount St. Mary's and their second-round 89-66 win against No. 9 seed Baylor on Sunday. They'll play No. 4 seeded Arizona Thursday at 9:39 p.m. ET (CBS).

The gap between Flagg and the rest of the 2025 draft class has widened significantly over the past three months, according to the 10 NBA general managers, executives and scouts with whom we've spoken. The conversation among execs is now about his rookie expectations and how he compares with previous No. 1 picks.