Utah Jazz Secure Cooper Flagg in Newest NBA Mock Draft

The Utah Jazz could land a franchise cornerstone for their rebuild come next summer.

Oct 4, 2024; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cooper Flagg (2) is introduced to the fans during Countdown to Craziness at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images / Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

While the wins haven't come very consistently early for the Utah Jazz this season, a bleak 1-6 start for this team inevitably places them in the prime position to land a prime spot in the lottery during next summer's NBA Draft-- a class which projects to have some of the more stellar talent at the top that we've seen in recent memory.

It's still several months out from the new rookie talent entering the fold for 2025, but some outlets around the league have begun to throw out some way-too-early predictions of how the first few picks of the draft could turn out, the latest coming from Bleacher Report and Jonathan Wasserman.

Within Wasserman's mock draft, we saw the Jazz find their way to the number one spot on the board, landing the talents of Duke forward Cooper Flagg-- advertised as a two-way force who's "built to impact games."

"Scouts, coaches, and fans can expect Cooper Flagg to consistently deliver easy transition offense, ball movement, and extreme defensive intensity," Wasserman said. "It wouldn't be surprising if his shooting comes and goes, or he doesn't always look like a polished one-on-one creator. But he's built to impact games regardless of whether his shot is falling."

Flagg has long been the expected number-one pick, a lengthy, six-foot-nine wing who secured comparisons to the likes of Andrei Kirelinko and Jalen Johnson within B/R's mock.

During his first game with the Blue Devils, Flagg showed out with flashes on both ends of the floor against Maine, posting 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals. He still has a way to go in terms of being a consistent and polished option on the offensive end, but with his length and athleticism alone, the defensive upside he possesses is through the roof.

"Flagg's athleticism comes alive during every open-floor opportunity," Wasserman continued. "His size, aggression, and improving ball-handling can overwhelm defenders on drives in space... It's the flashes of crossovers into pull-ups, fallaways inside the arc, and three-point shotmaking that could allow him to run away as the clear No. 1 overall favorite. He doubles as both a team's energizer and top scoring weapon with the versatility to generate offense on and off the ball in different ways."

Beyond Flagg, the alternative options don't look too bad for the Jazz either. Other top picks who followed were the Rutgers duo of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, both also well within the discussion of being number one come June of next year. However, the clear prized possession of this class at the moment seems to be the Duke Blue Devil, and in this scenario, Utah was lucky enough to snag him.

A long season of pro and college basketball lies ahead, so expect the landscape of this board, and the Jazz's expectations, to shift as the 2025 NBA Draft inches closer.

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