Why Cooper Flagg Would Transform Nets

The Brooklyn Nets will be very different if they select Cooper Flagg in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Apr 2, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; McDonald's All American East forward Cooper Flagg (32) controls the ball as McDonald's All American West guard Valdez Edgecombe Jr (7) defends during the first half at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

With the Brooklyn Nets once again in control of their first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, they are among the potential teams that Cooper Flagg could be drafted to with the No. 1 overall pick.

Flagg hasn't even played a single game at Duke, but he is already viewed as the best prospect going into next summer's draft.

Bleacher Report draft analyst Jonathan Wasserman envisioned a world in which Flagg was drafted by the rebuilding Nets.

"While there are negatives that come with joining team starting from scratch, Flagg would receive a beneficial, heavier dose of creation opportunities in Brooklyn. The athleticism and instincts for transition offense, play-finishing, passing and defensive playmaking will translate first at Duke and the pro level, but an improving handle, one-on-one skills and shotmaking game are what's driven the recent hype to new/rare levels. And with Brooklyn, Flagg would be walking into a high-usage role and the freedom to experiment with self-creation," Wasserman writes. "That may also make it difficult for Flagg to score with the type of efficiency (as a rookie) he'd reach on a more established roster. Still, Cam Johnson, Cam Thomas and Dennis Schroder would be able to surround him with respectable shooting, while Thomas and Schroder could also generate enough gravity to regularly create quality off-ball scoring chances for Flagg."

A lot has to happen for Flagg to come to Brooklyn, but if the two sides are a match, the Nets will have a franchise player to build around.

Flagg could emerge in the creator role that he will likely play at Duke. The Nets' offense at the moment revolves around Cam Thomas. While Thomas is a good scorer, the Nets have far more potential of succeeding with Flagg at the center, who brings a couple more skills to the table and makes the team more well-rounded.

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