Do Wizards Need Cooper Flagg?

Cooper Flagg could be drafted by the Washington Wizards with the No. 1 overall pick.

Dec 4, 2024; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) during the second half against the Auburn Tigers at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils won 84-78. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images / Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

The Washington Wizards are the worst team in the NBA, tying their franchise record for their longest losing streak after falling to the Dallas Mavericks.

The losing sucks for the Wizards, but there could be a light at the end of the tunnel in potential No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg.

The 6-9 forward out of Duke has been impressing so far this season and he is expected to be a building block for whichever franchise takes him with the top selection in June's draft.

"The execution just hasn't been consistent yet at 17 years old (he turns 18 on December 21). Age should be taken into consideration before nitpicking at Flagg's lowlights, especially the turnovers he's had late in tight games, operating as Duke's primary creator," Bleacher Report analyst Jonathan Wasserman writes. "Regardless of the weaker ball security when pressured or inconsistent shotmaking, he's still averaging 15.9 points while providing valuable playmaking and impact defensive activity. In the short team, he's going to continuing improving his team with athleticism and motor for earning easy baskets, high passing IQ, defensive stops and miscellaneous mid-range buckets. But there's clearly another level of upside for Flagg to reach based on the potential that he'll execute the pull-ups, fallaways and threes more consistently over time."

Flagg isn't a "get rich quick" option, but he has superstar upside. That's something the Wizards haven't had since ... ever? John Wall and Bradley Beal were franchise cornerstones and Gilbert Arenas was a star, but Flagg could go down as a generational prospect that supersedes any of the players the Wizards have tried to build around in the past.

This is a deep draft class with several top players in the first few picks, so the Wizards may still end up with a good prospect if Flagg is unavailable, but Washington should do everything in its power to bag Flagg.

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