Inside The Wizards

Wizards Projected to Land Duke Star Cooper Flagg

The Washington Wizards are in line to get the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Jeremy Brener

Nov 22, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) celebrates a three pointer made during the second half against the Arizona Wildcat at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images
Nov 22, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) celebrates a three pointer made during the second half against the Arizona Wildcat at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images / Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards hold the league's worst record at 2-13, registering a painful start to the season.

However, pain could turn into pleasure if the Wizards can land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. If they do, they will likely select Duke freshman forward Cooper Flagg.

"Flagg is a rarity among super prospects in many ways, including that his on-ball scoring is perhaps the weakest part of the package," SB Nation analyst Ricky O'Donnell writes. "Instead, Flagg is at his best away from the ball, emerging as the rare non 7-footer to dominate a game defensively and fill in all the cracks offensively. It’s possible and maybe even likely that Flagg eventually develops into the sort of jumbo primary creator every team wants. For now, he can still leave his finger prints all over a game with his brilliant defensive playmaking, rim finishing, passing, and floor spacing. Flagg has ideal size and athleticism for an NBA four, and his game is already impossibly well-rounded for a 17-year-old. The team that wins the lottery is landing a franchise player for the next decade."

Flagg has been tabbed as the No. 1 overall pick in this draft class for several years now after his outstanding high school career, so as long as the Duke forward stays healthy, he should be the top pick in June for whichever team gets the chance to land him.

So far this season, Flagg is averaging 17.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per game for the Blue Devils, proving to be one of the better players in the country.

Flagg and his teammates will get a chance to flex their muscles on national television tonight when they take on the Kansas Jayhawks at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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