Cooper Flagg scouting report: Are mixed results threatening his grip on the no.1 spot?
Cooper Flagg has held the mantle throughout the 2025 NBA Draft cycle. Some scouts, though, view others as the class’s true top prospect, namely Rutgers freshman guard Dylan Harper. They’ll cite some of Flagg’s offensive concerns, notably surrounding his potential as a primary scoring option at the NBA level.
Duke has asked Flagg to run their offense and carry a monstrous offensive load so far to mixed results. He’s picked up his play against ACC opponents lately, capping this stretch off with an unconscious offensive showing against Notre Dame. Flagg tallied 42 points (11-14) with 17 free-throw attempts (94.1%), 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 turnovers and 1 steal.
How has Cooper Flagg led the Duke offense so far
From the moment Flagg stepped on the floor in Durham, Jon Scheyer tasked him with primary creation responsibilities. Early season growing pains brought Flagg to this point where he’s dismantling conference opponents. Flagg lived at the free throw line, far too quick, strong and explosive for his opponents to handle.
The Irish tried switching smaller defenders onto Flagg and helping, a strategy Flagg quickly dismantled. He’s far too strong and coordinated for guards to check him, throwing his defender off and drawing a foul on this first clip:
In the second half, Duke emptied Flagg’s side of the floor and sent him to work. Empty spacing makes gap help tougher and lessens the burden on Flagg’s handle, letting him isolate and bludgeon overmatched defenders. Flagg dribbles behind his back here and muscles his way to the free throw line:
It’s much easier to score efficiently when a player lives at the line and Flagg did that against Notre Dame. He’s an 80.6% free throw shooter this season with a 45.6% free throw rate, boosting his efficiency. Flagg’s 95% true shooting mark against Notre Dame was by far his highest of the season so far.
Flagg’s combination of foul-drawing prowess and scoring touch make him a nightmare to stop against smaller teams. Even when Flagg can’t create separation off of the dribble, he’ll simply rise over the defense and float touch shots in, converting the and one here:
Bullyball isn’t a foolproof strategy, especially against athletes of similar caliber to Flagg. He did well to avoid turnovers against Notre Dame, but he barged into his defender on this play and turned the ball over:
Throughout this game, Flagg scored with a soft touch around the rim. He was incredibly efficient inside the arc, converting 7 of his 8 2-point attempts and all 3 of his shots at the hoop. He’s more than just a brutish driver, as Flagg can win with skill and craft.
On this possession, a second defender slides over to help on Flagg’s drive, so he pivots to the middle and scores with the wrong foot floater:
Flagg catches the ball in the corner on this possession, faces up and drives toward the middle. He’s unable to generate an advantage so Flagg calmly hop-steps, turns over his left shoulder and drops in a hook shot over the defender:
Notice Flagg’s hesitation to shoot at the beginning of the clip above. He catches off of movement with quite a bit of space but elects not to pull the trigger. Flagg’s willingness to shoot threes off of the catch, and his jumper efficiency in general, will be heavily scrutinized.
For much of the season, Flagg’s 3-point percentage sat under 30%. After making 4 of his 6 3-point attempts against Notre Dame, Flagg’s up to 34.5% from deep on the season. He shot confidently off of the catch against the Irish, relocating towards the passer for an open triple early in the game:
Defenses will sink under screens against Flagg, partly due to his shooting struggles but largely because of his frightening driving. He’ll need to punish defenders who duck under picks with his pull-up as he does here:
Even before, Flagg’s recent 3-point shooting uptick, he’s shot the ball efficiently from the mid-range all year. These flashes of intermediate creation are tantalizing for a freshman as tall as Flagg is. He stutter rips to freeze the defender here, creating a smooth, open jumper:
Beyond Flagg’s scoring excellence, his stellar passing further compromised Notre Dame’s defense. He dished out 7 assists and a number of blown potential assists, exploiting his scoring gravity to create easy looks for his teammates.
Flagg operates plenty of pick-and-rolls from the top of the key, forcing defenses to make tough decisions. The drop defender must respect Flagg, forcing the weak corner defender to sink down and opening the skip pass for Flagg. He’s rewarded for his unselfishness, cutting hard for a thunderous dunk:
How Cooper Flagg has gone from strength to strength
When Flagg catches in the middle of the floor, defenses collapse around his gravity. He’s sharpening his processor, learning when to score and when to pass in these situations. Flagg instantly passes out to the corner again here when the defense commits to him. It’s not a perfectly accurate pass, but the vision and court processing stand out:
Flagg isn’t a perfectly accurate passer at this point. Fortunately, it’s much easier to hone passing accuracy than it is to teach Flagg’s vision and feel. Flagg instantly recognizes Maluach wide open on the short roll catch but overthrows the pass which results in a turnover:
His offensive versatility helps make Flagg an elite prospect. He doesn’t need the ball up top to add value and is excellent as a roller, helping him fit next to other perimeter playmakers. Once again, there’s no wasted motion on this short roll catch and alley-oop to Khaman Maluach:
Maluach was a primary beneficiary of Flagg’s passing goodness — 5 of Flagg’s 7 assists went to the freshman center. His special athletic tools and soft hands make Flagg’s life easier as a passer, giving him a dominant target to locate. Flagg can toss the ball high to Maluach, trusting him to catch and finish even in traffic:
If Flagg can place the ball anywhere near Maluach, there’s a strong chance he’ll rise up and snag it. His catch radius provides a nice margin for error for Flagg and lets him show off his excellent passing vision:
Flagg’s offense stole the show against the Irish, but he played stout, solid defense as he always does. Take this possession for example, where Flagg tracks his man off of the ball before sinking down to clog the passing lane:
He’s an impactful rim protector even without blocking shots, as Flagg’s presence at the rim deters and alters shots. Here, he swoops in from the weak side to help on the post-up, forcing a miss:
Cooper Flagg played the kind of game that makes it easy to project him as a future NBA superstar against Notre Dame. He’ll have plenty of handling and technical details to clean up, but his dominance and production as a recent 18-year-old are highly impressive. More performances like this will stamp Flagg as one of the best draft prospects in recent memory.