Jon Scheyer hypes up Cooper Flagg with clear message following NBA draft decision: "The accolades speak for itself"
Duke coach Jon Scheyer gave Cooper Flagg a message of support and admiration after he declared for the 2025 NBA draft. Duke’s social media posted a video on Monday on X (formerly Twitter) with Scheyer speaking about Flagg’s influence and impact on the Duke squad.
“Really proud of Cooper for the special season he had this year,” Scheyer said. “The accolades speak for itself with what he did, winning every national player of the year award.”
The 6-foot-9 forward - who registered 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while shooting 48.1 percent in 2024 - anchored the Blue Devils to a 35-4 record and a Final Four appearance and is now projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
Jon Scheyer praised Cooper Flagg for his unselfishness and leadership beyond the stats.
“To me, the separator and the joy of coaching Cooper is the person that he was every day, the teammate that he was,” Scheyer said. “It was never about statistics or anything other than creating an environment and helping his team to win.”
Flagg converted 239 of his 497 shot attempts. From deep, he hit 38.5 percent of his 135 three-point shots (52 made). At the free-throw line, he was reliable as he converted 179 of 213 attempts at 84 percent. Cooper Flagg pulled down 277 boards total, with 49 of them coming on the offensive end. His presence on the court translated to 50 steals and 70 blocks.
Flagg’s scoring efficiency was 1.427, and his shooting efficiency came in at 0.53, as he made the most of his opportunities. The Duke star also scored an impressive 709 points in his freshman campaign.
Duke’s Cooper Flagg declares for 2025 NBA draft
Cooper Flagg officially declared for the 2025 NBA draft as he announced Monday via a social media video. Flagg made the expected move following an impressive freshman season that earned him the Wooden Award and National Player of the Year honors. During the announcement, the forward thanked the Duke community for what he called “the best year of my life.”
“Duke fans, my teammates, the Brotherhood, everybody who was along for the journey it was an incredible year,” Flagg said. “Duke has always been a dream for me, but I’m excited to announce that I’ll be entering my name into the 2025 NBA Draft. Today is just the beginning, but I have the Brotherhood with me for life.”
Cooper Flagg - who joined Duke as the top recruit for the 2024 class after reclassifying in August 2023 - averaged 25.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists in conference play while shooting nearly 58 percent from the field and 43 percent from three-point range in January.
His best performance was a 42-point game against Notre Dame - the highest by an ACC freshman in a single game - with six rebounds and seven assists. He also excelled with 30 points, six rebounds, and seven assists in a Sweet 16 victory over Arizona in the NCAA tournament.