The Duke Blue Devils have a rich history of success in college basketball, going back to stars like Christian Laettner and more recent examples like Zion Williamson. In the history of the star-studded program, there have been some very talented freshmen. Williamson, for example, is one of three freshmen in men’s basketball history to win the Naismith College Player of the Year, alongside Kentucky’s Anthony Davis and Texas’ Kevin Durant. With how things look this season, there might be a fourth player joining that list.
Cooper Flagg, Duke’s star freshman and the projected first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, has been dominant all season long with his play on both ends of the ball. Ahead of the historic North Carolina-Duke game, ESPN analyst and former Blue Devils star Jay Williams made a bold statement regarding Flagg.
“Cooper is the most complete and skilled freshman in Duke basketball history,” Williams said. A bold statement to say coming from one of the top players in Duke’s history, but there’s a good case for it. While Williamson’s end-of-season stats with Duke are better than what Flagg is currently at, Flagg’s defensive impact on the team can’t be overlooked. As of Friday, Duke is fifth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 59.5 per game in large part to Flagg’s efforts.
Additionally, Flagg plays a bigger role in the team’s offense as a playmaker compared to Williamson, as Flagg is averaging nearly double the amount of assists Williamson did in his lone freshman season. Regardless, both players are special and Flagg looks to join him as a future first-overall pick in this summer’s NBA Draft.
For Flagg to bolster his case and back up Williams’ statement, he can do so with an elite performance against the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday at Cameron Indoor. While not the North Carolina team from years past, nobody can ever be counted out in this rivalry.