The Utah Jazz are one step closer to being able to draft Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg.
On Monday morning, Duke announced that Flagg is entering his name in the 2025 NBA Draft scheduled for June 25.
The announcement is a bit of a sigh of relief for teams who are hoping to be able to select Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, as there had been some speculation — albeit very minor — that he might return to Duke for a second season.
Listed at 6-foot-9 and 205 pounds, Flagg was the best player in college basketball during the 2024-25 season despite being just 17 years old for almost two months of it.
In 37 games, the native of Newport, Maine, wound up averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. He has long been the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft thanks to the variety of things he can do on both ends of the floor as well as the intensity with which he plays.
The question of which NBA team will be able to take him is still up in the air, however, as the draft lottery isn’t until May 12. The Jazz, Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets all have the highest odds of landing the No. 1 pick, at 14%.
The Jazz won’t pick any worse than No. 5, the Wizards No. 6 and the Hornets No. 7.