Cooper Flagg is the favorite to be selected first overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. But the Duke freshman isn't a lock to be the top overall pick. NBA decision makers are open to another player surpassing Flagg by the time the draft roles around.
"I'm going into this year with an open mind about who the No. 1 pick might be," one NBA executive recently told ESPN. "This is how mistakes are made: getting anchored to an opinion and then closing yourself off to new, much more important information that we'll be receiving in the coming months seeing how the season plays out.
"I need to see if Cooper Flagg is indeed a No. 1-type offensive option who can be expected to carry a team at some point in his career, or if he's more of a superstar role player who is better suited as your second- or third-best player. Every year there are surprises, new players pop up and others take an unexpected leap."
Other players in the mix to be selected first overall are Rutgers duo Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, Baylor's V.J. Edgecombe and French point guard Nolan Traore.
