Duke Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg is about to make his jump into the NBA. After over a year of being expected to be the No. 1 overall pick, he now knows where he will likely be headed.
In the 2025 NBA draft lottery, the Dallas Mavericks won the top selection despite having a 1.8 percent chance of winning. Nico Harrison and company were given a huge gift after trading away generational superstar Luka Doncic ahead of the trade deadline.
Looking ahead to the future, Flagg is expected to have the potential to be a generational star himself. He live up to all the hype during his freshman season with Duke and is ready to make a huge impact on the Mavericks, assuming they do select him at No. 1.
Alex Slitz/Getty Images
Recently, Flagg was asked his opinion about who the best player in the NBA currently is and he didn’t hesitate. He believes that Denver Nuggets superstar big man Nikola Jokic deserves that title.
Read more: LeBron James Provides Update on Lakers’ Future, Retirement
As shared by ClutchPoints on X, Flagg dropped a blunt statement about why he thinks Jokic is the best player in the league.
“Best player in the NBA right now, Joker. He just does so much like he impacts winning in so many different ways,” Flagg said.
“Who’s the best player in the NBA right now?”
Walter Clayton Jr.: “[Nikola] Jokic.”
Cooper Flagg: “Joker.”
Tahaad Pettiford: “James Harden.”
Ace Bailey: “To be realistic it’s Jokic, to me I’m gonna say Kevin Durant.”
(via @BleacherReport/ TT)pic.twitter.com/knJIXkwvcf
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 15, 2025
Flagg is not alone with his opinion. Jokic is viewed as the best player in the NBA by many different players, fans, and analysts. His numbers have been astronomical.
Jokic has won three NBA MVP awards. He won his first back in the 2020-21 season, his second in the 2021-22 season, and his third in the 2023-24 season. Once again this year, he’s one of the two favorites for the coveted award.
Read more: Steph Curry Offers Curious Comment After Warriors Playoff Exit
Throughout the course of the 2024-25 NBA season with the Nuggets, Jokic played in 70 games. He averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game, while shooting 57.6 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from three-point range.
During his freshman season at Duke, Flagg put up impressive numbers as well. He averaged 19.2 points per game to go along with 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 steals in 37 games.
Perhaps one day soon Flagg’s name will be involved in the debate for best player in the NBA. For now, he’s simply focused on earning the honor of being the No. 1 pick and helping get Dallas back to being an NBA Finals contender.
For more NBA news, head over to Newsweek Sports.