There is a lot of hype surrounding Cooper Flagg as he awaits his NBA debut in October. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft has already been deemed the prohibitive favorite for Rookie of the Year.
According to one former NBA superstar, the former Duke player is absolutely ready to dominate at the highest level.
“I think he’s the most complete player that we’ve seen come into the NBA in recent memory,” Blake Griffin said per Yahoo! Sports. “I’m not saying he doesn’t have room to grow — he still has a ton of room to grow — but he passes, he shoots, he defends, he rebounds. He seems like a great teammate, seems like a great kid.
“What’s the red flag? Which is really exciting for basketball to have these young guys. I mean, even Wemby [Victor Wembanyama] — [he’s] very complete, as well. But Cooper is able to play so many different positions, guard so many different positions, that it’s exciting.”
Griffin should know what it takes to come into the league as a hyped prospect. After a great career at Oklahoma, he was the first overall pick in the 2009 draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. Griffin is also a big fan of where Flagg landed career-wise.
“I also love that he’s in Dallas,” he said. “I think they have a really solid team around him. Most number-one picks are going to teams that haven’t been doing too great in the past. But I’m just excited for him to to start this journey. I don’t even know if I have advice for him because seems like kid’s got it figured out.”
Flagg and the Mavericks open up the season on Oct. 22 against the San Antonio Spurs.