This year’s freshman class in college basketball has quickly become the story of the season. So many talented youngsters are in the sport, eventually making their way to the 2026 NBA Draft. It’s been described as generational, with multiple guys with superstar potential being available.

Attempting to put into comparison how good this year’s class is, TNT analyst Jamal Mashburn put former No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg in the mix. Mashburn would personally rank Flagg sixth if he were hypothetically playing college basketball right now.

“I look at last year’s No. 1 overall pick in Cooper Flagg,” Mashburn said. “If I was to put him on that list, he would be sixth… Just from a skill set and also elevation, a level of where they can get to… I just think this freshman class and you contribute everybody from last year, those guys would still be at the top of the list. Cooper Flagg has some holes in his game.”

Exactly which five are ahead of Flagg were not named by Mashburn. However, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, BYU‘s AJ Dybantsa, and North Carolina star Caleb Wilson were all mentioned at some point during the conversation. TNT host Adam Lefkoe even brought up Arizona forward Koa Peat.

Bruce Pearl then challenged Mashburn a bit on his statement. Thursday night’s performance from Flagg with the Dallas Mavericks got brought up, where the rookie scored 49 points. He made NBA history along the way, being the first teenager in about 30 years to have 40 points through three quarters.

Mashburn was there to return the argument, saying it’s something he could see Peterson and Dybantsa doing at some point next season. Wilson is somebody Mashburn appears to be buying a lot of long-term stock in, though.

“One thing I will say — I see Darryn Peterson having 40 at some point in his rookie year,” Mashburn said. “AJ having 40. But over the long term, Caleb Wilson, in my opinion, is a piece that can be built around for a championship-caliber team.”

Flagg has given the Mavericks new life since the Luka Dončić trade. He is currently averaging 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. Many consider him the favorite to win Rookie of the Year as well, following up on what was an incredible freshman season at Duke. Mashburn is just not there with Flagg yet, preferring guys who are still currently playing college basketball.