NBA GM: Potential No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg similar to Kawhi Leonard

Duke star Cooper Flagg is considered the top overall pick in nearly every 2025 NBA mock draft. For now, he’s focused on driving the Blue Devils through the NCAA tournament. But soon, he could be focused on driving an NBA lottery team to greater heights.

And one Eastern Conference executive told ESPN that winning and driving are what Flagg is all about.

“The best thing Cooper Flagg does is drive winning,” the East exec said. “It sounds cliché, but all the intel we’ve gathered, every interview we’ve done with current and past coaches, teammates, trainers, etc., all point to that same concept in different variations. It’s what fuels him every day.”

That counts for a lot. Right? Right.

“That’s such a rare and highly attractive quality to have in an 18-year-old, especially when you’re talking about the impact he can have on a team coming off a losing, often miserable season,” the exec added.

And yes, odds are, Flagg will end up with an NBA team that is indeed coming off a miserable season. We’re talking the Wizards, Hornets, Jazz … teams at the very bottom of the NBA. That is, assuming, Flagg enters the draft. (There’s talk that a quality NIL deal will keep him at Duke.)

As for Flagg’s NBA comp … well, one Western Conference GM mentioned Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, the ultimate two-way wing.

“The best comp I’ve heard from our scouts is prime Kawhi Leonard,” the West GM said, via ESPN. “Now, that’s not perfect because they are very different players at the same age, but it’s the one I like in terms of their style of play, two-way versatility, passing and the fact that they can both guard point guards, wings and big men.”

Flagg offers similar basketball traits, the GM added.

“Kawhi’s defense was way ahead of his offense, and he has a lot of the same manufactured qualities [as Flagg] to his handle and shooting,” he said. “… But I think about his unwavering confidence and relentless work ethic combined with his physicality, IQ and physical tools. That’s what helped him become an MVP candidate and the best player on a championship team.”