Cooper Flagg announced he will leave Duke and declare for the NBA draft. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald

Cooper Flagg made it official. His next stop is the NBA.

The Newport native and former Nokomis Regional High School standout announced on Instagram that he will leave Duke University after a sensational freshman year and enter the NBA draft, likely as the top overall pick.

The 18-year-old Flagg will be the first player born and raised in Maine to be drafted in the NBA’s first round.

“Duke fans, my teammates, the Brotherhood, and everybody that was along for this journey, it was an incredible year. Probably the best year of my life, and I have so much gratitude and I feel so blessed for all of the opportunities that I was given,” Flagg said in his Instagram post, which featured him talking over his highlights and clips of him celebrating during the year with teammates and coaches. “Duke has always been a dream for me, but I’m excited to announce that I’ll be entering my name into the 2025 NBA Draft.

“Today’s just the beginning, but I have the Brotherhood with me for life.”

 

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Flagg entered the season as the anticipated top pick following his success at Montverde Academy in Florida, where he led the Eagles to a high school national championship last April. He only bolstered his case at Duke, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists while becoming the fourth freshman to win the Wooden Award, given to the year’s best player. Flagg joined Zion Williamson in 2019, Anthony Davis in 2012 and Kevin Durant in 2007 as freshmen to win the award.

Flagg is in Los Angeles training and was unavailable Monday to talk about his decision.

His trainer, Matt MacKenzie, said Flagg has dreamed of the NBA for a while.

“We’ve had plenty of conversations about how making the NBA, and then having success and stacking championships at the NBA level is the ultimate goal,” he said. “Cooper wants to be able to play at the highest level, on the greatest stage there is in basketball. Up to this point he’s done that, and he wants to continue to do that. He’s somebody who’s always seeking a bigger challenge.”

MacKenzie said the team that drafts Flagg will get a player ready to make a franchise-altering impact right away.

“I really think that his greatest strengths are his two-way versatility and how competitive he is,” he said. “He has the ability to impact winning in so many ways. … I feel like that, combined with how competitive and how hard he plays every possession, make him a can’t-miss prospect for any NBA team.”

His AAU coach, Andy Bedard, said he sees Flagg having that kind of effect on a team as well.

“It’s his versatility to do everything at basically the highest level. I think he’s a complete winner, he’s a character kid, he’s a franchise-type kid,” Bedard said. “He’s someone that a lot of seasoned veterans will want to play with because of how he plays and how unselfish he is. … It’s his commitment to playing hard on every possession that I think is really something a lot of people would say is a lost art in the NBA.”

Nokomis High School's Cooper Flagg (32) dunks the ball against Cony High School in the Class A North semifinals basketball game at the Augusta Civic Center on Feb. 23, 2022. Morning Sentinel file

Bedard said Flagg would make any franchise in the NBA better.

“No matter what team gets the first pick, there’s going to be a skill set he has at the top level that they’re really looking for,” Bedard said. “If you want a scorer, he can score. Do you need a defensive player? Well, he can defend. Do you need a motor? Well, he can motor.

“It’s not just like he’s the best shooter on the planet, and you need a shooter. He has the ability to adapt into any system and instantly make them creditable.”

At the same time, the NBA will be a different environment. Flagg will be competing against men in their mid- and late-20s, and playing at least 82 games a year.

MacKenzie said he and Flagg will be training this spring, with a focus toward bridging that gap.

“From a physical standpoint, it’s giving him the resources to really build up his body,” he said. “We’re really trying to make sure we’re focused on injury prevention, and making sure that he’s able to have a good, strong base and foundation to his body going into what’s a very long season.”

A video interview with Cooper Flagg and his family from April 2022.

There are also the stylistic differences between the college and pro game.

“NBA style offense involves a lot of pick-and-roll and a lot of isolation into space,” MacKenzie said. “We’ll certainly be working on those reads out of pick-and-roll, we’ll continue to work on certain moves that he can really use to attack space and to use his advantages, to be able to attack spots where he’s comfortable scoring the ball.”

MacKenzie, though, said he won’t be the only one needing to know where Flagg’s game can improve.

“He’s such a student of the game,” he said. “He’s somebody who just so badly wants to be the best he can possibly be, that it’s a two-way type of relationship between the two of us. I’m able to give him suggestions and feedback, but he’s also able to come to me and say ‘Matt, I really feel like I need to work on this’ or ‘I need to work on that.’ … I can help guide him, but he’s really the one that puts in all the work.”

The NBA draft lottery will determine which team gets the first chance to select Flagg in June. The best odds, at 14%, will belong to the Utah Jazz (17-65), the Washington Wizards (18-64) and the Charlotte Hornets (19-63).