Building Duke's all-time roster: Does Cooper Flagg make the cut?

Of each the large players Mike Krzyzewski has encountered successful his career, Cooper Flagg is 1 of the best, helium believes.

"[Grant Hill] is the champion subordinate to ever play astatine Duke," the erstwhile Duke caput manager said connected SiriusXM successful April. "[Christian Laettner] is the astir accomplished. We've had great, large players. [Cooper Flagg], successful his freshman year, is decidedly the champion freshman that has ever played."

Powerful words from a fable who won 5 nationalist titles and is wide viewed arsenic the top men's assemblage hoops manager since John Wooden.

But bash his erstwhile players agree? Where does Flagg slot into an all-time rotation of Blue Devils aft a azygous play successful Durham, North Carolina?

We tried to reply those questions. It wasn't casual to compile Duke's all-time roster, strictly based connected collegiate accomplishments. But we've managed it.

This was a analyzable workout that considered aggregate generations of talent: 53 erstwhile Duke players who were selected successful the archetypal circular of their respective NBA drafts since the 1985-1986 season. The excavation besides featured elite those who wouldn't suffice owed to constricted playing time, but inactive warrant acknowledgment. (We'll ne'er cognize what Kyrie Irving -- 17.5 PPG, 46% from 3 successful 11 games successful 2010-11 -- mightiness person done had helium not been retired astir of the play with a toed injury.)

We polled Duke players for their opinions. We besides studied candidates' statistical interaction and show connected a nationalist level. And, we looked not conscionable astatine sheer dominance of the crippled but however they stood retired best.

We besides decided not to physique this roster by position, to acceptable today's positionless game.

The goal, ultimately, was to make a balanced roster. Would the three- and four-year players of older generations person stayed arsenic agelong successful the one-and-done epoch -- and racked up the aforesaid accomplishments? Can you ideate 4 years of Cooper Flagg oregon Zion Williamson, who had seasons fewer Duke players tin match?

As for Flagg: He was the astir polarizing candidate.

Some erstwhile Duke players didn't judge helium deserved inclusion.

"Certainly a consideration, but I'm not definite 1 twelvemonth is capable for immoderate subordinate to ace the all-time apical 5 astatine Duke," said Jay Bilas, an ESPN expert and erstwhile Duke standout. "I'd conjecture that would beryllium the aforesaid astatine UCLA, UNC and UConn."

A subordinate of the 1994 squad that mislaid to Arkansas successful the nationalist rubric crippled agreed. "He would not beryllium successful my all-time starting five," helium said. "He's a large subordinate successful his 1 twelvemonth of college. But determination were excessively galore guys from that programme that did truthful overmuch that I would not enactment him implicit them."

"No ring, nary starting five," added a Duke prima who won nationalist titles successful 1991 and 1992. "In that regard, helium astir apt falls into the Kyrie category. I tin nary mode successful my close caput prime [Flagg] implicit Grant Hill astatine [small forward]."

Others disagreed.

"I deliberation astatine powerfulness guardant you tin marque an statement for Flagg, particularly however the crippled is played now," said a cardinal subordinate of Duke's 2001 nationalist rubric team.

A subordinate of the 2010 title-winning squad made the favoritism betwixt Flagg's talents and his achievements.

"He is simply a top-five endowment and subordinate all-time astatine Duke, apt top-two," said a subordinate who helped the Blue Devils triumph the 2010 nationalist championship. "All-time starting five? I would astir apt accidental Flagg is the sixth antheral [because helium lacks the squad achievements]. If I had to prime a apical five, however, it would beryllium hard to support him out."

Starting five

Jay Williams, constituent defender (1999-2002)

19.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 6.0 APG, 39.3% 3PT%

Per the erstwhile Duke players who spoke to ESPN, the constituent defender spot drew the astir controversy. But Williams gets the motion present with a brace of AP first-team All-America efforts. He besides anchored Duke's tally to the 2001 nationalist title and won the Wooden Award a twelvemonth later.

Williams besides passed the oculus test. Few players successful assemblage hoops person possessed his operation of explosiveness, velocity and wide talent. At 6-foot-2, helium mightiness beryllium the champion player, lb for pound, successful Duke history.

Christian Laettner, powerfulness forward/center (1989-92)

16.6 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 48.5% 3PT%

Any database of Duke's top players -- the top players successful assemblage hoops history, excessively -- is void without Laettner. He led the Blue Devils to 3 consecutive nationalist rubric crippled appearances, winning 2 of them. He besides won the 1992 Wooden Award. His top accomplishment, however, whitethorn person been joining the nationalist men's squad (The Dream Team) that won the Olympic golden medal successful 1992.

But Laettner besides altered the perceptions of his presumption good beyond his years successful college. Today, large men are allowed to bash everything connected the court, which wasn't the lawsuit successful the aboriginal 1990s. Laettner was a 6-11 prima who evolved into an unguardable, multifaceted threat. (He changeable astir 56% from 3 arsenic a senior.) He was besides 1 of conscionable 2 unanimous picks for inclusion among the players polled.

Grant Hill, tiny forward/shooting defender (1990-94)

14.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 3.6 APG, 37.6% 3PT%

If we had built this roster by position, the tiny guardant slot would person been a contention betwixt Hill and Flagg -- and Hill would person won. He's 1 of the astir versatile and accomplished players successful Duke history, helping the Blue Devils scope 3 nationalist rubric games and cutting down the nets doubly -- the 3rd was that 1994 nonaccomplishment to Arkansas.

Hill ended his collegiate vocation with a breathtaking elder tally successful which helium averaged 17.4 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.9 SPG, 1.2 BPG and 39% from the 3-point line, and was named an AP first-team All-American. The players we polled for this workout didn't hold connected much, but they each agreed: Grant Hill had to beryllium successful the starting five.

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Bilas: Grant Hill, not Zion, is Duke's champion subordinate ever

Jay Bilas says Grant Hill is Duke's champion subordinate ever and Christian Laettner is the astir accomplished, but Zion Williamson is successful the discussion.

Zion Williamson, powerfulness guardant (2018-19)

22.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, 2.1 SPG, 1.8 BPG, 33.8% 3PT%

Krzyzewski erstwhile called Williamson "the astir unsocial athlete" helium had ever coached. The 6-7, 285-pound phenom locked up the Wooden Award contention aboriginal his azygous assemblage season, and ne'er had immoderate competition. His uncanny plays -- see: the artifact connected erstwhile Virginia standout De'Andre Hunter oregon his 360-degree windmill dunk against Clemson that twelvemonth -- made him a staple of "SportsCenter" and YouTube highlights. He had a clump of chaotic numbers, but his 68.0% clip from the field, a top-25 people successful assemblage hoops history, is possibly the astir impressive.

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1:32

Zion was a quality item reel astatine Duke

Announcers had to find caller ways to picture the multitude of highlights from Zion Williamson's Wooden Award-winning play astatine Duke.

Williamson didn't triumph a nationalist title, but helium seemingly did everything else, and near a people connected Duke basketball. It was excessively hard to determine betwixt freshmen greats Flagg and Williamson, truthful we included some since they, respectively, near their marks connected Duke hoops successful their abbreviated stints with the program.

Cooper Flagg, tiny guardant (2024-25)

19.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.4 BPG, 38.5% 3PT%

Before helium had adjacent turned 18, Flagg had enactment unneurotic a furious commencement to his freshman run successful Durham, which ended with an ACC subordinate of the twelvemonth honor, a Final Four quality and the Wooden Award. He besides finished 2nd successful the ACC antiaircraft subordinate of the twelvemonth race.

Like Williamson, Flagg mightiness deficiency the longevity of the others connected this list, but nary matched his first-year impact. He led the Blue Devils successful astir each statistical class (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks). And, helium did each this aft reclassifying up from the 2025 recruiting class. While his peers were reasoning astir their precocious schoolhouse elder prom, Flagg was dominating a athletics featuring players six and 7 years older than him.

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See wherefore Cooper Flagg is the No. 1 imaginable successful the NBA draft

Check retired the champion plays from Duke freshman Cooper Flagg up of the 2025 NBA draft.

Duke's all-time reserves

Shane Battier, tiny guardant (1997-2001)

13.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 41.6% 3PT%

Duke's all-time rotation is truthful strong, 1 of the top assemblage players of each clip is simply a reserve. Battier won the Wooden Award and Final Four Most Outstanding Player successful 2001, the twelvemonth helium led the Blue Devils to Krzyzewski's 3rd nationalist title. He was besides 1 of the champion defenders successful assemblage hoops history. In immoderate different circumstance, Battier's résumé would marque him an all-time starter.

Johnny Dawkins, constituent defender (1982-86)

19.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 4.2 APG, 35.2% 3PT%

You could marque a beardown lawsuit that Dawkins is the crushed Krzyzewski didn't suffer his occupation pursuing a rocky archetypal section astatine Duke. Dawkins' 1985-86 run -- erstwhile helium led the programme to the nationalist rubric crippled and won Naismith Player of the Year -- altered the trajectory of the program, inspiring the aboriginal apical prospects who would substance the team's tally successful the 1990s.

JJ Redick, shooting defender (2002-06)

19.9 PPG, 2.2 APG, 40.6% 3PT%

It doesn't consciousness bully to permission the program's all-time starring scorer disconnected the all-time starting five. But it's besides not a sound against the existent Los Angeles Lakers caput manager arsenic overmuch arsenic it's a motion of the unthinkable endowment excavation Duke has assembled implicit the past 50 years. Redick had the champion four-year tally of immoderate erstwhile Duke prima (two-time AP first-team All-American, Wooden Award) who didn't triumph a nationalist title. That's the lone blemish connected his résumé.

Bobby Hurley, constituent defender (1989-93)

12.4 PPG, 7.7 APG, 40.5% 3PT%

Let's beryllium clear: Hurley and Dawkins could each marque a beardown lawsuit arsenic the starting constituent defender for Duke's all-time squad -- if not for Jay Williams. Hurley helped the Blue Devils triumph back-to-back nationalist titles successful 1991 and 1992 and was an AP All-America first-teamer successful 1993. He was the backmost of 1 of assemblage basketball's astir ascendant stretches by a azygous team.

Elton Brand, powerfulness forward/center (1997-99)

16.2 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 61.2% 2PT%

He volition ever beryllium the look of what was possibly the top assemblage squad that failed to triumph a nationalist title: the 1998-99 Blue Devils, who won 32 consecutive games earlier falling to UConn successful the nationalist championship. That team, however, had 5 aboriginal NBA lottery picks. Brand, who won the Wooden Award for that campaign, was the champion subordinate connected the team.

Honorable mentions: Marvin Bagley III, Jon Scheyer, Jayson Tatum, Shelden Williams, Jabari Parker, Paolo Banchero, Gene Banks, Jahlil Okafor, RJ Barrett, Danny Ferry