In terms of pure excitement and early confidence, the 2024–25 Duke basketball freshman trio—Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach—belongs in the same elite conversation as the 2018–19 one-and-done stars Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Cam Reddish. Like that historic group, all three of Duke’s current newcomers appear to be surefire lottery picks.
There’s even a slim but intriguing possibility that Flagg and Maluach could mirror the 2019 NBA Draft outcomes of Williamson and Barrett, who went No. 1 and No. 3 overall, respectively.
Flagg, unsurprisingly, remains the consensus favorite to be the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Meanwhile, Maluach—a 7-foot-2, 250-pound center from South Sudan with rare length and developing versatility—typically lands between No. 5 and No. 10 on most mock drafts. However, according to NBA Big Board’s Rafael Barlowe, there’s growing buzz that the Philadelphia 76ers are at least considering him with the No. 3 pick.
It doesn’t hurt that the Philadelphia 76ers appear to have struck gold by selecting 2023–24 Duke one-and-done standout Jared McCain with the 16th pick in last year’s draft—especially given his impressive rookie campaign before injury setbacks.
Looking ahead, as many as five members of the 2024–25 Duke basketball squad could hear their names called at the 2025 NBA Draft, set for June 25–26 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. In addition to projected lottery picks Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach, guards Tyrese Proctor and Sion James are widely viewed as solid second-round prospects.
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