Toronto Raptors have an interesting connection to projected No. 1 NBA Draft pick Cooper Flagg
Like 29 other NBA franchises, the Toronto Raptors would probably love to have Cooper Flagg on their roster for next season.
The projected No. 1 pick in June’s NBA Draft, an 18-year-old Maine native who played his lone college season at Duke, has been turning the heads of scouts and fans alike.
For now, all eyes are on the May 12 NBA Draft Lottery, where Toronto has the seventh-best odds of landing the first overall pick and a shot at drafting Flagg.
They carry a 7.5 per cent odds at the top pick, and a 31.9 per cent chance of sneaking into the top four.
But while Toronto might need a bit of luck to land a prospect like Flagg, it turns out a few of their players already have an interesting connection to the young phenom.
As did Flagg a year ago, both RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes attended Monteverde Academy in Florida for parts of their high school career. The prep school also produced talents like Cade Cunningham, Joel Embiid, and Andrew Nembhard, so it’s no wonder that future top NBA picks have called it home.
And just like Flagg, Barrett was also a top NBA draft prospect who spent a lone season at Duke.
Last summer, Barrett and Flagg faced off in a one-on-one matchup while working out together at Monteverde in the early offseason, prior to Barrett’s trip to Paris with the Canadian Olympic team.
Cooper Flagg vs RJ Barrett 1 v 1
#TheBrotherhood pic.twitter.com/SOVh29UWPo— Zion O. (@DukeNBA) June 15, 2024
Flagg is just one of three Duke freshmen projected to go in the top 10 of this year’s draft, as centre Khaman Maluach and wing Kon Knueppel are also getting rave draft reviews.
“If you want some players that will be sticking around for a long time… Duke’s great,” Barrett told the media last week at the team’s end-of-season media availability.
The NBA Draft is a little over two months away, with the first round going on June 25.