Chris Paul says Duke’s Cooper Flagg is ‘real as advertised’ after seeing projected No. 1 draft pick in person

Chris Paul was surprised like the rest of us when the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA Draft lottery last month, which added to the “crazy” group chat with friends and teammates after his own former squad, the San Antonio Spurs, popped inside the top four 

The attention quickly shifted to Cooper Flagg, the Mavericks’ projected No. 1 overall pick and most-hyped prospect in recent years.

“I’m in L.A. right now, and Cooper Flagg has been out there. I’ve been in the gym with him a couple times and whatnot,” Paul said this week on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “He’s as real as advertised.”

The rave review from Paul is the latest scouting report from Flagg’s NBA brethren ahead of this month’s big night. Some opinions have been negative on Flagg’s future trajectory, while others expect the former Duke All-American and college basketball’s Player of the Year to be an instant All-Star at the next level.

Paul started all 82 games for the Spurs this season and has played with a variety of superstars in recent years. He watched Stephen Curry average 26.4 points per game during the 2023-24 campaign and had a hand in Devin Booker’s success with Phoenix over a three-year stretch prior to that.

In Kyle Boone’s updated 2025 NBA Mock Draft, he expects the Spurs to pair former Rutgers star Dylan Harper with Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio after Flagg comes off the board with the top pick. That would give the franchise a point or off guard in the wake of Paul’s departure.

A few league executives doubt “superstar” projections for Flagg, citing the need to see more at an elite level. According to a recent analysis from The Ringer’s Howard Beck, a pair of anonymous executives expressed skepticism.

“Flagg has a high chance of becoming an All-Star but is not in the same tier as recent No. 1 picks like Wembanyama and Zion Williamson,” the executive said.

Another wondered if a “very good” Flagg could ever reach top billing since he’s “not a star.”

Flagg was college basketball’s best last season after averaging a team-best 19.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, helping push Jon Scheyer’s Duke team to the Final Four.

Paul doesn’t need convincing after seeing enough from Flagg in an open gym to notice his talent level. Paul, an unrestricted free agent, reportedly has a preference to play in Los Angeles next season since that’s where his children reside.

“I want to be dad, you know what I mean? I still love to play,” Paul said this week. “My daughter actually hoops now. So before I flew out here, I was in the gym with her for 20 minutes. Like with kids, sometimes you just got to do short sessions. So I was in 20 minutes, 20 minutes doing ball handling with her. And it was priceless. You don’t get that time back.”