Does Cooper Flagg need a deep March Madness run to stay atop 2025 NBA Draft?

New York Times

24-03-2025

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Everybody talks about the New Year's resolution. These resolutions should start after March Madness, because the volume of concentrated wings in my bloodstream right now …
Clippers have righted ship. That's a boat pun!
Not even a blowout win over the mighty Jazz (16-56) could keep the Cavaliers off the wrong side of the NBA Stock Report. Not even losing to the Thunder (59-12) could keep the Clippers (40-31) off the right side of it! These are the best and worst trends with everything in between:
📈 Clippers (40-31): They (barely) dropped their showdown with OKC yesterday, but have been great lately. They've won eight of their last 10 games — that included some serious wins, and LA was close to beating Cleveland and OKC in the past week. The Clippers' recent success isn't just from them making games ugly with their defense and slogging through the muck. They have been excellent on offense. They're scoring as well as anybody in the league. Norman Powell is back, and Ivica Zubac has been a monster in the paint. The Clippers are making a massive push to the No. 6 seed to avoid the Play-In.
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📉 Cavaliers (57-14): Cleveland snapped its season-high four-game losing streak thanks to the Jazz yesterday, but the Cavs have still been trending in a troubling way. It's not alarming to the point of no longer believing in them or thinking they could actually lose the No. 1 seed in the East. But you want to be playing your best basketball leading up to the postseason, and the Cavs are currently playing their worst basketball.
📈 Pacers (41-29): Once again, here come the Pacers as we get closer to the postseason. Even when this team was missing key starters and its best players, the Pacers found ways to win. The role players have stepped up, and this bodes well for another surprising run. They're in the driver's seat for the No. 4 seed, winning six of their last seven games.
📉 Kings (35-35): Most of this stretch has happened without Domantas Sabonis, so it's understandable. But the Kings have lost six of their last eight games. They suddenly might be in a little bit of trouble with retaining ninth in the West, as Phoenix looks a lot more competent trying to secure a Play-In Tournament spot. Sacramento is now just 1 1/2 games ahead of Phoenix (34-37).
📈 The Bulls (31-40) have won seven of their last nine. During this stretch of basketball, Chicago has the ninth-best offense in the NBA. They have this surprising way of dropping a lot of points on you out of nowhere. Coby White is averaging 29.9 points in this stretch while making 50.8 percent of his shots. The Bulls might challenge the Magic for eighth in the East. They're just two games back and own the tiebreaker.
📉 The Nuggets (45-27) are in the hunt for the No. 2 seed, but not having Nikola Jokić over the last week hurt them. Even after snapping Houston's win streak yesterday without Jokić, they need Big Honey back on the court. This stretch may be helping his MVP case, but it's not helping the Nuggets get ready for the postseason. They're running out of time to get moving toward their best basketball for the playoffs.
Will NBA ever fix its issue in March?
🏀 A bad stretch. The NBA has a real problem when it comes to this month. Welcome to March Badness.
👀 Feeling at home. Jimmy Butler is adjusting well to life with the Warriors and doesn't mind being the bad guy.
🏀 Bigger than basketball. Here is a must-read about the Wolves starting Joe Ingles so his autistic son, in attendance, could see him play.
🌞 Finally sunrise? The Suns are winning, and it's time to forget their big three. This is about their active three.
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⛹️ Unmatched impact. God Shammgod is one of the most unique influences in basketball history. Christian Clark explains why.
📈 Rising rookie. Mata Buzelis is finding his stride and confidence of late.
📺 Don't miss this game tonight. Bucks (40-30) at Suns, 10 p.m. ET on NBA TV or Fubo (try it free!). The winner gets the 2021 NBA championship.
📺 League Pass gem. Timberwolves (41-31) at Pacers (41-29), 7 p.m. ET on League Pass (get it here!). Minnesota is seeking the No. 6 seed in the West; Indiana is seeking the 4 out East.
Philly's Quentin Grimes situation is complicated
The Quentin Grimes story this season has been super interesting. He was a nice offseason pickup by the Mavericks, hopeful to help Luka Dončić and the franchise improve upon their NBA Finals appearance. Then … the trade deadline happened and everything changed. The Mavs sent Dončić to the Lakers, and Grimes was dealt to the 76ers in a separate trade for Caleb Martin on deadline day.
Ending up in Philly eventually meant Grimes got a shot to show that he's more than just a quality 3-and-D wing for a team. Why? Because this team has been ravaged by injuries to its stars. The Sixers need someone to go score the ball, even though this organization is not interested in winning games the rest of this season. It's interested in improving its draft spot so its top-six protected pick doesn't head to OKC. He has been shockingly awesome. I've always been a fan of his, and never could figure out why he wasn't more prominent in New York, Detroit and Dallas.
I didn't think he could do this, though: He's averaged 21.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.6 steals with 50.7/39.3/71.8 shooting splits. Not even on a per-minute or per-possession rate has Grimes ever shown anything like this. The Sixers are still losing games, but he is entertaining the masses. And it looks like president of basketball operations Daryl Morey has found another gem, right? Not so fast.
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As John Hollinger explained on Friday, the 24-year-old Grimes will be a restricted free agent this summer. I know what you're thinking. What's the big deal? That means the 76ers can match any offer sheet he signs and retain him. That's correct!
Except what do we hear off in the distance? Large looming footsteps of the luxury tax and a giant legal document saying, 'Fee-fi-fo-fum! I smell the threat of the second apron!' That's right. The Sixers could be in danger if they have to match a large enough offer sheet. Hollinger believes a salary around $20 million for Grimes could push them up against the projected second apron if Kelly Oubre, Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon pick up their player options.
Also, the Sixers having a high pick they retain would add significant enough salary to further complicate their cap. The sixth pick this season makes $7.4 million. A team could get very aggressive in trying to sign Grimes to an offer sheet to steal him away, and there might not be much the Sixers can fiscally or feasibly do about it.
Did March Madness cool off some lottery picks?
We've moved through the first weekend of March Madness, and even though it's been more mild than mad, we've still had plenty of fun. I wrote that before Derik Queen did this to Colorado State, but I still stand by some of that sentiment!
As we approach the Sweet Sixteen next weekend, I thought it was the perfect time to fire off some draft takes based on a brief glimpse at some of the projected picks. As always, get your real expertise from Sam Vecenie.
My biggest concern
Kasparas Jakučionis, Illinois: It's not quite as dramatic as watching Reed Sheppard get housed by Oakland last year, but I was a little alarmed at the way Jakučionis was taken out of Sunday's game against Kentucky. He was the easy target on defense and didn't even have the ball much down the stretch on offense. I wanted to see more out of a top-10 projected pick. Tourney status: eliminated.
I'm a little tepid here
V.J. Edgecombe, Baylor: I like a lot of what I see from Edgecombe. His athleticism is ridiculous, and his jump shot form is definitely workable. My biggest issue with him is how stagnant he is on offense when he doesn't have the ball. I would love to see him on the move as a threat in the pros. This is likely dependent on where he ends up. Tourney status: eliminated.
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Egor Demin, BYU: He impressed quite a bit in both games. He's a great initiator at his size and has fantastic vision and play-making capabilities. That will all translate to the next level. That shot just isn't there, even after a good shooting performance in the first round. He needs a summer with the shot-doctor big-time, a la Kawhi Leonard out of San Diego State. Tourney status: still dancing.
Yeah, this guy is legitimate
Cooper Flagg, Duke: I mean, of course he is. He's been stamped since even before his great showing against Team USA last summer. Flagg is the guaranteed No. 1 pick, as long as he declares for the draft. I loved the way he moved the ball against Baylor, and he just causes a lot of problems on both ends of the floor. Tourney status: still dancing.
Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma: Didn't have a great shooting night in the loss to Connecticut in the opening round, but he still played a great game. Do remember he reclassified, so he won't turn 19 until October. He has a great feel for the game and could be a fantastic guard off the bench right away at the pro level. I wanted to watch more of him, but sadly, his season is done. Tourney status: eliminated.
If I were a braver man …
Khaman Maluach, Duke: He's my favorite prospect, including Flagg. I'm not saying he's better than Flagg, but if I weren't a coward, I'd fire off a take that Maluach will end up the top player from this draft. I'd even risk going for him at No. 2, depending on how the lottery shakes out. He has great defensive instincts, a solid offensive touch and he's barely played basketball. He has some Joel Embiid vibes in that way. I'm all in on the Maluach experience. Tourney status: still dancing.
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