Jay Bilas tells The Post why Cooper Flagg is the real deal his other 2025 NBA Draft breakdowns

ESPN’s Jay Bilas takes a shot at some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby about Wednesday’s 2025 NBA Draft:Q: Does Cooper Flagg have any negatives?A: He’s not 25 (chuckle).No, he doesn’t have any negatives.

He’s the most complete player in the draft.I think his positives are equally as good as a defender as they are as an offensive player.

He’s incredibly aware on the floor and he touches every part of the game.He can shoot it — it’s not like he’s Steph Curry shooting it, but he shot 44 percent from 3 in ACC games, and he averaged 21 a game during ACC play and really played his best basketball toward the end of the year.He gets steals, deflections, blocked shots, he rebounds at a high rate.

He’s not out to get stats, he just makes the right play, and when he makes the right play over and over and stacks the right play, he winds up with numbers across the board by the end of the game.So he’s ultra-productive and ultra-competitive, and with his length and athleticism.

… He’s 18 ¹/₂ right now — he’s the real deal.But his level of competitiveness is on the highest gear of prospects I’ve scouted.Q: Will he make an immediate impact?A: I think so because he can blend in.

He’s not going to be expected to lead the way with Dallas.If he had gone to another team that had only won 15, 20 games, he’d be expected to step in and really lead the way, but I think he can really mature with Dallas without those kind of expectations.Q: Who do you compare him to?A: A lot of people say he’s a little bit like Andrei Kirilenko, I heard that a lot from scouts early in the season, I haven’t heard it as much lately.

I kind of thought he was just a bigger, more offensively gifted Franz Wagner.He’s bigger and longer and stronger, especially at that age.

He’s the best freshman Duke’s ever had.Now, it doesn’t mean he’s going to ultimately be as good as Grant Hill or Kyrie Irving, but no freshman at Duke’s had a better year than he...