Whatever hopes Cooper Falgg’s “S***, I want to come back next year” held are now to be left far behind. On the 21st of April, the Maine Event finally declared for the NBA draft.

The league has been in the stars for the Blue Devil star since his high school days. Though his remark above, paired with Duke’s unexpected loss to Houston in the national semifinals, had more than a few hoping he’d adorn the college jersey for another year, Flagg will now be joining Duke’s elite list of one-and-dones. A National Player of the Year, his team’s lead scorer, and a Final Four run, he calls it “probably the best year of my life.”

But if it was just one year, why did he even go to college?

What is the One and Done rule of the NBA?

It was 2005 when the NBA brought in a rule to restrict 18-year-olds from getting into the NBA right after high school. This meant every promising prospect from high school would have to do at least a year of college before being eligible for the NBA draft. Some people were outraged, saying that this is taking away the prospects of the high school stars, while others were in agreement. They opined that the players need to sustain their level for at least a year more, then get the money and fame that come with the NBA. Kobe Bryant was one of the players coming straight out of high school and struggled to find his footing immediately in his rookie season.

There has been a long-standing debate among the fans and experts alike regarding this rule. Before the 2019 draft, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that the “one-and-done” rule will soon be over and long forgotten. Well, it is still in place and word has it that will be the case until the current CBA phases out. There may be a few against it, and a few more (NBA scouts) making their way towards AAU high school events, looking for a prospect right out of high school, but one can’t deny the stories one-and-dones have given us in the last 2 decades.

Did Kevin Durant and Zion Williamson practice this rule just like Cooper Flagg?

Kevin Durant seems to be the poster boy of this one-and-done rule, after he spent a year at the University of Texas before entering the NBA. He was already good at the high school level, but as a Longhorn, he showed that he was just a different beast at college. The Phoenix Suns icon led the Big 12 Conference in scoring average, rebounding average, and blocked shots. He was the second pick in the 2007 draft for the Seasttle Supersonics, and the rest is history.

Zion Williamson is another popular one-and-done coming out of Duke. Durant himself had touted him as ‘Once in a generation athlete.’ He averaged 22.6 points on just 13 shots per game, had effective field goal, and true shooting percentages in the 70s. However, much like Flagg, he wouldn’t end up with a national title and questioned his decision about declaring for the draft. But he was persuaded by his family to push ahead, and he went as the first pick in the 2019 draft for the New Orleans Pelicans.

How Will Cooper Flagg’s Decision Interfere with his College Career?

Cooper Flagg almost had a perfect season as a freshman. He led the Blue Devils to a No. 1 seed and Final Four appearance, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks on 48.1/38.5/84.0 shooting splits. What’s next for him? Flagg is probably the favorite for being the number 1 draft pick for next season and will officially arrive in the league.

His college will fall behind as a bittersweet goodbye. Jon Scheyer, though persuasive of Flagg’s NBA career, now faces an impossible task of replacing him on their team.

Duke is not unfamiliar with losing freshmen players, as just last season they lost Jared McCain and Kyle Flipkowski to the NBA. If, in a very extreme case, Flagg’s career has to end abruptly due to some reason, he could trace his college roots like Greg Oden and re-enroll in the school to complete the academic degree.

Oden was another One-and-Done rule graduate who struggled with injuries and ended up playing just 105 games in the NBA. There, however, seems to be a bright future for Flagg.