The spotlight’s squarely, and understandably, on Cooper Flagg. After all, the former Duke Blue Devil became the No. 1 pick of the 2025 Draft, making him the center of attention heading into the new season. Expectedly, he’s also being heavily critiqued, with experts debating whether there’s any uniqueness to his game and whether he can thrive in the NBA.
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Dan Patrick recently stirred the pot by making an inaccurate claim that he believed Carmelo Anthony made on his show. The Texas Lt. Governor and sportscaster felt that Melo had criticized Flagg for not having a signature move. According to Patrick, this was something the Hall of Famer had talked about in a podcast last month.
However, Patrick could not have misinterpreted Melo’s comments more. The former New York Knicks player was actually complimenting Flagg for his all round ability. Melo said that Flagg doesn’t do “anything great,” but instead does “a lot of sh** really good.”
Patrick undercut his own narrative in a recent episode of The Dan Patrick Show before asking Indiana Pacers legend Jermaine O’Neal for his opinion on what Melo said. “I mean, he’s 17–18 years of age. I don’t expect him to have that signature move right away,“ Patrick admitted. O’Neal, however, refused to undermine Flagg and praised him heavily instead.
When asked what Flagg needs to work on, O’Neal said, “Shooting. Obviously, the NBA is about shooting now. So consistent shooting. Obviously, the three-point line is a little bit deeper [in the NBA] than [in] college. I would agree with Carmelo. It’s important that he understands that he doesn’t have to be anybody else but himself.“
Flagg is like a Swiss Army Knife
O’Neal then compared Cooper Flagg to a Swiss Army knife, which, although not flashy, is consistently effective. “He has so many different things that he can bring to the table, and he just needs to focus on that,” he said. That’s why O’Neal and Melo rate him so highly. Flagg is a highly versatile player.
“He doesn’t have a flashy bag, but his flash is his impact,” the six-time All-Star concluded. And so the narrative shifts again. Flagg is barely of legal voting age but has already been dissected by talking heads and legends alike. From here on, everything gets louder.
He’ll be praised one night and picked apart the next. That’s life in the NBA and the cost of early greatness. The Dallas Mavericks drafted the kind of dynamic forward many believe hasn’t been seen from an American-born player in a while. The pressure is already rising, and he hasn’t even played in the Summer League yet. Welcome to the NBA, Mr. Flagg.
