Cooper Flagg has taken the NBA community by storm in the last few days. The high school athlete showed out against Team USA as part of the Select Team ahead of the Olympics, something that has fans beyond buzzing. It doesn’t stop there either, as even the superstars he played against have been gushing about him, with Jayson Tatum even admitting he believes that the 17-year-old is destined to be one of the best in the league.
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Speaking to Carmelo Anthony on 7PM in Brooklyn, Tatum admitted that Flagg was already comparable to the players he faced off against on Team USA. He said that while the high schooler wasn’t quite as good as them just yet, it was only a matter of time before he reached the same heights as the NBA’s best.
“It [Cooper Flagg’s performance vs Team USA] just reminds you of like, ‘Aight, he’s on the path to be the guys he playing against. Majority of us was a version of him when we were 17,18 playing against pros. I mean, he’s a hell of a player… It’s clear as daylight, we going to be playing against him in a few years, and he’s on the right path to be, you know, the guys that he probably look up to.”
Jayson Tatum’s optimism on Flagg’s potential isn’t misplaced. Flagg stands at 6ft 9 and seems like one of those players who can do everything. And given that he is likely to grow a bit more in the next two years, along with getting used to his body a bit more, he could look more dangerous when the time comes for him to enter the NBA.
Of course, there is still some time for that. At the moment, Flagg is slated to go to Duke, the same college as Tatum. With the program well-known for its know-how in talent evaluation and development, everything seems to squarely be in Flagg’s favor at the moment. Now, all he needs to do is make the most of his chances.
