Duke freshman Cooper Flagg came to the Blue Devils as the number one recruit in the country, and he’s lived up to the hype so far in leading his team to a 9-2 record and the fifth spot in the latest AP poll. Flagg doesn’t turn 18 years old until tomorrow, but he’s nearly averaging a double-double, and he’s the only player to go toe-to-toe this year with Auburn’s National Player of the Year favorite Johni Broome and come out with a win.
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Flagg’s skill set has NBA fans abuzz. The presumed #1 pick has been a frequent topic of conversation in league circles, especially for teams such as the Wizards and Jazz that appear to have the inside track to his services thanks to their dreadful starts.
Speaking of the Jazz, Flagg was recently compared to one of their former stars by Jeff Teague on the Club 520 podcast. In discussing the six-foot-nine freshman’s strengths on the court, Teague said, “Cooper Flagg is like Andrei Kirilenko.” Teague said that like the former Utah All-Star, Flagg is a “really good defender” who can “rebound, block shots, run the floor, and dunk.”
Teague meant the comparison as a compliment, as he said that Flagg gave him “AK-47 vibes for real.”
“AK-47 was an All-Star, he could do a lot of things on the basketball court. He was a utility guy who could do pretty much everything.”
Teague sees Flagg as having a similar role to Kirilenko in the NBA, though he and his co-hosts agreed that if incoming freshman AJ Dybantsa, who recently chose BYU over a list of potential suitors that included Alabama, Kansas, and North Carolina, was available in the 2025 draft, they would choose him over Flagg if they were in charge of a rebuilding team.
Everybody is excited to see Cooper Flagg in the NBA
Players, fans, and pundits alike have weighed in on what they expect from Cooper Flagg once he reaches the pros. Everyone expects him to make an immediate impact, the only question is how good will he be.
Flagg is the consensus #1 pick, and one anonymous executive recently compared the phenom to Anthony Davis and Kevin Garnett, saying he would immediately become one of the top two-way players in the NBA.
Gilbert Arenas isn’t as high on Flagg, saying recently on his podcast Gil’s Arena that he wouldn’t take Flagg number one. Arenas brought up Rutgers freshman Dylan Harper as a guy that he might prefer because he believes that Harper is superior to Flagg as an initiator on offense. Harper’s teammate, fellow freshman Ace Bailey, is also expected to be a top pick.
Flagg impressed LeBron James when he played in a scrimmage against Team USA as a warmup during the training camp before the Paris Olympics this summer. James said that the youngster was “going to be a big-time player.”
Cooper Flagg is the most anticipated prospect since Victor Wembanyama came into the league last year. If he’s able to lead Duke to March Madness glory, the excitement over his NBA debut will only continue to grow.
