Getty Image / Ethan Miller
If you don’t know the name Cooper Flagg, you better get used to it. The Duke commit is going to take college basketball, and then the NBA, by storm in the next few years as one of the best American hoops prospects in a generation.
Just how highly thought of is Cooper Flagg? He’s the only high schooler on the Select Team that is playing against the USA Olympic Men’s Basketball Team right now in training camp in Las Vegas. The other thirteen players all have NBA experience.
This isn’t a pity inclusion, either. Flagg has shown that he can hang with the world’s best players.
Cooper Flagg hits a 3 over Anthony Davis. And the next time down gets an and-one putback. pic.twitter.com/eLyroPSDvs
— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) July 8, 2024
Cooper Flagg is literally 17 years old playing vs future hall of famers
(via @nbafuturenow)
— Overtime (@overtime) July 7, 2024
Those are just snippets, but the guys he’s playing with are impressed, according to The Athletic.
“He showed no fear,” added Jalen Duren, center for the Detroit Pistons and the select team. “He came and worked hard every day. You would think he’s already here, you know what I mean?”
“Coop was playing out of his mind,” added Jaime Jaquez Jr., a select team player who also plays for the Miami Heat.
“I just think that he’s got a competitive fire, and he’s not afraid of anyone and he’s gonna go at you,” said Trayce Jackson-Davis, the 24-year-old Golden State Warriors big man who is coming off of his rookie season. “You need that as a player. And when you’re already like that, and you’re 17, the sky’s the limit.”
Flagg, a 6-9 forward, can do it all both athletically and skill-wise. His jump shot is probably his weakness right now, but it doesn’t project as one long-term. His competitiveness and athleticism really show up on defense, and he’s an incredibly smart player on offense.
The fact that he’s going to Duke, for better or worse, means we’re going to hear a lot about him, too.
That’s ok, because the kid is quite the player.