Cooper Flagg - Duke

[___Rand___]

First full game of watching Flagg play a tough #2 Auburn. Granted the whistle favored Duke, and Auburn wasn't allowed to play tough physical defense, and they just didn't have anyone who can match up physically with Flagg, so he got some mismatched onto small guards and he made easy buckets off them.

Flagg didn't wow me with his athleticism. He is a very mature player for his age. His BBIQ is very high. He handles decently for his size. He does a lot of little things well. I will reserve judgement on his defense, though he is a good help defender. Analyst kept saying he's got a quick first step. It is decent but is it that quick for the NBA? I'm not too sure. I can see why some scouts will be in love with this kid. His offense still needs work. I need to see his one on one defense against a skilled player.

Ace Bailey is way better athlete by a mile. But his BBIQ isn't at Flagg's level. Harper is just as mature, more developed on offense, big scoring PG. Teams will have some tough decisions to make whom to pick at #1.

[babyjax13]

First full game of watching Flagg play a tough #2 Auburn. Granted the whistle favored Duke, and Auburn wasn't allowed to play tough physical defense, and they just didn't have anyone who can match up physically with Flagg, so he got some mismatched onto small guards and he made easy buckets off them.

Flagg didn't wow me with his athleticism. He is a very mature player for his age. His BBIQ is very high. He handles decently for his size. He does a lot of little things well. I will reserve judgement on his defense, though he is a good help defender. Analyst kept saying he's got a quick first step. It is decent but is it that quick for the NBA? I'm not too sure. I can see why some scouts will be in love with this kid. His offense still needs work. I need to see his one on one defense against a skilled player.

Ace Bailey is way better athlete by a mile. But his BBIQ isn't at Flagg's level. Harper is just as mature, more developed on offense, big scoring PG. Teams will have some tough decisions to make whom to pick at #1.

The thing with Bailey is his BBIQ with the ball in his hands sucks ... but his defensive awareness and activity can be amazing, as can his off-ball work.

But yah, Flagg is awesome, but I don't think he is generational. Right now I think I still have him ahead of Harper ... but that could change. Frankly, the freshman class this year has been amazing and I could see worlds where Flagg/Harper/Bailey/Johnson go in any order depending on how the season plays out. I think Asa Newell is also really underrated, but I've been abnormally high on him for the two years prior to this, too, lol

[Catchall]

If there's a challenge to Flagg for the #1 pick, it's probably Harper rather than Bailey. Bailey's lack of on-ball creation, lack of putting pressure on the rim, and lack of passing probably makes him a high-level complementary player.

Flagg's appeal is his ability to be a Swiss army knife and affect the game on both ends, while being an aggressive driver with the ball.

[babyjax13]

If there's a challenge to Flagg for the #1 pick, it's probably Harper rather than Bailey. Bailey's lack of on-ball creation, lack of putting pressure on the rim, and lack of passing probably makes him a high-level complementary player.

Flagg's appeal is his ability to be a Swiss army knife and affect the game on both ends, while being an aggressive driver with the ball.

I agree that the most likely scenario is Harper or Flagg. I do think, though, that if Bailey were to cut out some of the triple threat stuff and just go insane on midrange pull-ups that he could challenge, teams m8ght see more Durant than MPJ, and if other guys fall off and Tre Johnson just stays scorching hot he could rise, too. It's a good year to be a **** team.

[atlantabbq99]

I'm a fan of Coop but he is not a generational talent.

He is more on the same level as a KMart 1st over all pick.

But if he ends up growing to be 6'11 or 7 foot, i might re evaluate him and give him a higher grade than KMart.

[XTC]

PER40 - Cooper Flagg
20.8/10.9/5.2/2.0/1.9 and 3.4 turnovers (1.5:1 assist:TO) 7.2 FTA
43.5/23.3/69.6 - 51.6 TS%
PER - 22.6
OBPM - 4.3
DBPM - 7.4

PER 40 - Scottie Barnes
16.7/6.5/6.6/2.4/0.1 and 4.0 turnovers (1.5:1 assist:TO) 4.4 FTA
50.3/27.5/62.1 - 54.8 TS%
PER - 21.4
OBPM - 4.3
DBPM - 3.6

I think Cooper Flagg is going to be a Monster. At 17 he's already an elite defender, he's showing that he's going to be an elite playmaker, and he aggressive and knows how to get the whistle.

If were looking for a comparision, he's going to be a more athletic, better defending(And Scottie Barnes is an elite defender), more aggressive, and more dominate Scottie Barnes.

Cooper Flagg is going to be a guy who one day puts up a statline of 24/10/6/2/2, and people are gonna look back and think back why we had so many questions about his game. Don't overthink it, kid is a monster.

[___Rand___]

First full game of watching Flagg play a tough #2 Auburn. Granted the whistle favored Duke, and Auburn wasn't allowed to play tough physical defense, and they just didn't have anyone who can match up physically with Flagg, so he got some mismatched onto small guards and he made easy buckets off them.

Flagg didn't wow me with his athleticism. He is a very mature player for his age. His BBIQ is very high. He handles decently for his size. He does a lot of little things well. I will reserve judgement on his defense, though he is a good help defender. Analyst kept saying he's got a quick first step. It is decent but is it that quick for the NBA? I'm not too sure. I can see why some scouts will be in love with this kid. His offense still needs work. I need to see his one on one defense against a skilled player.

Ace Bailey is way better athlete by a mile. But his BBIQ isn't at Flagg's level. Harper is just as mature, more developed on offense, big scoring PG. Teams will have some tough decisions to make whom to pick at #1.

The thing with Bailey is his BBIQ with the ball in his hands sucks ... but his defensive awareness and activity can be amazing, as can his off-ball work.

But yah, Flagg is awesome, but I don't think he is generational. Right now I think I still have him ahead of Harper ... but that could change. Frankly, the freshman class this year has been amazing and I could see worlds where Flagg/Harper/Bailey/Johnson go in any order depending on how the season plays out. I think Asa Newell is also really underrated, but I've been abnormally high on him for the two years prior to this, too, lol

I'm not overwhelmed by his talent, no. You're right talent doesn't look generational. If you look at one aspect or another of him, nothing is outstanding, except the maturity and BBIQ. I think people are projecting that given his BBIQ at his height and how well he moves for 6'9", he can develop into something more. He's ahead of Harper only because of his over-all impact on winning, and Harper seems to lack the 3. If Harper develops the 3, it becomes harder to argue.

[JMAC3]

Everyone is just dying to zag away from Cooper.

He just had 22 pts, 11 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks in a win against the #2 team in the country.

He has shown up big in every important game for Duke all year.

[SeattleJazzFan]

In regard to Flagg

exceeded expectations:
passing - i saw him a lot in HS, but at this level he's showing a feel as a passer that is pretty special
ballhandling - he's had some hiccups in big moments, but overall, very good for his archetype.
aggression as a scorer and overall scoring ability - this the biggest pleasant surprise. especially in big games, he demands the ball and is always attacking. the fact he doesn't shoot it well is a hindrance, but he finds a way to get it in the hoop regardless. would just like to see him be more efficient. 51% TS is sorta nightmarish for a potential #1 overall.

met expectations:
the all around game in general

worse than expected:
long range shooting. i knew he'd struggle, but i didn't think he'd be this bad.
stocks - he's averaging 3 stocks a game, i expected something closer to the 4-5 range. especially shot blocking, which is his calling card, i thought he'd be in the 3 blocks per game range.
athleticism - he's a good athlete, but his vertical athleticism is underwhelming. combine with what i think might be underwhelming length is probably why he's not blocking shots on a level i thought he would.

[BlazersBroncos]

Flagg is getting the overexposure treatment IMO. He has been in the spotlight for so long that people are overthinking it. Dude is a beast.

That being said - I dont think he was ever generational. More in the Chet tier. His defense and win-first offensive play will elevate a team to another level (As Chet does) but he wont ever be a 25ppg guy who you can totally rely on in clutch to create a shot IMO.

[JMAC3]

Flagg is getting the overexposure treatment IMO. He has been in the spotlight for so long that people are overthinking it. Dude is a beast.

That being said - I dont think he was ever generational. More in the Chet tier. His defense and win-first offensive play will elevate a team to another level (As Chet does) but he wont ever be a 25ppg guy who you can totally rely on in clutch to create a shot IMO.

I think generational is probably overused, but also still even knowing that is overused... how would you classify guys Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, Luka, Paolo... none of those guys were labeled generational by most.

[Catchall]

If there's a challenge to Flagg for the #1 pick, it's probably Harper rather than Bailey. Bailey's lack of on-ball creation, lack of putting pressure on the rim, and lack of passing probably makes him a high-level complementary player.

Flagg's appeal is his ability to be a Swiss army knife and affect the game on both ends, while being an aggressive driver with the ball.

I agree that the most likely scenario is Harper or Flagg. I do think, though, that if Bailey were to cut out some of the triple threat stuff and just go insane on midrange pull-ups that he could challenge, teams m8ght see more Durant than MPJ, and if other guys fall off and Tre Johnson just stays scorching hot he could rise, too. It's a good year to be a **** team.

If Bailey cuts out the triple-threat stuff and focuses on his jumpers, then to me he's like Wiggins with better shooting. That's a great player and top 4 pick, but I can't get near a Kevin Durant comp for him, and I can't see him going #1 at this stage. Johnson looks like one of the most dynamic shooters we've seen as a freshman going all the way back to Ray Allen. I think he's a top 5 guy when it's said and done.

[SeattleJazzFan]

Flagg is getting the overexposure treatment IMO. He has been in the spotlight for so long that people are overthinking it. Dude is a beast.

That being said - I dont think he was ever generational. More in the Chet tier. His defense and win-first offensive play will elevate a team to another level (As Chet does) but he wont ever be a 25ppg guy who you can totally rely on in clutch to create a shot IMO.

i disagree. the inability to shoot and the inability to score efficiently are big problems. also, shot blocking was sorta always his thing that made him different/special. he's averaging just over a block a game.

chet was always wildly efficient as a shooter/scorer and impacted every game as a rim protector - averaged 3x as many blocked shots as Flagg as a frosh.

the one thing flagg does better than Chet is facilitate - handle and pass. otherwise frosh chet is bigger and better at everything else.

they are different players as chet is more of a big, while flagg is more wing, but even more important for Flagg to be able to hit from deep.

[JMAC3]

Flagg is getting the overexposure treatment IMO. He has been in the spotlight for so long that people are overthinking it. Dude is a beast.

That being said - I dont think he was ever generational. More in the Chet tier. His defense and win-first offensive play will elevate a team to another level (As Chet does) but he wont ever be a 25ppg guy who you can totally rely on in clutch to create a shot IMO.

i disagree. the inability to shoot and the inability to score efficiently are big problems. also, shot blocking was sorta always his thing that made him different/special. he's averaging just over a block a game.

chet was always wildly efficient as a shooter/scorer and impacted every game as a rim protector - averaged 3x as many blocked shots as Flagg as a frosh.

the one thing flagg does better than Chet is facilitate - handle and pass. otherwise frosh chet is bigger and better at everything else.

they are different players as chet is more of a big, while flagg is more wing, but even more important for Flagg to be able to hit from deep.

I don't think he is making a direct comparison to Chet, more so just comparing them as winning/impact players. Flagg is averaging is averaging 1.5 bpg as a 4 who is defending on the perimeter a decent bit. Of course he isn't going to block as many shots as a 7 ft Chet who got to hang by the rim all game in college. His defensive stats are profiling more closely to a Aaron Gordon/Jonathan Issac in college except with way better offensive production.

As a player I would say he reminds me a lot of Zion but with more defensive potential as a pro.

[bucknut]

Has anyone seen a player ever slip as much as flagg ?? Literally has had 2 crunch time slips and turnovers with ball in his hand, and last night had another 5 vs aubur. The ankle dexterity limits his overall athleticism severely

His self creation is going to be limited to post player moves and makes him a tweener and a role player

I'm pretty down on flag personally. See a stiff guy who doesn't do the things that make him great as well as we thought.

[bucknut]

Pearl said most of flags points came on mismatches vs duke forcing mismatches on guards. How is this guy scoring over length on the NBA when his best moves is back down ?

His athleticism and offensive scoring is more Boris diaw and Kyle Anderson then people realize, and probably role on offense as well. The key for flag next level is if he can be a draymond/adebayo level defender.

[JustBuzzin]

First full game of watching Flagg play a tough #2 Auburn. Granted the whistle favored Duke, and Auburn wasn't allowed to play tough physical defense, and they just didn't have anyone who can match up physically with Flagg, so he got some mismatched onto small guards and he made easy buckets off them.

Flagg didn't wow me with his athleticism. He is a very mature player for his age. His BBIQ is very high. He handles decently for his size. He does a lot of little things well. I will reserve judgement on his defense, though he is a good help defender. Analyst kept saying he's got a quick first step. It is decent but is it that quick for the NBA? I'm not too sure. I can see why some scouts will be in love with this kid. His offense still needs work. I need to see his one on one defense against a skilled player.

Ace Bailey is way better athlete by a mile. But his BBIQ isn't at Flagg's level. Harper is just as mature, more developed on offense, big scoring PG. Teams will have some tough decisions to make whom to pick at #1.

Yeah this is no longer Flagg or bust draft. From what I have seen so far Harper honestly looks like the best freshman in the country.

If I had to draft today Harper/Flagg/Bailey in that order. If Flagg can show improvement on the offensive end as a scorer he obviously will be back in that #1 spot.

[EvanZ]

One thing to keep in mind is Duke has faced one of the most difficult SOS in the country thus far. It’s a top 10 hardest schedule whereas someone like Sorber, Queen and Demin have had nearly bottom 10 SOS. A lot of regression in both ways is likely coming for these Freshmen when they head to conference play.

[___Rand___]

Pearl said most of flags points came on mismatches vs duke forcing mismatches on guards. How is this guy scoring over length on the NBA when his best moves is back down ?

His athleticism and offensive scoring is more Boris diaw and Kyle Anderson then people realize, and probably role on offense as well. The key for flag next level is if he can be a draymond/adebayo level defender.

I watched and that's what I said - he got guarded by short and small guards and scored over them. He is like a less athletic Scottie Barnes with a slightly better offensive skillset. From what I saw, he isn't an elite level defender. He is high on BBIQ, so he's going to do little things to help the team everywhere - kinda like Lowry, like Scottie in that regard. Based on raw ability, he's a glorified role player. I like his BBIQ though, and maybe he'll be a better offensive player over time due to that BBIQ.

[___Rand___]

One thing to keep in mind is Duke has faced one of the most difficult SOS in the country thus far. It’s a top 10 hardest schedule whereas someone like Sorber, Queen and Demin have had nearly bottom 10 SOS. A lot of regression in both ways is likely coming for these Freshmen when they head to conference play.

That's why I don't evaluate till they face tough competition. There's no use watching these guys against cupcakes. It's like any of us playing against 5 year olds - doesn't indicate anything.