Cooper Flagg

[johannking]

Wake had a chance to storm back late in the game until they decided to leave a shooter wide open for 3 with 5 seconds on the shot clock on a broken play.

As usual Flagg had some great rebound and played facilitator + shotcreator. His defense rotations were great. Hit a middy, drove and finished at the rim when the game got close. Also hit a timely 3 that ended Wake's huge run.

Still Duke might have lost if it wasn't for Wake leaving the 3pt shooter wide open and Gilles didn't make that early shot-clock open corner 3 at the end. Duke's 2 centers basically were in foul trouble the whole game. Game was physical and most of Duke was playing scared during that huge Wake run. Reffing was sus but that's just expected at an away game.

[RookieStar]

I would definately let Cooper Flagg date my daughter

I would date Cooper myself. Wait. What?

Get in line bud

[ryan in Maine]

I would definately let Cooper Flagg date my daughter

I would date Cooper myself. Wait. What?

Get in line bud

Cradle robbers.

[RookieStar]

I would date Cooper myself. Wait. What?

Get in line bud

Cradle robbers.

We are all legal here... I mean its ok if Leo DiCaprio does it but when it comes to Realgm posters we got complaints...

[ryan in Maine]

Get in line bud

Cradle robbers.

We are all legal here... I mean its ok if Leo DiCaprio does it but when it comes to Realgm posters we got complaints...

He has a brother too.

[johannking]

Now Flagg may not be a freak like a Wemby, but his size and athleticism won’t be viewed as a negative at the NBA level. He’s going to be a plus athlete (at minimum) at the NBA level.

Yes, I expect so. His lift doesn't look remarkable, but he looks pretty mobile for his size and he has good reach and pretty good coordination.

Also I agree if we are talking random achievements. But let’s just cut to the big one. Flagg is the heavy heavy favorite to win NPOY as a freshman. Only 3 freshman have done that and they’re Zion, AD, and KD. We’re talking 2 first ballot HOFs and Zion who even though he’s been fat and injured basically his entire year. Year 2 in the league he was 27/7/4 on 65 TS% and a 27 PER.

We'll see how it goes.

I agree that Flagg is likely to hit the league pretty well, I just tire of seeing people talk up college achievements. Especially in an age where good players don't typically last past their freshman season, so talent ebbs and flows much more fiercely. And NCAA ball is generally much lower-quality than the NBA, so we'll see how NBA defenses impact things. Flagg isn't Zion, KD or AD, either, so to me, that comparison goes only so far for me at this point.

More to the point, Flagg's posting 19/8/4 in 31 mpg on basically 60% TS at the moment, right? That's reasonable.

KD: 26/11/1 on 59.4% TS
AD: 14/10/1 on 66.5% TS, with nearly 4.7 bpg (leading the nation), leading the nation in FG% on a pretty well-distributed offense
Zion: ~ 23/9/2 on 71.1% TS, shooting 68% from the field

The level of dominance these guys displayed was on a different level than what we're seeing from Flagg at the moment. Now granted, he's only played 18 games and he's trending up. He has looked quite a bit different in December and January and he's got his big explosion game out there now. So we'll see where the remainder of the season goes for him.

I'm interested to see what happens when he hits a league where the key is 4 feet wider. I'm interested to see what happens when he tries to do all of his work from the left side of the floor and teams start trying to force him right more. He moves well without the ball, he slashes pretty well right now, he's quick off the ground. First step isn't stunning but isn't bad, ball control seems all right. He has a reasonable set of moves with his back to the basket. Lots to like, for sure.

I am, of course, a skeptic by default, but in this case it's less about Flagg's potential (which I view as being quite strong) and more so about the practice of using college anything as a yardstick for league translation. Like, granted, if you blow in college but somehow make the league, I'd be surprised if you're good, sure. But there are loads of guys who look great in the NCAA and don't translate to the NBA, so I remain hesitant.

I don't know about AD / KD's teams but Duke today would beg for that Zion line up with RJ Barrett Cam Reddish and co.

[FrodoBaggins]

Really impressive performance given the circumstances of how the game went and playing in a hostile environment. Made timely perimeter shots and finished strong inside through contact. He's a real bull when he gets downhill.

[50yrceltsfan]

This Wake Forest game might be his best of the year. Clutch, carried his team, such varied shot-making. Just refused to lose.

[tmorgan]

Whatever “it” is, this dude’s got it. He moves up a level, adjusts, and eventually starts to get comfortable and dominates.

I”m sure there are plenty of folks that are wondering if the same thing will happen at the NBA level. Can’t be sure, but I wouldn’t bet against this kid.

[50yrceltsfan]

Whatever “it” is, this dude’s got it. He moves up a level, adjusts, and eventually starts to get comfortable and dominates.

I”m sure there are plenty of folks that are wondering if the same thing will happen at the NBA level. Can’t be sure, but I wouldn’t bet against this kid.

His offense really stood out, improving on the fly this season, taking over games.

[Ice Man]

Hard to believe given the hype, but Cooper is actually underrated. I write that because people are still hedging on whether he will just be very good in the NBA or great. He's gonna be great. I would bet on him having the best NBA career of any #1 pick of the past 10 years, save of course for Wemby.

[Mr.Raptorsingh]

Flagg will win 'ships

[Astaluego]

Is that a better career than Luka/SGA or Paolo? I am not the best person to speak (lack of knowledge) and I would surely be fired quickly if I were a GM, but depending on the needs of my team I would be very tempted to choose D.Harper.

[MMyhre]

Is that a better career than Luka/SGA or Paolo? I am not the best person to speak (lack of knowledge) and I would surely be fired quickly if I were a GM, but depending on the needs of my team I would be very tempted to choose D.Harper.

No offense to Paolo, but those two other guys are MVP caliber players, a level he has not reached yet, and way too soon to know if Flagg will get there.

[MMyhre]

Now Flagg may not be a freak like a Wemby, but his size and athleticism won’t be viewed as a negative at the NBA level. He’s going to be a plus athlete (at minimum) at the NBA level.

Yes, I expect so. His lift doesn't look remarkable, but he looks pretty mobile for his size and he has good reach and pretty good coordination.

Also I agree if we are talking random achievements. But let’s just cut to the big one. Flagg is the heavy heavy favorite to win NPOY as a freshman. Only 3 freshman have done that and they’re Zion, AD, and KD. We’re talking 2 first ballot HOFs and Zion who even though he’s been fat and injured basically his entire year. Year 2 in the league he was 27/7/4 on 65 TS% and a 27 PER.

We'll see how it goes.

I agree that Flagg is likely to hit the league pretty well, I just tire of seeing people talk up college achievements. Especially in an age where good players don't typically last past their freshman season, so talent ebbs and flows much more fiercely. And NCAA ball is generally much lower-quality than the NBA, so we'll see how NBA defenses impact things. Flagg isn't Zion, KD or AD, either, so to me, that comparison goes only so far for me at this point.

More to the point, Flagg's posting 19/8/4 in 31 mpg on basically 60% TS at the moment, right? That's reasonable.

KD: 26/11/1 on 59.4% TS
AD: 14/10/1 on 66.5% TS, with nearly 4.7 bpg (leading the nation), leading the nation in FG% on a pretty well-distributed offense
Zion: ~ 23/9/2 on 71.1% TS, shooting 68% from the field

The level of dominance these guys displayed was on a different level than what we're seeing from Flagg at the moment. Now granted, he's only played 18 games and he's trending up. He has looked quite a bit different in December and January and he's got his big explosion game out there now. So we'll see where the remainder of the season goes for him.

I'm interested to see what happens when he hits a league where the key is 4 feet wider. I'm interested to see what happens when he tries to do all of his work from the left side of the floor and teams start trying to force him right more. He moves well without the ball, he slashes pretty well right now, he's quick off the ground. First step isn't stunning but isn't bad, ball control seems all right. He has a reasonable set of moves with his back to the basket. Lots to like, for sure.

I am, of course, a skeptic by default, but in this case it's less about Flagg's potential (which I view as being quite strong) and more so about the practice of using college anything as a yardstick for league translation. Like, granted, if you blow in college but somehow make the league, I'd be surprised if you're good, sure. But there are loads of guys who look great in the NCAA and don't translate to the NBA, so I remain hesitant.

You are correct, but its easier to jump on the hype train than stay grounded. His slashing/driving/finishing/jumping/maneuvering techniques still leaves a lot to be desired, and isn`t smooth. He tends to use his size, strength and athletic dominance over the weaker college field to get to his comfort spots/repeated movement patterns that are predictable and a bit slow when driving, does not have a right foot to left hand game when finishing, and overuses slower two foot plants, stopping and pivoting in the paint etc.

His postwork looked pretty decent though. But yeah, tons of questions still about his scoring upside, and thats not mentioning shooting, shooting off the drible, coming out of picks blablabla. Going to watch the recent game to see if there is something new to learn.

[50yrceltsfan]

Now Flagg may not be a freak like a Wemby, but his size and athleticism won’t be viewed as a negative at the NBA level. He’s going to be a plus athlete (at minimum) at the NBA level.

Yes, I expect so. His lift doesn't look remarkable, but he looks pretty mobile for his size and he has good reach and pretty good coordination.

Also I agree if we are talking random achievements. But let’s just cut to the big one. Flagg is the heavy heavy favorite to win NPOY as a freshman. Only 3 freshman have done that and they’re Zion, AD, and KD. We’re talking 2 first ballot HOFs and Zion who even though he’s been fat and injured basically his entire year. Year 2 in the league he was 27/7/4 on 65 TS% and a 27 PER.

We'll see how it goes.

I agree that Flagg is likely to hit the league pretty well, I just tire of seeing people talk up college achievements. Especially in an age where good players don't typically last past their freshman season, so talent ebbs and flows much more fiercely. And NCAA ball is generally much lower-quality than the NBA, so we'll see how NBA defenses impact things. Flagg isn't Zion, KD or AD, either, so to me, that comparison goes only so far for me at this point.

More to the point, Flagg's posting 19/8/4 in 31 mpg on basically 60% TS at the moment, right? That's reasonable.

KD: 26/11/1 on 59.4% TS
AD: 14/10/1 on 66.5% TS, with nearly 4.7 bpg (leading the nation), leading the nation in FG% on a pretty well-distributed offense
Zion: ~ 23/9/2 on 71.1% TS, shooting 68% from the field

The level of dominance these guys displayed was on a different level than what we're seeing from Flagg at the moment. Now granted, he's only played 18 games and he's trending up. He has looked quite a bit different in December and January and he's got his big explosion game out there now. So we'll see where the remainder of the season goes for him.

I'm interested to see what happens when he hits a league where the key is 4 feet wider. I'm interested to see what happens when he tries to do all of his work from the left side of the floor and teams start trying to force him right more. He moves well without the ball, he slashes pretty well right now, he's quick off the ground. First step isn't stunning but isn't bad, ball control seems all right. He has a reasonable set of moves with his back to the basket. Lots to like, for sure.

I am, of course, a skeptic by default, but in this case it's less about Flagg's potential (which I view as being quite strong) and more so about the practice of using college anything as a yardstick for league translation. Like, granted, if you blow in college but somehow make the league, I'd be surprised if you're good, sure. But there are loads of guys who look great in the NCAA and don't translate to the NBA, so I remain hesitant.

You are correct, but its easier to jump on the hype train than stay grounded. His slashing/driving/finishing/jumping/maneuvering techniques still leaves a lot to be desired, and isn`t smooth. He tends to use his size, strength and athletic dominance over the weaker college field to get to his comfort spots/repeated movement patterns that are predictable and a bit slow when driving, does not have a right foot to left hand game when finishing, and overuses slower two foot plants, stopping and pivoting in the paint etc.

His postwork looked pretty decent though. But yeah, tons of questions still about his scoring upside, and thats not mentioning shooting, shooting off the drible, coming out of picks blablabla. Going to watch the recent game to see if there is something new to learn.

Just watch yesterday’s game and you’ll see a much more decisive Cooper Flagg and what his offensive game will look like.

[Pelly24]

Is that a better career than Luka/SGA or Paolo? I am not the best person to speak (lack of knowledge) and I would surely be fired quickly if I were a GM, but depending on the needs of my team I would be very tempted to choose D.Harper.

I think there's a strong likelihood he's at least a top 20 player by his second year in the league. I think he'll be top 10 by year 3. I think he's easily going to be better than Paolo.

I think Luka has been a top 5 guy since his second year so I can't predict anyone reaches that for sure. Wemby just happens to be that amazing.


i think Cooper is going to be better than Tatum.

[Pelly24]

All of the questions about his ability to score in this thread even after he set the ACC freshman scoring record in a game (42 points on 14 shots) plus another 28 point game after that seems bizarre to me. He's also 5th in the country in WS/40, 2nd in Defensive Rating and 2nd in BPM at a very young 18 years old. I think a lot of you are missing the forest for the trees here. Generational or not I don't know, but I'm pretty sure any team in the NBA would be improved with him on their roster.

I think the salient takeaway is that no one should really care that much about specific college achievements. Redick and Morrison crushed scoring in the NCAA and it did not translate to the NBA. Flagg enjoys physical advantage to a degree which will be diminished in the NBA, and has questions about his shooting. It's quite likely that he'll be very good, but not of these ACC scoring records or whatever else really matter at all where the NBA is concerned. That'll only start to get settled once he actually hits the league.

this is true, but by the same token, people would use a lack of college efficiency/scoring as strikes against him (as evidenced probably by early-mid december posts in this thread).

I actually don't know how much things will be diminished in the NBA. Right now he's one of the youngest players in the country and college lanes are very crowded. I think with more space he should get to an efficienct 21 ppg fairly early in his career.

[tsherkin]

this is true, but by the same token, people would use a lack of college efficiency/scoring as strikes against him (as evidenced probably by early-mid december posts in this thread).

I actually don't know how much things will be diminished in the NBA. Right now he's one of the youngest players in the country and college lanes are very crowded. I think with more space he should get to an efficienct 21 ppg fairly early in his career.

It's possible. Particularly if he can keep up the 80% FT shooting. We'll see. He looks like a compelling prospect, no doubt.

[Pelly24]

Cooper is a great athlete, also. We've seen him dunk off two feet from like 1.5 steps inside the free throw line. Even considering his length, that's very impressive. KD, for instance, has never done that. I think KD is a great athlete. Cooper is more athletic from what I remember, or he projects to be very soon. Physical tools will be far from a problem. They should make him an elite defender, along with his instincts, from near day 1.