LockoutSeason wrote:Nbadraft.net has Scottie Pippen as his comparison
Saw that. The previous comp was Andrei Kirilenko/Shawn Marion.
NBA Comparison: Scottie Pippen
Strengths: Flagg is a highly touted, 6’9 205 player who has the physical dimensions (7′ foot 1 wingspan) to fit anywhere along the frontcourt, having the height to stand out as a wing, in addition to the length and the developing strength necessary to play as a natural PF and possibly develop some face the basket 3 skills … A long strider, who also shows excellent leaping skills and can cover ground in big swoops laterally or when running the floor … Very much mobile and is a fluid, agile mover on the court … Has no problems initiating offense after corralling missed shots off the glass (8.1 RPG as of writing) or coming up with live ball turnovers (1.6 SPG); is a terror for teams to deal with when he has a head of steam and defenders on their heels in transition play … An emphatic finisher who gets countless dunks and has enough wiry strength in his frame to convert over players and through contact (54 FG% inside the arc) … His extension at the rim and touch are both a plus … Also quite comfortable and skilled in pick and roll situations; making good decisions as a roll man as to whether he should dish or call his own number when he has the ball and is an accurate passer as a frontcourt player (4.1 APG/2.6 TOPG) … Very quick first step for his size and is a weapon taking guys his size off the dribble when facing up … Also uses his quickness in post-up situations and likes to turn his left shoulder and get into his jump hooks around the hoop … Moves without the ball well and gets himself some easy points by simply being active as a cutter … Good shot selection; lets the game come to him … Has a versatile scoring profile and mismatch skill set that makes him a tricky cover … Has produced 9 games with at least 20 points at the midway point of this season (19.2 PPG, 49 FG%) … Likes to shoot mid-range jumpers, and is efficient rising and hitting shots off the dribble in rhythm going in either direction … Good enough shot-making skills with his feet set from the perimeter to keep defenses honest; has made strides as the season has progressed from behind the arc (23 made 3s, 35 3FG% in 18 games) … Can pick and pop or run to open shots inside the arc and hit short jumpers … His aggression makes him no stranger to the FT line, and he does a nice job converting once he’s there (80 FT% on 6.1 FTA/G) … So much to like about his ability and potential on the defensive end of the floor; has shown plenty of examples of being a ‘sideline-to-sideline’ defensive player with his ability to freelance and erase shots at the rim (1.2 BPG, currently leads Duke in blocks with 22 as a Fr.) or come up with steals that lead to open floor opportunities, where he is most potent (1.6 SPG) … Moves his feet well; will be asked to guard multiple positions and has all the projections to be able to handle this responsibility … Displays great instincts and timing, and uses his formidable length and range to his advantage as a playmaker on the defensive end of the floor …. A fierce competitor comparable to the greats in the game of basketball, who has been lauded for his intensity in games and practices … Can take over games and has displayed the ability to will his team to wins at times … Stuffs the stat sheet and leads Duke in nearly every major stat category … Highly decorated amateur career and is remarkably just turned 18 years old (December), and wont turn 19 until his rookie season due to reclassifying as a HS Soph … Vocal and confident player who has shown the ability to considerably raise the level of every team he’s played on … Extremely mature and focused individual. NBA Teams are certainly intrigued by the person as well as the player as he’s high character individual that teams can count on from a professional aspect …
Weaknesses: A bit thin; adding more pounds to his frame wouldn’t hurt although he should be able to add muscle without the loss of mobility relatively easily … Not a bad ball-handler for his size but doesn’t have great creativity off the bounce, particularly when handling on the perimeter at the moment where he can at times be too loose with the ball when faced with on-ball pressure … His development as an isolation scorer on the perimeter will determine just how high his scoring upside is, and that’s the biggest question about his offensive game currently even though he’s still obviously been scoring the ball just fine to put it mildly … Shooting numbers are improving but he should continue to work on tightening up his fundamentals, as he sometimes doesn’t keep his elbows tight which leads to some of his shots being offline … Will get caught out of position at times defensively going after blocks and steals; has given up some offensive rebounds and easy layups chasing turnovers … Probably nitpicking as his potential is sky high and he can be one of the best players of an era if things fall into place, however a small concern is the fact that he doesn;t have an exact positional fit and there are some who may label him as a tweener lacking ideal strength as a four and speed and skills to play the wing. But don’t bet against him as the tweener label can sometimes be a positive adding versatility and match up problems for the opposition, instead of problems for the player …
Overall: Cooper Flagg has been a highly discussed and ballyhooed prospect since his Fr. year of HS as a rare blue chip prospect from the state of Maine, where he won a state title and stuffed the stat sheet as a 9th grader…He went on to play for the powerhouse Montverde Academy where he continued to win and was an AAU sensation for both the Florida Eagles and Maine United squads, making a name for himself as the widely regarded best HS player in the country regardless of Class on the EYBL circuit and earning consensus Player of the Year honors in 2024…He signed during the beginning of his Sr season to Duke and he has certainly lived up to his billing as a Fr. in the 2024-2025, leading the Blue Devils to being the #2 ranked team in the country as of today while being the teams leading scorer, rebounder, assist man, ball thief and shot-blocker as an 18 year old … He also has shown his dynamic ability to take over games offensively with 9 20+ point games, including a 42-point outburst against Notre Dame that was the most points scored by a Fr in the prestigious history of the ACC and that he only needed 14 FG attempts to reach…He is a lengthy frontcourt player who brings mismatch scoring skills, high level athleticism and intensity, offensive and defensive playmaking instincts, and a pedigree of winning and success to the table and the kinds of production and intangibles any team would love to build around…Flagg is a guy who will be looked at as a franchise player by the team who selects him, and someone who will be faced with lofty expectations considering the already pristine groundwork he’s put together to this point …
