Cooper Flagg

[HotRocks34]

I honestly wasn't super high on his offensive potential but I'm starting to change my mind.

His shot looked very good against SMU and his handle also looked better than I thought it was.

He could be the real deal. We'll find out. I'm still not sure how tall he actually is barefoot and I want to see his wingspan and standing reach combine stats when they're done.

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[Pelly24]

I was a bit concerned with his efficiency after a while, but i also knew that a few of those games were low-stakes blowouts where he didn't even have to take a lot of shots to dominate, so it didn't matter that he had 10 points on 9 shots or whatever. But he's been the best player in America from what I've seen, and with his movement skills, explosion, length and what appears to be a smooth jumper that will only improve over the next 10 years, he's a crazy crazy prospect. People have used the idea of someone not being "generational" too negatively in sort of a forceful way. Here's the thing: if a guy is a top 10 guy for a decade, that's outstanding.

[HotRocks34]

Trying to figure out the height difference here. I think Lively is maybe 6' 11+ barefoot.

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[Pelly24]

As for the non-shooting aspect of the game, without going too deep into details, I really like the overall look of his game. This is going to be a good NBA player, no doubt about it. The shooting is just going to be the big thing that dictates his ceiling as an offensive player, athleticism, defense, playmaking, driving, finishing at the rim etc, he looks great at the level he is at now. I do see some flaws though, he overuses the same two foot plant and is primarily a left foot leaper, which means he needs to work on adding more plant variety and improving his right foot plant for a more complete and smooth drive and finishing game. You don`t get the same space and time in the NBA, and defenders will stop you from getting into your comfort moves. You wont just outspeed and outjump NBA defenders so if you only have limited plants/jumping and movement patterns, you just wont get into space or be able to finish as well/get better looks if you only can drive or jump fast when you have access to your preferred jumping motion, which in his case is right side drive with a left foot leap for a right hand finish. Okay, now what happens when you are forced left, and denied that left foot leap and you need to take a right foot leap with enough power to get the same height and speed as the left foot leap and finish with your left hand into that space? Well, we will see if he finds that out in the future, but for now I will keep his ceiling a little lower than hyped, as he seems to have been too accustomed to abusing his physical gifts for easier "rewards" in the now, instead of working on and identifying some of his weaknesses and developing a more well rounded driving and finishing game that is needed for dominating in the NBA.

I actually think NBA spacing will make his finishing even more impressive. When i think about that infamous turnover at the end of the game earlier this season, the paint was kind of crowded in a way where that steal wouldn't have been as possible. He's got some wiggle and a really good first step and i predict that his standing reach is like 9'3" or something to go with a 34-38 inch vertical. he can get off the floor quickly and effectively and his quickness and developing handle, along with the increased spacing, will only make it easier than the congestion in college.

[wegotthabeet]

There’s nothing generational about this guy at all. He will be a solid pro, make a few all stars maybe, but that’s it.

Do you know how rare a generational prospect is? People don’t seem to understand the difference between generational and consensus number 1. He’s the latter. Generational is so rare that the 2010’s didn’t even produce one.

Generational prospects:
Wembanyama
LeBron
Shaq
Magic
KAJ
Wilt

Consensus number 1’s:
Flagg
Zion
Simmons
AD
Griffin
Oden
Duncan
Ewing

This is off the top of my head, probably missing a few consensus number 1s, but you get roughly three per decade whereas generational is more like once every one to two decades.

[pcbothwel]

There’s nothing generational about this guy at all. He will be a solid pro, make a few all stars maybe, but that’s it.

Do you know how rare a generational prospect is? People don’t seem to understand the difference between generational and consensus number 1. He’s the latter. Generational is so rare that the 2010’s didn’t even produce one.

Generational prospects:
Wembanyama
LeBron
Shaq
Magic
KAJ
Wilt

Consensus number 1’s:
Flagg
Zion
Simmons
AD
Griffin
Oden
Duncan
Ewing

This is off the top of my head, probably missing a few consensus number 1s, but you get roughly three per decade whereas generational is more like once every one to two decades.

lol
Man. The revisionist history for Zion is astounding.
When Shaq was 20 he was dominating 6’8 college centers.
When Zion was 20 has was an NBA All-Star averaging a per36 of 30/8/4 on a TS of 65% and BPM of 5.8.

[UcanUwill]

There’s nothing generational about this guy at all. He will be a solid pro, make a few all stars maybe, but that’s it.

Do you know how rare a generational prospect is? People don’t seem to understand the difference between generational and consensus number 1. He’s the latter. Generational is so rare that the 2010’s didn’t even produce one.

Generational prospects:
Wembanyama
LeBron
Shaq
Magic
KAJ
Wilt

Consensus number 1’s:
Flagg
Zion
Simmons
AD
Griffin
Oden
Duncan
Ewing

This is off the top of my head, probably missing a few consensus number 1s, but you get roughly three per decade whereas generational is more like once every one to two decades.

lol
Man. The revisionist history for Zion is astounding.
When Shaq was 20 he was dominating 6’8 college centers.
When Zion was 20 has was an NBA All-Star averaging a per36 of 30/8/4 on a TS of 65% and BPM of 5.8.

Yeah, I don't get why people forget just how massive Zion was at the draft, we thought he could be next LeBron, easily the most hyped up number one pick since LeBron and definitely a generational talent. It is ok to admit we were wrong, we were all wrong, most people feared he could be injury prone and they were right on that, but we didn't know he would get fat, forget that he averaged 4 stocks in college and just be Zach Randolph with ball handling...

[Johnny Firpo]

His first truly elite game this season (maybe 2nd after the Kentucky game), hopefully he turns it up going into the madness. I was definitely underwhelmed with his play this year, he's good, but not as good as I've expected. He needs to have games like this on a regular basis.

[wegotthabeet]

There’s nothing generational about this guy at all. He will be a solid pro, make a few all stars maybe, but that’s it.

Do you know how rare a generational prospect is? People don’t seem to understand the difference between generational and consensus number 1. He’s the latter. Generational is so rare that the 2010’s didn’t even produce one.

Generational prospects:
Wembanyama
LeBron
Shaq
Magic
KAJ
Wilt

Consensus number 1’s:
Flagg
Zion
Simmons
AD
Griffin
Oden
Duncan
Ewing

This is off the top of my head, probably missing a few consensus number 1s, but you get roughly three per decade whereas generational is more like once every one to two decades.

lol
Man. The revisionist history for Zion is astounding.
When Shaq was 20 he was dominating 6’8 college centers.
When Zion was 20 has was an NBA All-Star averaging a per36 of 30/8/4 on a TS of 65% and BPM of 5.8.

A year before Zion was drafted he was projected to go 5th overall. That's generational to you?

[wegotthabeet]

Do you know how rare a generational prospect is? People don’t seem to understand the difference between generational and consensus number 1. He’s the latter. Generational is so rare that the 2010’s didn’t even produce one.

Generational prospects:
Wembanyama
LeBron
Shaq
Magic
KAJ
Wilt

Consensus number 1’s:
Flagg
Zion
Simmons
AD
Griffin
Oden
Duncan
Ewing

This is off the top of my head, probably missing a few consensus number 1s, but you get roughly three per decade whereas generational is more like once every one to two decades.

lol
Man. The revisionist history for Zion is astounding.
When Shaq was 20 he was dominating 6’8 college centers.
When Zion was 20 has was an NBA All-Star averaging a per36 of 30/8/4 on a TS of 65% and BPM of 5.8.

Yeah, I don't get why people forget just how massive Zion was at the draft, we thought he could be next LeBron, easily the most hyped up number one pick since LeBron and definitely a generational talent. It is ok to admit we were wrong, we were all wrong, most people feared he could be injury prone and they were right on that, but we didn't know he would get fat, forget that he averaged 4 stocks in college and just be Zach Randolph with ball handling...

You don't understand what generational is.

[UcanUwill]

lol
Man. The revisionist history for Zion is astounding.
When Shaq was 20 he was dominating 6’8 college centers.
When Zion was 20 has was an NBA All-Star averaging a per36 of 30/8/4 on a TS of 65% and BPM of 5.8.

Yeah, I don't get why people forget just how massive Zion was at the draft, we thought he could be next LeBron, easily the most hyped up number one pick since LeBron and definitely a generational talent. It is ok to admit we were wrong, we were all wrong, most people feared he could be injury prone and they were right on that, but we didn't know he would get fat, forget that he averaged 4 stocks in college and just be Zach Randolph with ball handling...

You don't understand what generational is.

So what is? Zion was one of the best prospects we have seen in many decades, he supposed to be best player in the world going forward, if you just put every draft prospect ever at the day ofvthe draft, he gets drafted in the top 10. It didn't work, but he was so highly touted.

[nate33]

There’s nothing generational about this guy at all. He will be a solid pro, make a few all stars maybe, but that’s it.

Do you know how rare a generational prospect is? People don’t seem to understand the difference between generational and consensus number 1. He’s the latter. Generational is so rare that the 2010’s didn’t even produce one.

Generational prospects:
Wembanyama
LeBron
Shaq
Magic
KAJ
Wilt

Consensus number 1’s:
Flagg
Zion
Simmons
AD
Griffin
Oden
Duncan
Ewing

This is off the top of my head, probably missing a few consensus number 1s, but you get roughly three per decade whereas generational is more like once every one to two decades.

I think this is fair. My only point of contention is I think many believed that Ewing was a generational prospect.

[nate33]

Yeah, I don't get why people forget just how massive Zion was at the draft, we thought he could be next LeBron, easily the most hyped up number one pick since LeBron and definitely a generational talent. It is ok to admit we were wrong, we were all wrong, most people feared he could be injury prone and they were right on that, but we didn't know he would get fat, forget that he averaged 4 stocks in college and just be Zach Randolph with ball handling...

You don't understand what generational is.

So what is? Zion was one of the best prospects we have seen in many decades, he supposed to be best player in the world going forward, if you just put every draft prospect ever at the day ofvthe draft, he gets drafted in the top 10. It didn't work, but he was so highly touted.

Zion was one of the more exciting prospect in decades because of his highlights, but I don't think people though of him as a sure-fire MVP caliber player in the Lebron/Wemby/Kareem/Shaq mold. Zion had an MVP ceiling, but there was a concern that his floor could be much lower since he lacked the length to be a great defender and his jumper was iffy.

[nate33]

What are the chances he does not end up being first overall pick?

Honest question since I do not know anything about college prospects, I am not one of those hipsters who sayFlagg is not number one pick, when basically every media that covers the draft, mocks him to go number one, but that said, I believe Givony recently said that right now its a toss up between Flagg and Ace Bailey. I have no idea what kind of player Ace Bailey is, but could Ace or anyone else challenge Flagg for that number one spot? Flagg been touted to be top pick for a few years now, so it feels like we just accepted that he will be, but his offensive woes appear to be real, I still on camp that he is super young and he looks great, but I mean, Victor Wembanyama he aint, I can see him not going first if opposition is good. What are you thinking? Good thing with Flagg, that he is one of those prospects who seems like would be a great fit anywhere, but are there teams right now who would prefer someone else maybe?

I think the hype is so big at this point that #1 overall seems like a sure thing. Nobody would blame a GM for taking Flagg and getting it wrong, but if they take someone else and Flagg pans out, that GM could lose his job.

[UcanUwill]

You don't understand what generational is.

So what is? Zion was one of the best prospects we have seen in many decades, he supposed to be best player in the world going forward, if you just put every draft prospect ever at the day ofvthe draft, he gets drafted in the top 10. It didn't work, but he was so highly touted.

Zion was one of the more exciting prospect in decades because of his highlights, but I don't think people though of him as a sure-fire MVP caliber player in the Lebron/Wemby/Kareem/Shaq mold. Zion had an MVP ceiling, but there was a concern that his floor could be much lower since he lacked the length to be a great defender and his jumper was iffy.

I think we remember Zions weaknesses more, because it bacame true, but even the players you mentioned had some of the same or worse weaknesses. Zion was shot blocking, ball stealing hurricane in college, his defense was legit, he completely lost that explosiveness and hyperdrive in the NBA.

But if you remember LeBron, even with Lebron a lot of people thought he wont be able to score well in the NBA, non shooter who plays PG in highschool.
As For Wemby, his offensive game was still a question mark, he played season in Euroleague where he was terrible, probably the worst player in the league, had to downgrade the competition and then went to the NBA, with Wemby the tools and capability was there, but actual production was still in question. The main differences here is that LeBron and Wemby worked out, so we forgot all the question marks they had coming in, where with Zion it is complete opposite. Zion was generational prospect, he was drafted the year Luka finished his rookie season, and it was already clear Luka is Luka, but almost everyone still saw Zion as next level thing, Luka is great, but Zion is comming... I don;t know why people forgot it so fast.
Zion had ton of hype in highcshool for his highlights, but he was not a top recruit, he was not even top recruit on Duke team. But it all changed compeltley when games started and he was having one of the best seasons college players ever had.

[Rainwater]

Dude is going to be combination of Lebron, Melo, and Paolo.

[Cavsfansince84]

Yeah, I don't get why people forget just how massive Zion was at the draft, we thought he could be next LeBron, easily the most hyped up number one pick since LeBron and definitely a generational talent. It is ok to admit we were wrong, we were all wrong, most people feared he could be injury prone and they were right on that, but we didn't know he would get fat, forget that he averaged 4 stocks in college and just be Zach Randolph with ball handling...

I think there's a difference in having a unique body/athleticism combo and being generational as a talent. I personally was pretty high on what Zion could be on the court(if he could keep his weight down and avoid more injuries but that seemed somewhat unlikely even 4 years ago). I don't think he had true generational talent though in terms of what would translate to an nba court. I feel like his ceiling was pretty much consistent top 5-10 player for much of his prime. Generational is 3-5x mvp and makes people rethink what a player is capable of doing. I never bought into the idea that Zion was going to have high two way impact with his body size which is what he needed on top of developing a decent outside shot and being able to play 33+mpg without looking dead out there.

[316Hornets]

Teams already jockeying for the top 3 spot and best odds at landing Flagg. It's pretty obvious there's a lot of potential and might be the best all around prospect since Lebron.

[JustBuzzin]

Teams already jockeying for the top 3 spot and best odds at landing Flagg. It's pretty obvious there's a lot of potential and might be the best all around prospect since Lebron.

Stop it.

He's not even a better prospect than Pablo lol.

How you skip over AD/Zion/KD?

[316Hornets]

Flagg is going to be one of the youngest players ever drafted and the consistency is already evident. He's scored 20+ points in 5 of his last 7 games.

If you want to compare to Lebron, look at Lebron's rookie season. You can say the competition is different but just watching Flagg play and you can see he knows where there's open areas.