Cooper Flagg

[TheProfessor]

Flagg is getting a little overrated now or other prior prospects are getting underrated, he is a similar prospect level to Cade, I think Flagg is better but it's close. I even think Mobley is a better prospect than Flagg.

[tmorgan]

Flagg is getting a little overrated now or other prior prospects are getting underrated, he is a similar prospect level to Cade, I think Flagg is better but it's close. I even think Mobley is a better prospect than Flagg.

So you’re saying a guy that plays a similar level of defense (or will, at the same age), with a similar work-in-progress jumper when entering the league, but one has playmaking and on-ball chops and he’s the inferior prospect? No.

And I love Mobley. He’s approaching awesome as he plays year four, adding offense to his great defense.

Cooper won’t take that long, and is very clearly a better prospect.

[TheProfessor]

Flagg is getting a little overrated now or other prior prospects are getting underrated, he is a similar prospect level to Cade, I think Flagg is better but it's close. I even think Mobley is a better prospect than Flagg.

So you’re saying a guy that plays a similar level of defense (or will, at the same age), with a similar work-in-progress jumper when entering the league, but one has playmaking and on-ball chops and he’s the inferior prospect? No.

And I love Mobley. He’s approaching awesome as he plays year four, adding offense to his great defense.

Cooper won’t take that long, and is very clearly a better prospect.

One is significantly more athletic than the other, Mobley does what Cooper does at 7ft. I do not think Flagg has been a better defensive ceiling than Mobley. Evan was a DPOY candidate in his second year, Evan had a smooth jumper, much cleaner than Flaggs. When I saw him in college he looked like a 3 and D big with a potential offensive bag. Yes, I agree Flagg has better play making and on ball chops. That's why he is a great prospect, but to say he is better than Mobley is far fetched to me.
His offense has been stifled by 2 very good ball dominant guards he plays with, if he proper usage for a true elite pick we would see his game flourish.

I think Flagg may have a better career than Mobley due to how he has been handled, but out of college. Yeah its Mobley, and I love Flagg too.

[UcanUwill]

Mobley is clearly taller and great defender, I can see why people would think his ceiling is higher, but sonetimes inches and centimeters is just that, a number. Maybe Flagg being a bit undersized will hurt him at the highest level, but he always found a way to play bigger than his height, especially on defense.

[og15]

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.

"Space is everything"

https://youtube.com/shorts/bs5Kv8mx7FE?si=qWSURPd0s38yg7Yn

Many people still don't grasp the difference that having shootings and space makes. It's why you have people who say dumb stuff like defensive talent has gotten worse.

The inverse of it being easier to score because of spacing and shooting is what? It becomes far more difficult to defend 1v1 and you need more of the help of schemes and strategy even as a very good 1v1 defender.

Space is HUGE for scoring efficiency and if you have the right skills, you get to the NBA where potentially you can be on a team with at least 3 guys around you who can shoot and sometimes even 4, it's a different ball game.

[The Master]

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.

Yeah, in context of perimeter players - we always overrate 'vertical' athleticism and underrate 'functional' athleticism: Flagg isn't the greatest leaper, but his size, quickness and natural strength will make him a great athlete in the NBA. There's a reason why his FT rate is so great despite him being all the time the youngest player on the court. Banchero was at 6 FTA/40 minutes in Duke and in the NBA - he's 7.4 FTA per game, Tatum was at 6 FTA/40 minutes in Duke and in the NBA in the last 3 seasons he's at 7 FTA/game. Flagg is 8 FTA/40 minutes in Duke, for comparison, again, while being a ~draft class younger than Banchero or Tatum.

[FrodoBaggins]

He done flew the Coop and raised the Flagg!

- 28 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover
- 8/17 FG, 1/4 3PT, 11/13 FT

Read on Twitter

[turnaroundJ]

He done flew the Coop and raised the Flagg!

- 28 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover
- 8/17 FG, 1/4 3PT, 11/13 FT

Read on Twitter

probably one of the best display of his skillset. not just "easy buckets".

[Hsker4Life]

He done flew the Coop and raised the Flagg!

- 28 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover
- 8/17 FG, 1/4 3PT, 11/13 FT

Read on Twitter

probably one of the best display of his skillset. not just "easy buckets".

The dunk at the :25 mark was very impressive. Took off and really soared to the rim.

[srhcan]

Raptors are out of Flagg's sweepstakes, some people will say they were never in it anyway.

[Special_Puppy]

Flagg is getting a little overrated now or other prior prospects are getting underrated, he is a similar prospect level to Cade, I think Flagg is better but it's close. I even think Mobley is a better prospect than Flagg.

At a superficial glance, Flagg's college stats are a tier above Cade's.

[Duke4life831]

Since the start of ACC play, Flagg has turned it up to Zion/KD/AD level of play. Which is why he is the heavy favorite to win NPOY and join those 3 as the only freshmen to win NPOY.

Dude is just a fun guy to watch. Elite defender and the dude has just become a bucket getter at the highest level.

I think thing that might throw people off is, ya he doesn’t have a freak physical trait like Wemby or Zion. But that is really the only thing going against him from being a “generational” prospect.

And to be crystal clear, just because he doesn’t have a freak trait, doesn’t mean he’s a negative when it comes to his physical traits. The dude is an athletic 6’8-6’9 with a good wingspan (most think it’s 7’+). His physical traits are a positive, not a negative.

I just feel like many expect freaks like Wemby, Zion, LeBron come around a lot. They really don’t. They’re considered rare freaks for a reason, they’re very rare.

[BigGargamel]

Was always the easy choice as the top overall pick. He's really starting to separate himself from the pack.

The only thing that still needs to improve is that jump shot, but I have zero worries about that. He's only 18, and it's getting better and better. That's usually the last thing to come for guys who never really had to use it in high school.

Not a generational prospect (that's Wemby, LeBron and Shaq, and that's it for the past 35 years), but he looks like a future multi time All Star. One of the most well rounded, do everything prospects I have ever seen. He should have no problem fitting into any system.

[TheProfessor]

Flagg is getting a little overrated now or other prior prospects are getting underrated, he is a similar prospect level to Cade, I think Flagg is better but it's close. I even think Mobley is a better prospect than Flagg.

At a superficial glance, Flagg's college stats are a tier above Cade's.

I also think Flagg is better but the caliber is the same, perennial all-star with a few all-nbas (2nd, and 3rd team), not necessarily Championship Cornerstone. Guys like Mobley are similar, with a chance to be championship cornerstones. I think Cade going to be consistently a top 15-20, where as I think Flagg is a 10-12 guy consistently, with a few years of possibly being 7-10. Mobley screamed top 5 guy in terms of impact consistently in his prime if everything worked out. Unfortunately, it didn't and now he's more of a top 10-12 guy with a chance at top 5 as he matures and is given more of an offensive load.

[Duke4life831]

Was always the easy choice as the top overall pick. He's really starting to separate himself from the pack.

The only thing that still needs to improve is that jump shot, but I have zero worries about that. He's only 18, and it's getting better and better. That's usually the last thing to come for guys who never really had to use it in high school.

Not a generational prospect (that's Wemby, LeBron and Shaq, and that's it for the past 35 years), but he looks like a future multi time All Star. One of the most well rounded, do everything prospects I have ever seen. He should have no problem fitting into any system.

Yup. Not generational (I agree with the names you said). I think he’s the tier below.

Again we’re talking a 6’8-6’9 forward, who’s an elite defender and a point forward on offense. Really the biggest negative right now is the 33% from 3. But his shot isn’t broken at all. He’s dead eye from the mid range and is already an 80+% FT shooter. He hits all the checkpoints you want to see from an 18 year old when it comes to potential as a shooter.

[316Hornets]

Generational will come down to the 3 point shooting. If he can play outside in like Lebron, will be tough. Then as he gets older, add in more Luka/Dirk type shots.

[tsherkin]

Many people still don't grasp the difference that having shootings and space makes. It's why you have people who say dumb stuff like defensive talent has gotten worse.

Agreed.

The inverse of it being easier to score because of spacing and shooting is what? It becomes far more difficult to defend 1v1 and you need more of the help of schemes and strategy even as a very good 1v1 defender.

He certainly appears to have the tools to be a high-end contemporary defender.

Space is HUGE for scoring efficiency and if you have the right skills, you get to the NBA where potentially you can be on a team with at least 3 guys around you who can shoot and sometimes even 4, it's a different ball game.

Yeah, it'll certainly have an impact on him. Matched off some against the wider paint and the better overall quality of players in the league, to be sure, but it'll definitely have an impact on his raw numbers. We'll see what he's able to do when he gets there, but he's probably going to be pretty good. And if he ends up next to a decent PG, then that'll be especially good.

And to be crystal clear, just because he doesn’t have a freak trait, doesn’t mean he’s a negative when it comes to his physical traits. The dude is an athletic 6’8-6’9 with a good wingspan (most think it’s 7’+). His physical traits are a positive, not a negative.

Yeah, he looks like he has quality physical tools. Nothing mind-blowing, but certainly enough to be a problem for the opposition. AK-47+, so to speak (physically). He's got the reach, he's reasonably quick. He looks like he jumps fast, just not high... which is fine. He doesn't need to be Blake Griffin as long as he can get off the ground at least a little, which he can. The quickness is more important, anyway. And he has some power to him, which is nice.

I just feel like many expect freaks like Wemby, Zion, LeBron come around a lot. They really don’t. They’re considered rare freaks for a reason, they’re very rare.

No, those are relatively rare, and even more so to pan out. And they describe the best players of the various decades. And there are different archetypes, too. Little harder these days to surprise the league with a Dirk-type prospect, given the growth in international scouting and all that, as well.

Flagg should be good. Not generational, but very useful to whichever team nabs him, no doubt.

[Braggins]

Since his 18th birthday

9 gp ~ 33.0 mpg
23.9 ppg ~ 6.7 rpg ~ 4.7 apg ~ 1.2 spg ~ 1.0 bpg ~ 3.2 tov
63.5% 2pt ~ 42.9% 3pt ~ 84.9% ft ~ 69.5% true shooting

[tbhawksfan1]

Raptors are out of Flagg's sweepstakes, some people will say they were never in it anyway.

9% chance vs top possible 14% is so far from "out of (it)"

[tbhawksfan1]

His 2pt% is more an issue than his 3pt%. He needs to be getting more easy looks at the rim and improve that 2pt%