Flagg preseason debut: looking as good as advertised at 18 years old

[Domejandro]

Gives me modern game Garnett vibes honestly.
Will see if he gets as good as he was.

KG did not have the offensive capability or handle that Flagg has.

Kevin Garnett had a terrific handle for his size and would regularly play Point-Guard for Minnesota in stints because his teammates literally couldn't dribble the ball up the court under pressure without turning it over.

KG is arguably one of the more significant victims of playing in the era that he did, even when you ignore how badly he was hosed playing for the incompetent Minnesota Timberwolves. He should have been used as a greater offensive hub with shooters around him at every position, and his stupid (but automatic) 22-footers should have been three-point attempts.

[Bob8]

He scored 10 points in 14 minutes of a preseason game and according to this thread hes a mix of LeBron, Luka, Dirk, Kawhi, and KG. Guys... are you ok?

He was also the number one pick; he was playing really well against Team USA at 17, and he has been considered an excellent talent. One of his weaknesses is his ball-handling skills. He went up against Wallace, who is considered one of the better on-ball defenders, and attacked him and did great. Even though it was a pre-season game, everything we have been told so far showed up in those 14 minutes. So making those comparisons is not far-fetched. It would, of course, be very different if he were a second-round pick who had a good game. The game was more of a soft stamp of what is to come.

Making any kind of conclusions after game like that is far-fetched, especially comparing him with LeBron. Or saying he's suddenly a Pg material. Powell looked like the best rebounder in Nba and 20+ scorer against OKC. It doesn't mean we can't talk about him as future superstar after seeing him playing in multiple RS games, but not yet. How many #1 picks were labelled as future superstars before they played a single game and it didn't end well? Look at top Nba players at the moment, only Luka was top 10 pick.

[Bob8]

Gives me modern game Garnett vibes honestly.
Will see if he gets as good as he was.

KG did not have the offensive capability or handle that Flagg has.

Kevin Garnett had a terrific handle for his size and would regularly play Point-Guard for Minnesota in stints because his teammates literally couldn't dribble the ball up the court under pressure without turning it over.

KG is arguably one of the more significant victims of playing in the era that he did, even when you igonre how badly he was hosed playing for the incompetent Minnesota Timberwolves. He should have been used as a greater offensive hub with shooters around him at every position, and his stupid (but automatic) 22-footers should have been three-point attempts.

Yes, people being offended about KG/Flagg comparison just shows how far hype train went before his first Nba game.

[dirkdiggler4177]

He scored 10 points in 14 minutes of a preseason game and according to this thread hes a mix of LeBron, Luka, Dirk, Kawhi, and KG. Guys... are you ok?

He was also the number one pick; he was playing really well against Team USA at 17, and he has been considered an excellent talent. One of his weaknesses is his ball-handling skills. He went up against Wallace, who is considered one of the better on-ball defenders, and attacked him and did great. Even though it was a pre-season game, everything we have been told so far showed up in those 14 minutes. So making those comparisons is not far-fetched. It would, of course, be very different if he were a second-round pick who had a good game. The game was more of a soft stamp of what is to come.

Making any kind of conclusions after game like that is far-fetched, especially comparing him with LeBron. Or saying he's suddenly a Pg material. It doesn't mean we can't talk about him as future superstar after seeing him playing in multiple RS games. How many #1 picks were labelled as future superstars before they played a single game and it didn't end well? Look at top Nba players at the moment, only Luka was top 10 pick.

I would not make comparison from Jamal Mashburn, Dirk to KG and LeBron as conclusions It is just that everything till now has been as good as advertised.

What first round pick from the last 20 years doe she remind you off, not when it comes to playstyle, but rather characther?

[Bob8]

He was also the number one pick; he was playing really well against Team USA at 17, and he has been considered an excellent talent. One of his weaknesses is his ball-handling skills. He went up against Wallace, who is considered one of the better on-ball defenders, and attacked him and did great. Even though it was a pre-season game, everything we have been told so far showed up in those 14 minutes. So making those comparisons is not far-fetched. It would, of course, be very different if he were a second-round pick who had a good game. The game was more of a soft stamp of what is to come.

Making any kind of conclusions after game like that is far-fetched, especially comparing him with LeBron. Or saying he's suddenly a Pg material. It doesn't mean we can't talk about him as future superstar after seeing him playing in multiple RS games. How many #1 picks were labelled as future superstars before they played a single game and it didn't end well? Look at top Nba players at the moment, only Luka was top 10 pick.

I would not make comparison from Jamal Mashburn, Dirk to KG and LeBron as conclusions It is just that everything till now has been as good as advertised.

What first round pick from the last 20 years doe she remind you off, not when it comes to playstyle, but rather characther?

You mean few summer league games and 1 preseason game against Okc' C team? I admit that his body looks totally Nba ready. That's not necessarily the best thing for his ceiling though, he has far more developed body than vast majority of rookies. On the other hand, he will immediately help Mavs.

I don't know anything about his character, if I have to guess basing on his demeanour I would say Kawhi.

[mpoo_sin]

It's ironic that he's making Luka-like reads already at 18.

Wtf.

You know that rookie Doncic has a assist highlights reel you can watch. Please do, come back to this thread and apologize. : )

[mpoo_sin]

Been calling this kid the White Lebron for a hot minute now.

All those AK47 or Tatum comparisons were a joke. Only LeBron was this polished coming in.

Yeah, people calling this guy AK47 made no sense. The kid is like a Lebron in the way he plays.

Not the game breaking athleticism or the handle, but he has a really sweet jumper already (and athletic with a fine handle regardless). Guy will end up a 25ppg 2-way star who very well could be better than Luka in the future. Conspiracy theories aside (i know), getting him honestly sets up the Mavs for a better future outlook than they had. Luka supermax/older Kyrie max/PJ+Gaff paid left the Mavs with a small window in an extremely tough West. Flagg/Lively/Christie is gonna have them battling the Spurs for the next decade with an outside shot the next 2 years if they can get a rare healthy run from Kyrie/AD

Nico really does keep failing upwards.

That is a high bar you are setting there. Doncic had 5 1st team all nba in his first 6 seasons. Nobody else has done that.

[dirkdiggler4177]

Making any kind of conclusions after game like that is far-fetched, especially comparing him with LeBron. Or saying he's suddenly a Pg material. It doesn't mean we can't talk about him as future superstar after seeing him playing in multiple RS games. How many #1 picks were labelled as future superstars before they played a single game and it didn't end well? Look at top Nba players at the moment, only Luka was top 10 pick.

I would not make comparison from Jamal Mashburn, Dirk to KG and LeBron as conclusions It is just that everything till now has been as good as advertised.

What first round pick from the last 20 years doe she remind you off, not when it comes to playstyle, but rather characther?

You mean few summer league games and 1 preseason game against Okc C team?

I don't know anything about his character, if I have to guess basing on his demeanour I would say Kawhi.

No. You forgot all his high school games that made him the number one coming out of high school. He played for the USA-17 team(made the All-Tournament Five, and later won USA Basketball’s 2022 Male Athlete of the Year off that run). His performance at Duke that was just as good as Kyrie, Tatum, and Pablo. And the bonus where he, at the age of 17, scrimmaged against Team USA. The only argument I see against him not becoming great is that we don't really know how he plays in the NBA because we have not seen it yet. Like everything till this point shows, he got it. Sure, we dont know that yet, but you need to base your prediction on the evidence you have. Looking at past first picks and how they compare to Flagg, the argument I see for him not becoming a great player, all-team NBA, defensive team, and similar is injuries. Like Greg Oden. He definitely won't become Ben Simmons, Wiggins, Fultz, or Zion, and he is definitely not Anthony Bennet or Andrea Bargnani. He could end up as Blake Griffin or Derrick Rose because of injuries, though.

Time will tell.

[robbie84]

The test will be in 6>9 months when teams are game planning on his tendencies and trying to take away his strengths.
But the top 5 player potential is definitely there and he's a two way player.

[Ice Man]

He scored 10 points in 14 minutes of a preseason game and according to this thread hes a mix of LeBron, Luka, Dirk, Kawhi, and KG. Guys... are you ok?

Kawhi doesn't belong on that list because nobody thought he was special coming out of college. But the others do, because the point of the comparisons is not the specifics of how they played, but instead the general perception of "wow, this guy was born to play basketball." In the second quarter of Monday's game, Cooper was the best player on the court -- in his first NBA appearance, at age 18.

That's born to play basketball.

[maverick_41]

KG did not have the offensive capability or handle that Flagg has.

Kevin Garnett had a terrific handle for his size and would regularly play Point-Guard for Minnesota in stints because his teammates literally couldn't dribble the ball up the court under pressure without turning it over.

KG is arguably one of the more significant victims of playing in the era that he did, even when you igonre how badly he was hosed playing for the incompetent Minnesota Timberwolves. He should have been used as a greater offensive hub with shooters around him at every position, and his stupid (but automatic) 22-footers should have been three-point attempts.

Yes, people being offended about KG/Flagg comparison just shows how far hype train went before his first Nba game.

And we do it every other year with every #1 pick aka the second coming of MJ.

[Ice Man]

And we do it every other year with every #1 pick aka the second coming of MJ.

Not sure who "we" is, but I have only hyped up three #1 picks since LeBron -- Zion, Wemby, and Cooper. The others all seemed like maybe they could become pretty good, but honestly I had no idea.

(I screwed up with AD. That one I should have recognized, but I wasn't paying attention to college hoops/the preseason that year, so I didn't being to realize what AD would be like until late in his rookie season.)

[Bob8]

And we do it every other year with every #1 pick aka the second coming of MJ.

Not sure who "we" is, but I have only hyped up three #1 picks since LeBron -- Zion, Wemby, and Cooper. The others all seemed like maybe they could become pretty good, but honestly I had no idea.

(I screwed up with AD. That one I should have recognized, but I wasn't paying attention to college hoops/the preseason that year, so I didn't being to realize what AD would be like until late in his rookie season.)

One freak of nature and other 2 having in common clear advantage in their bodies development, which can be tricky.

[maverick_41]

And we do it every other year with every #1 pick aka the second coming of MJ.

Not sure who "we" is, but I have only hyped up three #1 picks since LeBron -- Zion, Wemby, and Cooper. The others all seemed like maybe they could become pretty good, but honestly I had no idea.

(I screwed up with AD. That one I should have recognized, but I wasn't paying attention to college hoops/the preseason that year, so I didn't being to realize what AD would be like until late in his rookie season.)

Maple Jordan?

[og15]

Gives me modern game Garnett vibes honestly.
Will see if he gets as good as he was.

KG did not have the offensive capability or handle that Flagg has.

Kevin Garnett had a terrific handle for his size and would regularly play Point-Guard for Minnesota in stints because his teammates literally couldn't dribble the ball up the court under pressure without turning it over.

KG is arguably one of the more significant victims of playing in the era that he did, even when you ignore how badly he was hosed playing for the incompetent Minnesota Timberwolves. He should have been used as a greater offensive hub with shooters around him at every position, and his stupid (but automatic) 22-footers should have been three-point attempts.

Yea, KG didn't have the offensive capability? We don't even know what Flagg's NBA level offensive capability is yet to be making such a statement lol

[Ice Man]

One freak of nature and other 2 having in common clear advantage in their bodies development, which can be tricky.

A good point. No matter what a player's skills and BBIQ, he can't properly show them at the NBA level until he has a man's body. All three of those guys did as teenagers, as does Cooper.

So I should modify my previous thoughts -- I think I am pretty good at identifying early maturing guys who really, truly can play the game, as opposed to those who have something missing. But I wouldn't presume to be able to judge later-maturing players -- say, the 19-year old versions of SGA or Wade.

[Mavrelous]

Prime KG was 33/19/7 per 100 poss. while being an offensive 1st option and defensive anchor, he is the high end of Flagg's range of outcomes, and it is nowhere near a given he reaches his level on either end, but he showed great signs in the pre season opener, let's enjoy it.

[mademan]

Yeah, people calling this guy AK47 made no sense. The kid is like a Lebron in the way he plays.

Not the game breaking athleticism or the handle, but he has a really sweet jumper already (and athletic with a fine handle regardless). Guy will end up a 25ppg 2-way star who very well could be better than Luka in the future. Conspiracy theories aside (i know), getting him honestly sets up the Mavs for a better future outlook than they had. Luka supermax/older Kyrie max/PJ+Gaff paid left the Mavs with a small window in an extremely tough West. Flagg/Lively/Christie is gonna have them battling the Spurs for the next decade with an outside shot the next 2 years if they can get a rare healthy run from Kyrie/AD

Nico really does keep failing upwards.

That is a high bar you are setting there. Doncic had 5 1st team all nba in his first 6 seasons. Nobody else has done that.

Luka has been a top 5 player for multiple seasons, and im not saying Flagg will be there. Im more low on Luka's longevity. Its rare guys just turn around bad habits and start taking care of themselves

[Cavsfansince84]

65+ games from Kyrie?

He is the one who said if they are healthy, not me. So that's him still missing a bunch of games.

[Bornstellar]

Flagg is so lucky he is going to an established team with legit vets/star players to learn from rather than shouldering the entire load of a trash team by himself