NBA rumors: Insiders send 1 Cooper Flagg warning to teams
12/16/2024 01:08 PM
Duke basketball freshman Cooper Flagg is still the can’t-miss prospect he has been for the last two years as he skyrocketed up NBA mock drafts to become the assumed No. 1 pick next spring.
That doesn’t mean his game is without its flaws.
ESPN’s Jeremy Woo spoke with a horde of NBA scouts and executives to get their thoughts on Flagg’s game. While he drew comps to NBA greats ranging from Grant Hill to Jayson Tatum, executives cautioned that Flagg’s scoring is not yet where it could be.
“It looks like [Duke head coach Jon] Scheyer has been intentionally putting him in situations where it’s, ‘OK, go, get a basket,'” one Western Conference executive said. “It doesn’t look like the primary creation is there for him quite yet. There’s a hope that he can be a go-to guy on offense. It seems like he’s got the vision and passing, but the individual scoring stuff has to get better.”
Fans saw this first-hand during the annual Champions Classic. With Duke and Kentucky locked in a tie game with 12 seconds left, Flagg committed two turnovers over seven seconds of game time as the Wildcats escaped with a 77-72 win.
Even without being a finished product on offense, Flagg still leads the Blue Devils in almost every offensive category, including points (15.9) and assists (3.6).
Projecting Cooper Flagg’s development in the NBA
If Flagg never develops into being an NBA team’s primary scoring option, he can still carve out a memorable professional career. As another scout noted, Flagg can still be a valuable player as a second or third option.
“Maybe you hope that [Flagg can become a No. 1 scorer], but it’s more realistic that he’s a 20-point-per-game scorer minimum,” the scout said. “He’s going to really impact the game and fill the stat sheet regardless.”
While there are few, if any, guarantees in projecting a prospect’s growth, one general manager noted that adding strength to Flagg’s 205-pound frame would be a good start.
“Once [he gets stronger] the rest of his game will open up,” the GM said. “I mean, if he’s your third guy, you’re still really good.”
As far as whether Flagg can develop into a best-player-on-the-best-team type of NBA talent, he was less sure.
“I can’t say that right now. But I mean, if he’s your third guy, you’re still really good,” he said.
And even if Flagg isn’t that type of player right now, he has the confidence of someone who is — and scouts notice that, too.
“The thing I like about [Flagg’s] shot is he’s confident enough to get to something, whether it’s dribble pull-ups or jumpers out of the post,” a Western Conference scout said. “He doesn’t act like he’s a non-shooter. It’s that confidence level — if you have to rewire mechanics, cool, but if you have to develop mechanics and also the brain, that gives me more pause.”
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