Cooper Flagg, a Duke commit and No. 1 prospect in the class of 2024, will show his potential at the 2024 McDonald’s All-American Game in Houston.
Flagg has dominated the high school basketball scene during his senior year. He averaged 16.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.7 blocks and 1.6 steals per game, leading Montverde Academy to a perfect 30-0 record and earning him the Gatorade award for National Player of the Year for his efforts.
The prestigious award puts him in line with future NBA greats like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwight Howard, as well as current All-Stars like Bradley Beal, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jayson Tatum. The elite company is appropriate given that Flagg is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
How will your game translate to the college and NBA level? The Jugo Mobile breaks it down below.
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Cooper Flagg scouting report
Cooper Flagg Strengths
There’s a reason Mike DeCourcy of The Jugo Mobile rated Flagg the best American prospect since Anthony Davis. And he’s still just 17 years old and reclassifying to the class of 2024 to get a head start on his journey to the NCAA and NBA.
The Maine native is listed as a 6-9, 195-pound small forward, but his versatility is off the charts.
The first thing you’ll notice about Flagg is the intensity with which he plays. He is a relentless competitor who has a never back down attitude.
Flagg is a true three-level scorer on offense and an elite one, and I mean elite — shot blocker on defense.
Offensively, Flagg is a confident ball handler who can get up from 3 or midrange and get his head down to get to the rim. He has great body control on drives, but is also a powerful dunker who embraces contact. He plays above the rim and is a switch-hitting finisher with abnormal coordination for an almost 7-foot attacker.
Flagg has a soft shooting touch and smooth footwork. He has a post game, but he didn’t have to use it much in high school because he was much faster than most of the players who tried to guard him.
He can play inside or outside, doing everything from making 3-pointers to shooting lobs. He is a terror in transition with or without the ball due to his fluidity and long strides. He’s also a willing passer, able to sense the attention he draws from opposing defenses to find open teammates.
Defensively, Flagg can legitimately guard any position on the court. He has the lateral quickness to keep up with guards or fullbacks and the athleticism and shot-blocking skills to protect the rim.
Flagg is one of the most complete high school prospects in recent memory.
Cooper Flagg Weaknesses
There aren’t many glaring weaknesses in Flagg’s game, but there are improvements to be made to reach his ceiling as a franchise player at the NBA level. However, most should arrive in due time from him.
Flagg could use a tighter grip, improving his speed, and exploding to take down opponents in isolation. He has the potential to be the number one scoring option, but needs to develop as a shot creator, adding more moves to his arsenal to create separation.
Flagg’s shooting touch is soft, but he could use some refinement on his jump shot form. His results were solid this season. 35.2 percent of 3 – but the top of his release could be cleaner.
Incremental improvements as a passer will only complete his offensive game. He has already grown in that area and will continue to develop with a high IQ and feeling.
The last of these finicky upgrades would be adding muscle to his 195-pound frame, but that’s a given for nearly every high school player hoping to turn pro.
Cooper Flagg NBA Player Comparison
Play like: Kevin Garnett
There are NBA scouts who have compared Flagg to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Paul George and Andrei Kirilenko. Garnett is, of course, an incredibly lofty comparison, but I see shades of KG when I look at Flagg.
To be clear, there will never be another Garnett. But Flagg plays with similar fire and passion.
Garnett was ahead of his time as a big hybrid who could handle the ball, shoot from mid-range and defend all five positions. If he had played in the modern NBA, there is no doubt that he could have extended his reach beyond the arc and played on the wing.
Flagg has many similar traits on both ends as a prospect. He’s a long way from making an impact like Garnett, but his potential has no ceiling right now.
Where will Cooper Flagg go to college?
Flagg committed to Duke on October 30, 2023, choosing the Blue Devils over UConn.
See this post on InstagramFlagg also had offers from Iowa, Kansas, Kansas State, Michigan, Providence, Texas, UCF, UCLA, Villanova and West Virginia, to name a few. according to 247Sports.
