At just sixteen years of age, Cooper Flagg already has had multiple posts dedicated to his AAU highlights by the NBA’s official social media accounts. To many, the idea of a professional league posting the highlights of a high school sophomore may be a bit presumptuous, but the NBA should feel confident in their decision to prepare their fans for the near arrival of the best prospect in the country: Cooper Flagg.
Hailing from Maine, a state that has produced only two NBA players throughout the league’s 77 year existence, the likelihood for a player with Flagg’s background to be in the national spotlight is extremely low. Nevertheless, his generational talent has transcended this glass ceiling and garnered the attention of various NBA superstars.
Player Profile
Standing at 6’8″ at 200 lbs, Flagg undoubtedly has an NBA ready body. He doesn’t have the most muscular build, but his wide torso makes it evident that there’s lots of potential to add it later on. Even then, he already has a strong frame that lets him bang down low with any person in his age bracket. Combined with his big strong frame, Flagg has a sort of unique fluidity in his movement that for his size, is reminiscent of a guy like Paolo Banchero.
This unique physical profile complements Flagg’s game on both ends of the court and allows him to excel on both the perimeter and near the rim. Flagg handles the ball like a prototypical wing; his ball handle is not as secure as a guard’s, but it is sufficiently tight enough to complement his fluidity and allow him to shift his weight and get to his spots. His strength and height help him dominate near the rim, as he gets most of his buckets finishing above the rim and playing physical with his defenders. He also is an incredibly skilled player; his ball handle is ahead of the curve for a guy his size, and he’s also a great passer that can make plays for his teammates. At Peach Jam, he flashed a budding ability to generate the bulk of his team’s offense with his combination of scoring and passing. His shot is not a particularly strong point in his game, but he’s not afraid to shoot the ball at all, whether that be off the catch or off his own dribble, which forces his defenders to respect his scoring presence from all areas of the court. He also showed off the ability to take and make difficult shots when needed to bail his team out. As previously mentioned, Flagg gets most of his buckets closer to the basket. He has a smooth back to the basket game, as well as a face up game, that makes me believe that creating his own shots will never be an issue for him. This isn’t the only way that he can score the ball though, as he excels finishing opportunities that his guards create for him. From scoring from different areas of the court to acting as an offensive initiator and play finisher, Flagg has an extremely versatile offensive game.
Flagg’s bread and butter is on the defensive end. As mentioned before, his unique body type that gives him both fluidity and strength/size meshes with his defensive skillset perfectly. He has the lateral quickness and coordination to be able to check guards on the perimeter. If he does get beat, Flagg is able to use his size and wingspan to recover quickly and contest shots. When it comes to deterring shots at the rim, Flagg is a different beast. He averaged an absurd 6.8 blocks per game against some of the country’s best talent at Peach Jam. Flagg essentially erases any shots at the rim thanks to his athleticism, wingspan, and defensive instincts. His impact on a defense is incredible, as it was evident that all the opposing players knew that the rim was on lock whenever Flagg was on the court. Protecting the rim, which is where the most efficient shots in basketball are taken, is perhaps the most impactful aspect of defense, and Flagg is a master at this. Watch the following video if you want to see a ten-second summary of his defensive abilities.
Flagg picks up the speedy guard well beyond the three-point line because he has the ability to guard players anywhere. He gets clipped on the screen, leading to his man getting what should be an easy layup to tie the game; instead, Flagg travels the distance between the half-court line to the rim in a few seconds and perfectly times his jump to swat the shot. Flagg’s defense is nothing short of generational; he doesn’t seem to have a single weakness. When he eventually enters the NBA, his defense will likely be the main aspect of his game that will convince a franchise that he can turn their team around.
With his eye-popping talent and high feel for the game, it’s no surprise that Flagg averaged 25.4 PPG, 13 RPG, 5.7 APG, and 6.8 BPG this Peach Jam session.
NBA Comparison: Kevin Garnett
Flagg is the first prospect that I have ever seen heavy shades of Kevin Garnett in. In fact, I think the similarity in their games is so prevalent that it’s almost uncanny. Both Flagg and KG have the type of bodies that allow them to move smoothly and with coordination on the perimeter while also giving them enough strength and size to play near the rim. Offensively, they have similar skillsets, as both players are viewed as “bigs” but possess a good amount of guard skills like dribbling the ball, running the offense, creating plays for others, and creating their own shots from the perimeter. Neither KG nor Flagg at this point were great shooters, but they both have the confidence to shoot the ball and make it a part of their scoring arsenal. They both dominate on offense mainly closer to the rim and have a sort of physical presence and athleticism that helps them consistently finish above the rim.
Defense is where the comparison may be more accurate. Garnett is widely known as one of the greatest defenders in league history, with some even considering him to be the best defender ever. I do not think comparing a player of his stature to Flagg on defense would be a stretch considering how similar they are. Both players excel guarding the perimeter and switching onto smaller players, and dominate the defensive side of the ball through their help defense and rim protection abilities.
Conclusion
Flagg just reclassed to be eligible for the 2025 NBA draft. While he’s already one of the most popular high school players in the country, I feel confident in saying that his name will be much more known in the time preceding the draft. Thanks for reading.
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