Among the many NBA superstars, role players and young/fringe talents at the Team USA scrimmages, Duke commit Cooper Flagg held his own. Almost certainly a lock to be the top overall selection in the 2025 NBA Draft, the 17-year-old is starting to garner even more buzz.
Flagg didn’t just participate in the scrimmages against the best of the best that the United States had to offer, he played well. Listed as either 6-foot-8 or 6-foot-9, he plays with tenacity and already has what it takes to be the focal point of an offense and a complementary piece. He didn’t shy away from ball pressure from Jrue Holiday, one of the best defenders in basketball. He didn’t let the long arms of Anthony Davis shy him away from shooting. Kevin Durant said his performance was almost veteran-like. For someone who can’t even vote yet, that’s some massive praise.
In an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, Jim Boeheim had a lot of good things to say about Flagg's game and the way he performed against the Team USA roster.
“Great player,” Boeheim said. “I don't like to build up guys and just all this and that but I'm just telling you he's as good as anybody else I’ve seen in a long, long, long, time. He went right up against these guys — and these guys are men here. I mean, he went right up against them, he can shoot it, he handles the ball, he's tough, he's a different guy, he's a different guy. I'm not sure he can't play right now on this team. I mean, he's really good and he's a difference-maker. There's going to be a lot of people trying to get that No. 1 draft pick next year.”
Boeheim coached at Syracuse for 47 years — giving him firsthand experience coaching and coaching against elite college talent — and has been an assistant coach with Team USA for several Olympics. He has seen a lot of high-level hoopers, so his praise for Flagg should add even more legitimacy to his hype.
Cooper Flagg garnering buzz after impressive performance vs. Team USA
Flagg is the first college player since Marcus Smart and Doug McDermott in 2013 to be a part of the Select Team for the USA Men's Basketball program. He was the only teenager on the 2024 squad but no one would have known it by his performance. Especially after getting experience against NBA superstars, playing against collegiate competition should be easy, especially with other projected NBA draft prospects like Isaiah Evans, Tyrese Proctor, Khaman Maluach and Kon Kneuppel.
There was some buzz about Flagg potentially replacing Kawhi Leonard on the Olympic roster but Boeheim tempered expectations, saying that it would have been hard to justify someone so young being on the roster despite the immense and obvious talent. In the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, though, it would be surprising not to see Flagg rep the red, white and blue.
The 2025 draft projects to be full of talent at the top. The Rutgers duo of Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper and Baylor commit V.J. Edgecombe are among the other freshmen who are expected to be among the top names in next year’s draft. Cooper Flagg, however, is seen as the very best prospect in this class and one of the best over the past half-decade aside from Victor Wembanyama — and he's just getting started.
Follow Us
Subscribe