Undoubtedly, Cooper Flagg is being hyped up as one of the greats in the making. Nevertheless, ESPN appears to be following Public Enemy's advice by not believing the hype.
Among ESPN's 100 top players, Flagg made the list at 52, but didn't crack the top 50. Overall, Flagg is being assessed as bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“The 18-year-old Flagg, who might be the most anticipated American prospect since LeBron James, arrives in the NBA in a distinctive position of being a No. 1 pick on a veteran-heavy roster with playoff aspirations,” writes Tim McMahon.
Already, Flagg is getting support from Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki believes that Flagg has what it takes to become one of the best.
Additionally, McMahon said that Mavericks coach Jason Kidd intends to use Flagg in the same manner as he did with Giannis Antetokounmpo when he was with the Bucks. However, he makes no mention that he didn't have the benefit of playing with the best players.
“Mavs coach Jason Kidd plans to give the 6-foot-9 Flagg plenty of opportunity to prove that he can flourish as a point forward,” McMahon said.
“Kidd took a similar approach with a young Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee, but the Greek Freak wasn't surrounded by 30-something future Hall of Famers the way Flagg will be in Dallas.”
Flagg will be playing alongside Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis.
Cooper Flagg is part of a legendary class without having played a game yet
Having come off a stellar one year at Duke, Flagg has already etched his place among great players. This is well before he even played an official NBA game. Prior to Flagg, there have been a handful of players who arrive into the league with a tremendous buzz.
Players that were the real deal in either their high school and college careers and all eyes were watching them. Those players included Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, and Victor Wembanyama. And look at how well they turned out.
While Flagg certainly has to prove himself, he has nevertheless join quite a elite group.
