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Scouting report: Breaking down Duke recruit Cooper Flagg's game and his future potential
ESPN PLUS $ MATERIALCooper Flagg ended months of speculation by committing to Duke on Oct. 30, a huge win for the Blue Devils and coach Jon Scheyer.
Now comes the fun part -- envisioning what Flagg, the No. 1 recruit in the 2024 class, can bring to Duke, where he needs to improve and assessing what his professional future holds via conversations with NBA scouts. Flagg will enter Duke as the Blue Devils most anticipated recruit since Zion Williamson in 2018. A native of Newport, Maine, Flagg won a state championship as a freshman at Nokomis High School, scoring 22 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in the state final. His star power just grew from there.
At just 15 years old, Flagg played for USA Basketball's Under-17 team at the 2022 FIBA World Cup and was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 9.3 points, 10 rebounds, 2.9 blocks and 2.4 steals per game. He saved some of his best for the championship game, finishing with 10 points, 17 rebounds, eight steals and four blocks in a win over Spain.
Flagg, 16, has dominated games since that point. He has elite versatility, scores both inside and outside the arc and knows to facilitate when defensive attention is on him -- breaking and attacking pressure has become common practice. Flagg finishes transition opportunities, competes on defense and is a standout shot blocker.
He has ascended the rankings -- and played in front of numerous NBA scouts at events -- along the way. Flagg reclassified to the class of 2024 this summer and was named both the No. 1 player in the class and No. 1 overall in the country regardless of class.
Flagg solidified his standing with a sensational summer on the showcase circuit, producing monster triple-doubles and impacting both ends of the floor. Flagg, who was named MVP at the NBPA camp in June, improved at finishing through contact and as a playmaker, often finding teammates for open looks behind the arc when facing defensive attention. He was a top performer at both the Stephen Curry and Jayson Tatum camps. I saw firsthand how Flagg brought a serious approach to the Curry Camp, where he was the best player on the court not named Stephen Curry.
The 6-foot-9 forward scored, assisted or created 61% of his team's total offense in the EYBL. He carried Maine United to the E16 finals while averaging 13.4 defensive rebounds and 6.8 blocks per 40 minutes, according to Synergy Sports.
Recently his team won the championship of the Geico Top Flight Invite, and he led the Border League, a different preseason tournament, in offensive efficiency, shooting 76% from the field per Synergy Sports. Flagg is the rare five-star talent who plays the game with a single mindset -- to win.
He's one of the few prospects that dominates on a nightly basis. Due to all of this, Flagg is one of the best rising seniors I've seen in a long time.
Let's take a look at how he does it.
Scouting report
Numbers only tell one side of the story for Flagg. While he shot just 26% on 3-pointers for his prep school, Montverde Academy last year, he shot 37% over 22 games in E16 this summer on almost four times as many attempts. He works on his weaknesses.The eye test also provides an accurate read.
Flagg has all the tools and approach desired from a basketball player. He's a crafty playmaker with a smooth stroke and athletic frame. There are so many potential player comparisons, but it's hard to settle on one. Mike Dunleavy and Paul George come to mind.
He mentally transitioned from a scoring role to facilitator this past summer and excelled. Now, he'll go back to a scoring role at Montverde during the upcoming season.
As a facilitator, the ball becomes less sticky in his hands and with his teams. He is a ball mover and assist maker and is outstanding at seeing a play develop and finding the open man. Flagg is a willing passer who demonstrates accuracy and touch -- if his teammate is far away, he understands his pass needs more velocity, and if he is in tight quarters, he'll use a quick touch pass.
As a finisher, his vertical bounce has all the explosiveness needed, and he shows a nice second jump on effort plays. Flagg has increased his strength and is more comfortable at finishing through contact.
Flagg, who runs with speed and effort taking long strides, looks the part, athletically. His vertical bounce is explosive, and he improved his body balance. Flagg has innate instincts on both ends that are almost impeccable.
He'll also be a great locker room player capable of uniting a team due to his contagious competitiveness and unselfishness. He plays winning basketball on offense and is a committed, alert defender who takes it personal when he is scored on. His game is fun to watch and easy to play with.
What they're saying
Andy Bedard, the head coach for Flagg's Maine United squad, played at both Boston College and the University of Maine and has coached Flagged since elementary school."At this point in his basketball journey, Cooper is the most complete basketball player -- period," Bedard said.
"Comparing him to a single NBA player is very difficult because of how diverse his game is. The reality is, you'd have to take a premier skill set of multiple players and create a 'super player' that I don't think we've seen before."
Bedard also spoke highly of Flagg's character off the court and said he's addicted to competing.
"What is so inspiring is that he'll probably thank me for the kind words, that is if he even reads them because he pays very little attention to the outside noise he can't control," Bedard said. "He'll forget all about it and go get his ass in the gym and work on his craft. He'll be the first to tell you there is so much room to improve and he's a long way away from his goals."
Many people had heard about Flagg when he arrived at the Stephen Curry Camp, but not everyone had seen him live. Flagg dialed in for each session.
"I think he's a player that's ready to be a difference-maker the second he steps foot on campus," Curry's longtime trainer Brandon Payne said. "His combination of physical ability with a very polished and diverse skill set is something we don't see very often at this age." USA Basketball national director for coaching development Don Showalter offered similar thoughts.
"Cooper is a rare player who can combine great physical talent with a high skill level and high IQ making great decisions on the court," Showalter said. "He can make a difference in a game without scoring. He is versatile by playing 3-4 different positions and defending different positions. Most importantly, he can make his teammates better."
Of course, there's always something for players at all levels to develop or improve.
"He's more confident and improved as a ballhandler, but he still has to keep getting better there," Montverde assistant coach Kevin Boyle Jr. said. "He's embracing contact around the basket a lot more and willing to take it hard to the rim for dunks and easy baskets. He has improved as a standstill open shooter, and also starting to score off the bounce with pull-ups, but needs to keep getting better and raise his percentage."
Boyle continued: "Defensively, he continues to show he can deflect passes and block shots but we still want to see him get better as a perimeter defender if he has to guard smaller guys. Overall, he still needs to get better staying in front of the ball and more importantly locating his man when teams move well and run good sets."
Liam McNeeley, another five-star recruit at Montverde who is committed to Indiana, praised Flagg's leadership ahead of their final season together.
"Cooper brings out the best in me by pushing me every day in practice. He elevates the gym with his intensity, forcing everyone to play harder," McNeeley said. "Cooper is always dependable and easy to count on. I love playing with him because he is very unselfish and always makes the right play. He is one of my favorite players I have ever played with."
His NBA future
Of course, someone with Flagg's giftedness and traits has been the topic of considerable conversation among NBA personnel and evaluators."In addition to his obvious talent, he has a great IQ and feel for the game to go along with transferable NBA skills on both ends of the floor," one NBA scout said.
"He's a versatile three-level scorer that is so unselfish. He's a multiple-effort defender that can protect the rim or go away from the ball. His toughness and competitive all-business approach can win you over as well."
Another NBA scout broke down Flagg's game through the lens of both a scout and college coach.
"Flagg has no weaknesses at the college level," he said. "The growth in his game since last summer has been noticeable. He's stronger, more physical, confident and assertive. His versatility and multi-positional abilities make him unique and a player who is a threat on every possession."
So how does that translate to the professional game?
"At the NBA level, he's probably a point forward," the scout said. "The need to highlight his scoring ability will depend on who he is surrounded with. He's wired like Lebron where making the right play is better than collecting stats."
Another scout believes Flagg has the inside track on the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
"It's his to lose," he said. "He's a potential franchise player."
