Cooper Flagg vs National Player of the Year favorite: Best tidbits from Duke vs Auburn
On Wednesday, Dec 4, ninth-ranked Duke took down second-ranked Auburn in a tight clash of top teams. As for many elite college matchups, the game was chock full of high-level prospects. Auburn’s veteran talent provided a robust Duke and its myriad of talented freshmen. Let’s discuss how each of the most notable prospects fared and what it means for their short and long-term outlook.
Cooper Flagg
38 minutes, 22 points (7-18), 8-12 free throws, 4 assists, 0 turnovers, 11 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks
Flagg continued his strong play against high-level opponents. He was the best player on the floor against an elite Auburn team, just as he was against Kentucky and Arizona. As evidenced by his raw counting stats, Flagg’s impact on every facet of the game is palpable.
Scouts will continue to discuss his scoring and creation above all else regarding Flagg’s ceiling. He’s still not making his 3-pointers (0-4) but Flagg created space for mid-range jumpers and lived at the foul line. Despite his age, defenders can’t handle his speed, strength and explosion. Flagg’s balance lets him hang in midair and finish through contact with both hands.
He excelled on defense as he typically does, defending on the ball and wrecking off of the ball. Flagg’s ability to deny shots at the rim as a helper and dig down for steals makes him a nightmare for offenses to handle. He should continue to stack strong performances on his path to the probable top pick in the 2025 draft.
Khaman Maluach
15 minutes, 2 points (1-1), 0 assists, 0 turnovers, 3 rebounds, 0 steals, 0 blocks
Khaman Maluach didn’t play much in this game but impressed during his short stint on the court. At 7’2, Maluach’s fluidity moving in space and ground coverage are startling. He switched out onto the perimeter for multiple stops on Johni Broome, flashing incredible lateral quickness and mirroring ability for his size.
He’s far from a complete player on defense, as his struggles with positioning often force him to rely on his physical tools alone. There will be plenty of technical fixes like his tendency to lean too far forward defending the ball.
While Maluach doesn’t have much offensive responsibility yet, his size alone makes him a viable offensive option. He’s an unbelievable lob target as a result of his vertical bounce, great hands and flexibility. He’ll need to produce more on the offensive end eventually, but Maluach’s defensive chops could help him end up as a high draft pick in 2025.
Kon Knueppel
31 minutes, 6 points (2-3), 2-2 free throws, 3 assists, 0 turnovers, 2 rebounds, 0 steals, 0 blocks
Auburn’s defense effectively removed Knueppel from the basketball game, especially as a scorer. He’s functioned as a high-usage playmaker throughout the beginning of his Duke career and made some basic pick-and-roll passes. But Knueppel struggled to find his shot outside of a few solid drives. Auburn’s length and size made it tough for him to shoot.
Knueppel has scored 11 points or fewer in four of his last five games. He’s shooting at an uncharacteristically poor clip against high-level competition, converting 4-23 of his triples against top 100 opponents. Given his excellent shooting track across all of high school, we should expect a bounce back at some point.
Scouts will watch his athletic translation closely. He’s extremely skilled and smart and should improve as a shooter, making Knueppel worth considering a lottery talent to this point.
Isaiah Evans
16 minutes, 18 points (6-9), 0 assists, 1 turnover, 1 rebound, 0 steals, 0 blocks\
The game’s breakout star, Evans notched his career-high scoring mark. He’s played just 46 minutes in total before this game. None of them came against Duke’s three ranked opponents. His scoring punch helped spark Duke’s offense from downtown as all but one of his shots came from deep.
Evans shot the ball off of movement, sprinting into shots moving to his left and his right. He starred as a tough, off-dribble shotmaker in high school, so this kind of off-ball shooting is promising. Evans struggles as a driver and didn’t contribute much outside of shooting, but his scoring performance deserves praise
Tahaad Pettiford
18 minutes, 20 points (8-15), 3 assists, 1 turnover, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 0 blocks
Bruce Pearl didn’t play Pettiford much but he dominated the ball during his minutes, posting a game-high 38.5% usage rate. Pettiford played like a pro point guard, winning with his stellar jumper, advantage creation and passing chops.
He drained four of his eight threes, upping his 3-point percentage to 41% on the season. Pettiford hits shots off of movement and creates space off of the bounce from NBA range. His size as a near 6-foot point guard will always limit his finishing, but Pettiford boasts solid touch with both hands. That same ambidexterity extends to his playmaking from a live dribble.
Pettiford generates turnovers on defense but his size will be a limiting factor. Smaller guards face a steep climb in an NBA full of giants. Pettiford might have the shotmaking, passing and defensive talent to end up as a legitimate NBA prospect.
Johni Broome
37 minutes, 20 points (8-18), 4-6 free throws, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, 12 rebounds, 0 steals, 1 block
Broome may be the current favorite for National Player of the Year to this point, averaging 20.6 points and 12.8 rebounds per game while leading the country in Box Plus-Minus (15.0). It didn’t feel like an incredibly dominant performance despite his strong statline. Broome did his thing on the interior, scoring and defending at a high level.
His NBA translation will be key to decipher, as Broome may be a bit small to play center in the NBA. He’s an excellent shot blocker but sometimes lacks the length and size to reach shots. Broome’s 3-point volume this year took a slight jump (6.9 per 100 possessions) but he’s hitting 31% of them.
As an older prospect, teams may question Broome’s ultimate ceiling but he’s an incredibly productive player nonetheless. His high skill level on both ends should be enough to entice a team to draft him at some point, possibly in the first round.