Cooper Flagg compared to Caitlin Clark and Zion Williamson by NBA analyst amid NBA future discourse: "Oh wow! This is an All-Star really fast"
Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg continues to turn heads in the basketball world with how he has fared in the 2024-25 season. On Saturday, he led his team to an 85-65 Elite Eight win as the first seed of the East region against the second-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide.
As Flagg continues to pad on his freshman year of college hoops, more people are viewing him as a future NBA All-Star. The same can be said for sports analyst Colin Cowherd, who compared the first-year sensation to NBA All-Star Zion Williamson and Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark in a recent episode of his "First Things First" show on Fox Sports on Wednesday.
"Cooper Flagg," he shared (7:14). "So, I don't remember, I mean Zion was a physical specimen, but he wasn't nearly as well-rounded as Cooper. He didn't shoot like him. He didn't defend like him. He was just a hurricane of a player, like, he was just a torque and force. Cooper is, I'm trying to think of a domestic college player that came out that had this many skills this early.
"And it is a short, short list. This kid should be in high school. I believe like a Caitlin Clark, I believe that we're looking at a, 'Oh, wow! This is an All-Star really fast.'"
On his first and likely one-and-done stint of collegiate-level basketball, Flagg is averaging a team-high 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per contest.
Chris Broussard believes that NBA executives are seeing Cooper Flag with All-Star-level potential
Later in the episode, Colin Cowherd questioned co-host Chris Broussard, asking if he thought that NBA teams, specifically their executives, are sensing All-Star potential in Cooper Flagg.
"Oh yeah," Broussard explained (8:05). "They love him. I mean, he's obviously the definitive number-one pick ... Like you said, there's really no weakness when you look at his game. He can bring the ball up the court like a point guard. You can run the offense through him. He can pass, he can shoot in the mid-range, the three, post-up game. He can drive and finish. He can lead the break."
The Duke Blue Devils are now set for action on Saturday against the Houston Cougars at Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, for the NCAA Final Four.