College hoops insider believes Cooper Flagg should’ve been on Team USA instead of 2X NBA champ
Cooper Flagg has not even started his collegiate career yet and is already making headlines for the NBA and the United States men's basketball team. The Duke commit participated in the Team USA basketball camp ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris and left many observers raving about the 6-foot-9 guard/forward.
Before its 86-72 win over Canada in an exhibition game on Wednesday night, Team USA saw two-time NBA champion Kawhi Leonard back out of the roster to spend the rest of the summer preparing for the upcoming NBA season for the LA Clippers.
As the news broke, college basketball insider Cameron Salerno talked about giving Cooper Flagg a chance in place of Leonard for Team USA to know his real potential. In a CBS Sports broadcast, Salerno said:
"Had [Cooper] Flagg been the pick to replace [Kawhi] Leonard, it could've given basketball fans around the world a small taste of why he could be the best player in the sport during the 2024-25 college basketball season."
USA Basketball announced Kawhi Leonard's withdrawal on Wednesday, and he will be replaced by the Boston Celtics' Derrick White.
"Kawhi has been ramping up for the Olympics over the past several weeks and had a few strong practices in Las Vegas," USAB wrote in the announcement. "He felt ready to compete.
"However, he respects that USA Basketball and the Clipper determined it's in his best interest to spend the remainder of the summer preparing for the upcoming season rather than participating in the Olympic Games in Paris."
Cooper Flagg, who was recently named the Gatorade Best Male Player of the Year 2024, spent three days at the practice and scrimmages with Team USA, where he made 3-pointers over Anthony Davis, an All-NBA Defense selection. One viral video shows him scoring from beyond the arc and then pulling off a tough putback.
Check it out below:
"It just comes form my mindset," Cooper Flagg told USA Today. "Once the ball goes up, I'm just trying to win at all times, so I'm just a competitor and that's what it boils down to. It's a little bit of adjustment being on the court with them, but at the same time, I'm just playing basketball and just trying to win."
Cooper Flagg talks about his time at Team USA camp
Cooper Flagg was surprised when he received the invite to practice with Team USA. When asked about it, he said (via NBA Future Now):
"It's been a great experience, being able to learn, talk, kind of just see what the routine, see what some of these guys do. I think everybody on that team, growing up as a kid, is somebody that I want to be someday, the position they're in. So it's gonna be cool environment, cool experience for me."
Cooper Flagg is all set to leave his mark in college basketball under coach Jon Scheyer's Blue Devils in the 2024-25 season. He expected to do wonders and then move on to the NBA in the 2025 NBA draft.