"It's impressive": OKC's Chet Holmgren predicts a bright future for Cooper Flagg after his run with Team USA
Oklahoma City Thunder’s star big man Chet Holmgren is all for the hype around Cooper Flagg. The 17-year-old Monteverde Academy product faced Team USA’s Olympic squad that went undefeated in Paris. Among the invited young athletes, Flagg made his presence known.
Not only did he manage to hold his own but he also spearheaded the defense and offense of his Select Team during a matchup. This led Chet Holmgren to point out Flagg's raw talent while speaking to Paul George on the "Podcast P podcast":
"It's impressive," Homgren said. "Not only can you see some of the different skills he has in his skillset. But also just understanding the situation. He's 17, hasn't played a college game and is coming, hooping against the highest level of basketball players in the world.
"I respect him for that and I feel I can understand where he's coming from. I'm trying to go hoop against the best, wherever it might be, and I kind of see that in how he moves." (8:00)
Chet Holmgren was one of the first young big men celebrated for positional and scoring versatility. He was broadly compared to the first pick Victor Wembanyama throughout the season, who is touted to become one of the biggest superstars in the NBA.
When will Cooper Flagg play his first game for Duke?
The Duke Blue Devils will face the Maine Black Bears in their first game of the 2024 campaign, possibly featuring Cooper Flagg against his home state university. The Nov. 4 matchup will serve as a kickstart to Duke's year and will potentially help Flagg's stock in basketball.
The program is currently waiting for the Atlantic Coast Conference to release a major chunk of its season schedule. However, Jon Scheyer and his coaching staff have organized 11 nonconference games. These will put Cooper Flagg against the likes of Mark Pope's Kentucky, Bruce Pearl's Auburn Tigers, Bill Self's Kansas Jayhawks and more.
Flagg chose Duke over top teams like UCLA Bruins, Texas Longhorns, Michigan Wolverines, reigning champions UConn Huskies and more. He is now weeks into the program and is acclimatizing to the system.
It is expected that Flagg will be the most-watched men's college basketball player this year, especially due to his candidacy for the top spot in the 2025 NBA draft.