Jay Williams claims Cooper Flagg could match 10x NBA All-Star's college career with one condition
Cooper Flagg's stellar freshman year at Duke has drawn comparisons with some of basketball’s greats. However, former Blue Devils point guard Jay Williams has called for caution and opened up about the one thing he must do before truly earning some of the plaudits he has received.
Williams was on Friday's episode of ESPN’s “Get Up” and was asked what would be named of Flagg’s season if he won the NCAA Tournament this year.
The 2001 NCAA champion said the 18-year-old’s season will "be up there with Carmelo Anthony of Syracuse." However, he mentioned one thing Flagg must do to earn the comparison.
“Cooper Flagg is a very elite player offensively," Williams said. "He is a stack filler, he fills every capacity with what he does defensively.”
He also called for caution in putting Flagg in the same lens as Kevin Durant or Anthony.
“I just want to be careful with that,” Williams said. "What Carmelo Anthony did, what KD did, jumped off the page, jumped out of the screen with how prolific they were scoring.
“I am not sure there is anything that just jumps out of the page yet with Cooper Flagg, other than his overall versatility and how that can translate to the league. Just want to be careful.”
Carmelo Anthony spent one season at Syracuse, where he averaged a team-high 22.2 points and 10.0 rebounds in the 2002-2003 season while leading the program to its first national championship.
He set an NCAA Tournament record for most points by a freshman in his 33-point showing against Texas in the Final Four. He was called the "best player in college basketball" by former Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim.
Like Anthony, Durant also spent just one season in college, where he averaged 25.8 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game for the Texas Longhorns in the 2006-07 season. Although Texas did not win the NCAA Tournament that season, he was named the unanimous National Player of the Year.
Durant also won the Naismith College Player of the Year and all eight other widely recognized honors and awards, making him the first freshman to win any of the National Player of the Year awards.
This season, Cooper Flagg leads Duke in points (18.9), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.2) and steals (1.4). He was named the AP National Player of the Year on Friday and is projected to be the first pick in the 2025 NBA draft. Flagg became just the fourth freshman to win the honor, taking 41 out of 61 votes. The 6-foot-9 forward is one of eight Blue Devils to win the award.
Cooper Flagg praises Duke coach Jon Scheyer for assembling current Blue Devils team
College basketball reporter John Fanta asked Flagg about his thoughts on the Duke's current assemblage. Flagg took time to praise Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer for doing a good job on this roster.
“I think coach did a good job. We have the perfect pieces,” he said.
Cooper Flagg and his teammates are looking to win the NCAA Tournament. They will face the Houston Cougars in a Final Four matchup on Saturday, with a spot in the championship game up for grabs.