NBA executive makes bold statement about Duke star Cooper Flagg’s impact making Caliber: "Could start for our team tonight"
After incoming Duke freshman Cooper Flagg had a solid performance during summer practice with the USA Select team against the US Olympic team, his potential quickly became the talk among basketball fans. Flagg is already projected to be the top pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
An NBA executive was quite impressed by Flagg after he held his own against the likes of LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis, so much so that he believes fresh-out-of-high-school Flagg could become a starter for their team right now.
"I haven't studied this class deeply enough yet and I'm sure our boards will all change, but from what I saw at Hoop Summit and in Vegas with USA Basketball, good luck catching that guy," the executive said per Bleacher Report. "[Flagg] could start for our team tonight and make a huge impact with his toughness, feel and instincts on both ends. His shooting looks good also."
Cooper Flagg amazed everyone by dribbling past NBA stars and making shots over them during the scrimmages.
"I was just trying to learn. I was on the court just trying to take bits and pieces from the other players and see what they did, how they did it, how they executed certain things and coverages," Flagg shared his experience.
The 6-foot-9 forward committed to Duke in November 2023 over Dan Hurley's UConn, which was also in the race to sign the no.1 recruit in the 2024 class. Flagg said that Duke coach John Scheyer and his staff made the biggest impression on him during his school visit.
Cooper Flagg admits being nervous playing against LeBron James
Cooper Flagg was fortunate to face NBA icon LeBron James during the Team USA and Select team practice game in early July. Flagg spoke about the experience, recounting the thrill of sharing the court against LeBron, during an appearance on 'The Brotherhood Podcast' on Monday.
"It was cool, an unbelievable experience," Flagg told Caleb Foster. "The first day, for sure, I was nervous. I didn't know what to think. I got on the court, and I was like, 'Wow.' I was guarding LeBron in the corner. It kind of just hit me for a second, and I had to snap out of it."
However, that was not the first time Flagg has had an encounter with James. A year ago, the four-time NBA champion pulled up to watch one of Flagg's AAU games. After the game, they had a brief exchange where LeBron offered Flagg a few words of advice.