I can’t remember an elite NBA prospect quite like Cooper Flagg.
Let’s not get into any kind of hyperbolic, pointless “best prospect since [fill in the blank]” debate. Let’s not try to make Flagg into anything he isn’t. Let’s just take a few hundred words to appreciate exactly what he could be – the best possible “glue guy” for the modern NBA.
I just finished watching every second of Flagg’s subtle obliteration of the Arizona Wildcats on Friday night. He didn’t shoot very well – he missed 12 of his 22 shots, including eight in a row at relatively close range in the first half – and he didn’t get to the line much (just four attempts), but Flagg made his presence felt for the entire 38 minutes he spent on the floor. This kind of dominance doesn’t translate to traditional box scores.
This was a legitimate, hostile, loud, not-friendly road game against a big, talented Arizona squad, and Flagg made it look like light work, especially in the second half. The Wildcats had no answers for Flagg’s activity and nose for the ball.
Flagg was seemingly everywhere, all the time. People mistake elite defense with gaudy shot-blocks into the fifth row, pick-six steals, or straight-jacket man-to-man lock-ups. Flagg can do all that, sure, but it’s the way he positions himself on every possession that takes him to new level.
People often excuse star players for momentary lapses on defense. “Oh, he has to carry such a heavy offensive load! We can’t expect him to know what to do on defense, too!” Flagg clearly thinks that is nonsense.
There were two possessions where Flagg simply decided “Arizona is not going to cleanly inbound this basketball.” He knew who the safety valve was supposed to be, and he stuck to him like Velcro. He stole one inbounds pass and deflected another.
Flagg’s positioning is so excellent that it almost works against him in the TikTok/YouTube highlights compilation sense. It reminds me of how Darrelle Revis wouldn’t lead the NFL in interceptions despite being the best defensive back in football. Teams knew better than to even try it.
Offensively, Flagg doesn’t have the deepest “bag” – not yet. He can get a little sloppy with the ball, as we saw against Kentucky. He has nice form and a quick release on his perimeter jumper – it just doesn’t go in all the time. Not yet.
Unlike other presumptive No. 1 picks, though, Flagg has no interest in heliocentricity. He doesn’t hesitate. If he has the angle, he’s gone. If he doesn’t, he passes it and resets. The ball doesn’t stick. Flagg currently approaches offense like the highest-level role player, which will help him adjust to any NBA roster construction imaginable. If a team needs a foundational star (Brooklyn, Portland), Flagg can be that. If a team already has a star and he needs a co-captain (San Antonio, Charlotte), Flagg can be that.
Flagg sort of reminds me of the best possible versions of Aaron Gordon, Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams, or Dyson Daniels – do-everything wings who keep the ball moving and love turning defense into easy offense. That’s Flagg’s floor, mind you. I think he steps into the league on day one at least as good as Daniels and improves toward a less-thick Gordon after the All-Star break. By year two, he’s in Williams’ class and ascending.
By the time he hits his prime, do I dare invoke Scottie Pippen?
Unlike 99% of rookies, Flagg will step onto an NBA roster as a difference-making defensive force. A coach won’t have to pull his hair out watching his high-profile rookie consistently blow it on rotations or find himself out of position. He will earn playing time right away.
I tell this to my son, Andrew, all the time. If you want to make sure you get minutes, focus on defense. It’s hard. It’s not fun. It’s not cool. But a coach will never pin your butt to the bench if you play smart, hard-nosed, fundamentally sound defense.
Flagg has that all figured out already. He turns 18 next month.
And 1’s.
• I’m not talking about anyone, specifically, necessarily. I’m speaking generally, as a way I approach my life and the way I hope people approach their interactions with me. Just be on time. Your time is not more valuable than mine. And if I am part of a team, and the team requires my presence at a certain time, I get there when I need to be there. I hate lateness so much, in fact, that I am often earlier than I need to be. And if my profession is NBA basketball player, and my position in the team’s pecking order is “highest paid guy” and “face of the franchise” and “one-time MVP,” I make sure I am the first one there. I set the tone. Otherwise, my team might end up 3-13 to start the season. Hypothetically.
• Don’t look now, but there is something interesting going on in Houston. The Rockets are one of only five NBA teams with a point differential over eight (+8.7) with a defense that is comparable to the class of the NBA – OKC, Orlando, Boston. They’re young, athletic, deep, and ready to win right now.
• Stat of the week: 0. That’s how many points Mark Sears scored in Alabama’s 100-87 win over a top 25 opponent in Illinois on Wednesday. Sears, a potential All-American and one of the most productive players in the history of Alabama basketball, didn’t have it, and he knew he didn’t have it. He sat for the final 11 minutes and change and let his teammates carry things. He didn’t pout. He didn’t complain. He didn’t derail the momentum. The win mattered more than his box score.
