Cooper Flagg looked like one of the men representing Team USA during a practice match against the team.
In fact, the opposite is true. The flag He is a boy among men, possessing manly strength and skill, but this young player is only 17 years old.
But Cooper Flagg is not like most 17-year-olds. At 6-foot-9 and 205 pounds, Flagg already weighs about the same as an NBA player. The consensus No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, Flagg is set to join Duke next season and is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
And there’s a reason for that. Flagg’s athleticism and shot-making ability are outstanding, and he has the length, intangibles, and work ethic to develop into an All-Star player. He got his first taste of All-Star competition on Monday, leading the Select Team to a stunning win over Team USA.
Flag’s talent was on full display in the 74-73 loss. He measured Anthony Davis near the right hash mark and fired a stone-cold 3-pointer over the 6-foot-11 big man. He was busy in the post, hitting a turnaround jumper over Jrue Holiday. He fired a tough put-back layup over Bam Adebayo.
His skill was never in doubt. Flagg is a 2024 McDonald’s American and has extensive USA Basketball experience, including being named to the 2022 FIBA U-17 Team and winning the 2024 Nike Hoop Summit as a member of Team USA.
But the poise and confidence Flagg displays when facing the world’s best players is a rare quality that could make him a future great. And after the game, one NBA coach said there was no player on the team better than Flagg. Every member of the USA Select Team, including Brandin Podziemski, Amen Thompson, Brandon Miller and Jalen Duren, has played at least one season in the NBA.
“He kicked ass here,” select team coach Jamal Mosley said. “There’s a lot of respect for what he’s done. People who haven’t seen him play, they quickly see what he can do.”
Flagg is the first college player to be selected to the Select Team since Marcus Smart and Doug McDermott were invited to camp in 2013, and he still has a childlike awe of the moment.
“I was shocked, surprised, and really excited for this opportunity,” Flagg said of learning he had been selected. Flagg was the first player the selection committee contacted during the process. “And I was really blessed to be able to go out there and take advantage of it and show what I’ve got. I was really grateful to be able to go out there and learn. The biggest thing for me was being able to learn and grow and share the gym with all these great, great names. Legends. So I was really blessed.”
Despite the surprise, he made the most of the opportunity to compete with the greats.
“I’m confident in my abilities and my skills,” he said after the practice game. “At the end of the day, I’m confident in who I am and what I can do. So I just go out there and play basketball.”
His ability to compartmentalize the game is part of what makes him an intriguing prospect, and it doesn’t hurt to get advice from some of the best who have done it, including LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry.
“They’ve all been very welcoming,” Flagg said. “The Select team appreciates us coming here and getting them ready and geared up. So they’ve all been welcoming and told us to keep working and stay on the ground.”
Flag added that if the U.S. team can find chemistry, they will be unstoppable at the Olympics.
“They can be the team they want to be,” he said. “They have no weaknesses, no vulnerabilities. They can play and dominate in any way they want. So they will be a dominant team that asserts its will to everyone who watches.”
Flag himself is using what he learned in minicamp opportunities to become an unstoppable force at the pro level. But first, a college class for the 17-year-old.
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