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Prospect Evaluation | Cooper Flagg (2025)

Updated: July 22, 2022





Cooper Flagg

Class of 2025


6'8 200 lbs SF


Newport, ME (Nokomis Regional)


*Holds offer from Duke*



The versatile forward exploded on to the scene in EYBL this summer as he continues to garner quality offers from schools like Duke. Jon Scheyer has already begun to prioritize the rising sophomore in the class of 2025. Flagg is currently one of three players in his class with a withstanding offer from the Blue Devils (alongside Cameron and Cayden Boozer). At just fifteen years old, Flagg helped the USA boys U17 team capture gold over Spain earlier this month, per Jordan Divens of MaxPreps. He posted an impressive stat line of 10 points, 17 rebounds, 8 steals, and 4 blocks in the championship bout with Spain. That is why teams are so impressed with Flagg. He can certainly score the ball, but it is his defensive intangibles and effort alongside his size and versatility that make him one of high school basketball's most sought after prospects.

Duke's chances at landing Flagg look fantastic on paper. Per On3's Joe Tipton on Twitter, Flagg claims that Duke is his dream school. Jamie Shaw of On3 also reported a quote from Flagg claiming that he "model[s] his game after Jayson Tatum, Grayson Allen," two former Blue Devils. His apparent love for the Blue Devils would appear to give them a recruiting advantage. Still, it is incredibly early in the recruiting process, and many schools are feverishly vying for Flagg's commitment.

I have scoured over YouTube clips of Flagg's game and found the best ones to highlight his game so you do not have to and will provide my own personal thoughts on each:


Breakdown: This video of Flagg's highlights from FIBA U17 play shows the intangibles and effort that make Flagg so special. At fifteen, he is already demonstrating phenomenal court vision. One hand no look passes weaving through traffic are a common feature to his game. It is noteworthy that Flagg is competing against and with players years older than him here. His defensive awareness stood out to me. Not many fifteen year old players follow up a high flying two hand jam with active hands and out of bounds baseline defense that creates another steal and ultimately a recreation of that same slam within seconds. His ability to steal the ball and block shots, poke the ball out for rebounds and fast breaks are difference makers. These plays are not what make flashy highlight reels, but they are what wins games. Cooper can be both the flashy number one player and the scrappy defensive minded player.


Breakdown: Highlights from his freshman season of high school show an uncanny maturity as a passer. Impressive passing ability in the lane and as an outlet passer. Those are skills not often this fully developed at his age. His size is imposing against his opponents, but it is the way he mobilizes that size via his activity defensively and as a passer/scorer that make him difficult to matchup with.

Obvious that he is coachable. A lot of players with the offensive skillset of Flagg do not buy into their coach's defensive schemes as readily and heavily. Particularly his tendency to pick up full court after his own made basket stands out. Cooper also has a good jump shot with a high release, something that will prove extremely difficult to guard on the college and NBA level if he continues to grow (or even if he does not).

Breakdown: How does he fare against other top prospects like Cameron Boozer? When faced with a skilled and larger opponent, Flagg utilizes his shot creation on the perimeter and midrange. Pump fakes and dribble moves coupled with good ball control and a high release make these shots difficult to guard.

However, I will be critical for a moment. In this matchup he shied away from guarding Cameron, and did not try to matchup physically on box outs either. He appeared frustrated to be limited to an exterior player, but that much is expected of a fifteen year old. His pros heavily out weigh the few cons that are sometimes noticeable. This is a prospect that any school dreams of landing and will likely find himself as a future top three pick in the NBA Draft.



Last Updated July 22, 2022 2:54 p.m. ET




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