As the Dallas Mavericks inch ever closer to NBA Draft night, it’s time to begin the process of watching some of what makes Cooper Flagg the consensus number one overall prospect in this class. Perhaps the best encapsulation for what makes Cooper Flagg great is the half that Flagg produced for the Duke Blue Devils against the Arizona Wildcats in the Sweet Sixteen.
The full game stat line is one thing: 30 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists with 3 blocks and a steal in a 40-minute basketball game is wildly impressive. But when you watch the game, it is even better than that. Arizona was absolutely up for this challenge, after all Caleb Love has history with beating Duke in big spots. However, the final seven minutes and change of this first half were dominated by one man, and it was number two in white.
(All clips are via the NCAA/Turner Sports and CBS)
One of the things that makes Luka Doncic so special is his ability to start games so quickly. There was no dipping the toe in the water to check the temperature, it was “LEEROY JENKINS” on sight. What I appreciate most about Cooper Flagg was that he was able to do that in some of Duke’s biggest spots this season. Flagg did it again in this game, as his presence was felt early and often.
Early facilitation
Flagg averaged over four assists per game at Duke, and it’s plays like this that can get you excited as a fan. Flagg grabbing a board and immediately pushing the ball into what should’ve been a dunk by Malauch is special stuff.
But this skip pass to Kon Kneuppel in the corner was what caught my attention. That’s not a pass that many college players see, so for Flagg to see it and deliver it on time and on target is very encouraging.
Defensive chops
Perhaps the best compliment I could give Cooper Flagg’s defensive prowess is this: Arizona just didn’t try him hardly at all. On this play, Flagg lurks in help defense on the drive before sliding to Carter Bryant. On the block, Flagg holds his own and forces a tough fadeaway, which resulted in a miss and Duke running the other way.
NBA-Ready shotmaking
Flagg was a three-level scorer at Duke and it doesn’t take a scout’s eye to see how that can translate to the NBA. Flagg shot 38% from three, and it’s shots like this stare down three from the left wing off of a broken inbounds play that show the type of shooter he already is.
I thought Flagg did a really good job of getting downhill against this Wildcat defense, even if he wasn’t always getting all the way to the rim for a layup. On these two plays particularly, Flagg was able to get to his spots and knockdown difficult shots. This little move Flagg made to get back to his left for the nice finish was particularly nice.
Then on this fadeaway, that’s just making a tough shot. But great players tend to find a way and do things like this.
A pair of driving finishes
These plays looked so identical I had to double check and see that they were, in fact, not the same. They aren’t, it’s just that Flagg is so good at this move. He was able to get to this regularly during the season, finishing with both the right and left hand. It’s just super smooth and very repeatable.
Second verse, no different than the first.
Finishing with a frenzy
As the end of the half approached, Duke was struggling to separate from this Arizona team. Enter Flagg, who was able to produce an epic finish to the half to get Duke a lead heading into the half. It all started with the drive and finish from above with about 3:15 left in the half. Cooper got to the line to give Duke a two-point lead late in the half at 40-38. But more was needed, and more was certainly provided.
Flagg and Kon Kneuppel play a nice two-man game here, getting the Wildcat defense caught in a switch and allowing Kneuppel to knock down a wide-open trey off the feed from Cooper.
Lastly, as time was running out in the half, Duke had time for just one more possession. For that, just sit back and enjoy watching a superstar player do superstar things.
All told, Flagg poured in 18 points in this first half, with 15 of those coming in the final eight minutes of the half. There is only one player in this class who would be able to produce this performance in this spot. And in just a few weeks, he’s going to be a Dallas Maverick. What a sight that is going to be.