Cooper Flagg Lands Interesting 'Pro Comparisons' From Analyst Before NBA Draft

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jeremiah Artacho | Last updated May 19, 2025 2:00 PM ET

Cooper Flag finished his only season of college basketball this past April, falling to the eventual runner-ups of the NCAA Championship, the Houston Cougars.

Now, Flagg is set on a new chapter of his basketball career, playing in the NBA. The question is for whom? The San Antonio Spurs? The Philadelphia 76ers? Or the Charlotte Hornets?

But perhaps, more than likely, unless Nico Harrison makes another out-of-this-world kind of move, the Dallas Mavericks with the No. 1 overall pick, despite having one of the smallest odds to land in that spot during the lottery.

Flagg could potentially play alongside NBA champions Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis. Would that make up for the loss of Luka Doncic? Maybe. Or maybe there will never be anything that can change what happened this past February.

Besides the potential landing spot for Flagg, another aspect of the draft is who the incoming players play like — is there another Anthony Edwards kind of guy? Or another Nikola Jokic?

Who is Cooper Flagg being compared to ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft?

Bleacher Report analyst Jonathan Wasserman compared Cooper Flagg to Atlanta Hawks' Jalen Johnson and retired NBA champion Kevin Garnett.

Johnson, another Duke product, has played well lately in his career, completing the 2024-25 season, averaging 18.9 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists while shooting exactly 50% from the field.

Although Flagg is shorter compared to Garnett, their versatile play styles are what bring the two players close in comparison.

No matter how you look at comparisons, whether it's from an offensive standpoint, a defensive standpoint, or a mixture of both, Flagg has the mold of a future superstar who has a lot of skills done at a high level.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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