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Insider Reveals Head-Turning NBA Comparison for Duke’s Cooper Flagg

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Evan Massey | Last updated May 13, 2025 10:05 AM ET

Duke Blue Devils standout Cooper Flagg has been the talk of the league since the NBA draft lottery was finalized. With the Dallas Mavericks shockingly winning the No. 1 pick, he's expected to join forces with Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis to begin his career.

While the hype surrounding Flagg being the No. 1 pick has been clear for about a year now, there are still questions about what kind of player he can become in the NBA.

ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania spoke out about Flagg and offered a head-turning comparison for the kind of player he can become.

"The thing about Cooper Flagg that I think stands out is he's so polished, he's so ready, he's so focused," Charania said. "He reminds a lot of people around the league of a guy like Anthony Davis, because as soon as he comes into this league, you know what you'll get from him on both sides of the ball."

Where would Cooper Flagg make the biggest impact?

Shams breaks it down: pic.twitter.com/jlFnWx4b0V
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) May 12, 2025

If Flagg becomes anything close to a Davis-level type of player, he will see plenty of all-star appearances in his future.

In his lone season in college with Duke, Flagg lived up to all of the hype. He was a dominant force for the Blue Devils and led the team to the Final Four.

He played in 37 games for Duke, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 steals per game. In addition, he shot 48.1% from the floor and knocked down 38.5% of his 3-point attempts.

Those numbers are going to look very good with the Mavericks. He will have a much easier start to his career with Davis and Irving taking pressure off him, which will free him up to develop much quicker and put up bigger numbers.

While Dallas still needs to make the pick, it seems that Flagg now knows his next destination.

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

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