The NBA comparisons that make Cooper Flagg even scarier

Flagg has been compared to a number of elite NBA players in recent memory. Jeremy Woo of ESPN gathered the opinions of multiple executives, comparing Flagg to NBA champions, Finals MVPs, Defensive Players of the Year, and more.

"Ceiling Comparison" - Kawhi Leonard

"[Flagg]'s really good defensively and can be a game changer on that end pretty much immediately with his size, effort and IQ. He's always been a very good defender and the offense is coming along. It's a very similar path to the one Kawhi was on early in his NBA career, as a guy who had all these really useful qualities, and then entered as a real two-way force as he rounded out his game." --a Western Conference scout

"Floor Comparison" - Lamar Odom

"Just the ease and comfort level handling the ball on the perimeter -- we talk about [whether] guys are inside players who develop outside or perimeter players who take their game down low. Flagg has had such comfort on the perimeter. Odom filled out and was a late growth spurt guy with ball skills. You love a guy who at 6-10 can play with the facility of being a 6-3 guard." --Western Conference executive No. 1

"In His Prime Comparison" - Jayson Tatum

"Both of them at Duke presented really positively as guys that were going to have a couple of off-ramps to be super successful. We're seeing that with Flagg recently, he's had poor shooting nights like against [Alabama in the Elite Eight], and still was super impactful [toward] winning. ... People questioned both of their shots, which turned out to be a silly concern, probably. They both have really good feel offensively in a way that's just uncommon for their size and usage. --a second Western Conference executive

"A Second-Star Comparison" - Scottie Pippen

"I say Scottie because he could have been a No. 1 guy, and was after MJ left [Chicago], but he became by far the best No. 2. I think Cooper will be a hell of a No. 2, but he might need a top 10 [player] running mate with him. He can obviously prove me wrong, but I don't see him as a No. 1 guy on a championship team in his career." --a Eastern Conference general manager

"A Left-Field Comparison" - Andrei Kirilenko

"Kirilenko led the NBA in blocks! I don't see Flagg doing that. [Kirilenko] had the energy to expend more on the defensive end because he was a role player offensively. Kirilenko doing three blocks a game [at his peak] as a non-center is incredible, in an era where there weren't as many possessions. ... But you project Flagg to be much more meaningful on the offensive end."-- Western Conference executive No. 1