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Knicks Legend Carmelo Anthony Offers Honest Thoughts on Cooper Flagg

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By JH Kubicek | Last updated Apr 8, 2025 3:06 PM ET

Before he was the face of the New York Knicks or the franchise player for the Denver Nuggets, Carmelo Anthony had one of the best single seasons in NCAA history.

In his lone season with the Syracuse Orange, Anthony won an NCAA Title, won the March Madness Player of the Year, was an All-American, and averaged 22.2 points and ten rebounds.

Basically, he knows NCAA excellence when he sees it, and Duke standout Cooper Flagg is expected to take the league by storm after his Final Four exit.

On ESPN, Anthony broke down his honest thoughts about Flagg.

“I think Cooper is very special," praised the soon-to-be Hall of Famer. "I think he's, you know, he's a talent. He's a skilled player that we haven't seen in a long time at that age."

Flagg's greatest attribute is arguably his mindset, and Anthony doesn't think that can be overlooked.

"I think for him to be able to have that mindset, that approach to the game of basketball, also him being around other great players in college as a freshman, it allows him to go out there and play his game," Antony continued. "But he's really, really good. I think he's really, really talented. He's really, really skilled. He affects the game in so many different ways, other than just scoring the basketball. So I think that part of the game is something that I really love watching him and admire him from afar, as far as how he impacts the game doing all the little stuff.”

Neither the Knicks nor Nuggets will have a chance to draft Flagg, as he is easily the consensus top pick in the 2025 draft.

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

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