Why Cooper Flagg’s worst-case comparison is Lamar Odom

The 2025 NBA Draft isn’t too far away, and the player that everyone is eager to see get drafted is Duke basketball star Cooper Flagg. Flagg is one of the best prospects of all time, and assuming he declares for the draft, he is more than likely going to be the first player selected. A big part of the time leading up to the draft is hearing player comparisons. Flagg has been getting a lot of those lately, and ESPN’s Jeremy Woo thinks that Flagg’s floor comparison is Lamar Odom.

Jeremy Woo discussed a lot of player comparisons regarding Cooper Flagg in a recent article. He spoke to numerous NBA executives, and the ceiling comparison was Kawhi Leonard. On the flip side, the worst-case comparison was 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,” an NBA exec said. “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.”

Being compared to a two-time NBA champion is not a bad thing, to be clear. Odom had an outstanding career, and there are similarities between him and Flagg.

“Using Odom, a two-time NBA champion and NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner, as a low-end comparison captures the intrinsic value of Flagg’s versatility,” Jeremy Woo said. “If Flagg plateaued as a scorer, his ability to function as a point forward, make plays for teammates and engender flexibility in the lineups played around him would still be additive.”

Flagg does have higher expectations than this, and this being his floor comparison says a lot about what he is capable of.

“Odom often functioned as an oversized ball handler in the NBA and effectively played point guard at Rhode Island in 1998-99,” Woo continued. “His career took off after leaving the Clippers for the Heat, then being traded to the Lakers as part of the 2004 Shaquille O’Neal deal. With the Lakers, Odom’s ability to play all over the floor on offense and cover multiple positions defensively made him an essential part of the 2009 and 2010 title teams. While expectations for Flagg are higher than they were for Odom, the thought of him as a point forward who also changes the game defensively points to his exceptional ceiling.”

Cooper Flagg is going to be a star at the next level, but he isn’t done with the Duke basketball team yet. The Blue Devils are in the Final Four, and Flagg is two wins away from capturing a national championship. Next up for the Blue Devils is one-seed Houston on Saturday night.