LAS VEGAS — A 3-pointer over Anthony Davis, swish. A baseline turnaround over Jrue Vacation, straightforward. An acrobatic putback after crashing the boards and getting fouled by Bam Adebayo, no downside.
These are three of the most effective defenders within the NBA.
Cooper Flagg is 17 years outdated. He held his personal towards all of them.
The story of apply for the U.S. Olympic males’s basketball group on Monday was Flagg, who hasn’t even performed his first school recreation but. The Duke freshman — a part of the choose group that was invited to work out towards the Olympic squad throughout its coaching camp and projected by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo to be the No. 1 choose within the 2025 NBA draft — appeared completely comfy going towards a few of the league’s greatest names.
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“The chance, it was nice,” Flagg mentioned. “It was a blessing to be right here. I believe simply the physicality, and simply the extent of the place I need to get to, there’s loads to get higher at, loads the place I must preserve enhancing. This confirmed simply how large the small print are.”
He will certainly get higher. That is likely to be a scary idea.
“He kicked butt right here,” mentioned U.S. choose group coach Jamahl Mosley of the Orlando Magic. “There is a respect issue for what he is carried out. Individuals who haven’t seen him play, as he will get himself going throughout the recreation, they rapidly see what he can do.”
The choose group is usually made up of younger NBA gamers, introduced in to scrimmage the nationwide group and assist it put together for both World Cup or Olympic competitors. Flagg was the primary school participant requested to be a part of the choose group since Doug McDermott and Marcus Sensible have been invited to affix a minicamp in 2013.
However these conditions weren’t anyplace close to the identical as Flagg being a part of this camp. McDermott had performed 110 school video games for Creighton at that time and was a two-time consensus All-American. Sensible was coming off a freshman season throughout which he received Massive 12 rookie of the yr and convention participant of the yr honors at Oklahoma State. They have been already confirmed rivals.
Flagg has zero school factors. He nonetheless proved a lot on this camp.
“He desires it,” nationwide group guard Devin Booker mentioned. “I do know this expertise he’ll take with him and transfer ahead.”
In Monday’s scrimmage — throughout which the Olympic group beat the choose group 74-73 — Flagg was in the course of all the things down the stretch and appeared completely comfy. And when it was over, there have been loads of photos with everybody; the choose group’s remaining day in camp was Monday, although some members is likely to be invited to stay round to proceed helping the Olympic squad.
“To have the ability to do what he did, not even enjoying a school recreation, not to mention an NBA recreation, there is not any concern,” mentioned choose group ahead Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Warmth. “It is relentless. And the factor you can inform about him is that he simply has a knack and the need to win. He would not want the ball. He simply finds a strategy to it. And the ball finds its strategy to him. That is one thing you can’t educate. He is simply acquired an awesome really feel for the sport.”
Flagg is a 6-foot-9 ahead from Newport, Maine, who led Montverde Academy in Florida to a 30-0 file and a nationwide title along with participating within the Nike Hoop Summit and different highschool all-star video games. He selected Duke over UConn. He was USA Basketball’s male athlete of the yr in 2022 after main the People to gold on the U17 World Cup. And in his remaining highschool season, Flagg was named the Gatorade participant of the yr, the Naismith participant of the yr and a McDonald’s All American.
“I used to be shocked, I used to be stunned and I used to be actually excited for this chance,” Flagg mentioned of suiting up with the choose group. “And I am simply actually blessed that I used to be capable of come out and capitalize on it and present what I’ve. I used to be actually grateful to return out and study. That was the most important factor for me — simply having the ability to study and develop, to share a health club with all of those nice, nice names. Legends. So, I am simply really blessed.”
Data from ESPN’s Tim Bontemps was used on this report.
