LAS VEGAS — A 3-pointer over Anthony Davis, swish. A baseline turnaround over Jrue Vacation, simple. An acrobatic putback after crashing the boards and getting fouled by Bam Adebayo, no drawback.
These are three of the most effective defenders within the NBA.
Cooper Flagg is 17 years outdated. He held his personal in opposition to all of them.
The story of apply for the U.S. Olympic males’s basketball workforce on Monday was Flagg, who hasn’t even performed his first school sport but. The Duke freshman — a part of the choose workforce that was invited to work out in opposition to the Olympic squad throughout its coaching camp and projected by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo to be the No. 1 decide within the 2025 NBA draft — regarded completely comfortable going in opposition to a number of the league’s greatest names.
“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 so much to get higher at, so much the place I must preserve enhancing. This confirmed simply how large the main points are.”
He will certainly get higher. That is likely to be a scary idea.
“He kicked butt right here,” mentioned U.S. choose workforce 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 inside the sport, they shortly see what he can do.”
The choose workforce is often made up of younger NBA gamers, introduced in to scrimmage the nationwide workforce 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 workforce since Doug McDermott and Marcus Sensible have been invited to hitch a minicamp in 2013.
However these conditions weren’t wherever 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 gained Huge 12 rookie of the 12 months and convention participant of the 12 months 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 workforce guard Devin Booker mentioned. “I do know this expertise he will take with him and transfer ahead.”
In Monday’s scrimmage — throughout which the Olympic workforce beat the choose workforce 74-73 — Flagg was in the course of every part down the stretch and regarded completely snug. And when it was over, there have been loads of photos with everybody; the choose workforce’s last day in camp was Monday, although some members is likely to be invited to stay round to proceed aiding the Olympic squad.
“To have the ability to do what he did, not even enjoying a university sport, not to mention an NBA sport, there is no worry,” mentioned choose workforce ahead Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Warmth. “It is relentless. And the factor that you could inform about him is that he simply has a knack and the desire to win. He does not want the ball. He simply finds a technique to it. And the ball finds its technique to him. That is one thing that you could’t educate. He is simply bought an ideal 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 document 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 12 months in 2022 after main the Individuals to gold on the U17 World Cup. And in his last highschool season, Flagg was named the Gatorade participant of the 12 months, the Naismith participant of the 12 months and a McDonald’s All American.
“I used to be shocked, I used to be shocked and I used to be actually excited for this chance,” Flagg mentioned of suiting up with the choose workforce. “And I am simply actually blessed that I used to be in a position to 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 largest factor for me — simply with the ability to study and develop, to share a fitness center 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.