LAS VEGAS — All Cooper Flagg had to do was prove his place on the court with the NBA’s best. He accomplished that feat on the first day of scrimmages between the U.S. men’s Olympic team and the select team.
But by day two, Flagg was making an impact during scrimmages and showing why next season could be a blockbuster among the league’s lower-tier franchises in the race for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
In a sequence that media were able to see during the final 10 minutes of the game, Flagg, who is 6-foot-8 and weighs just over 200 pounds, stole the show as the Select Team came back against the NBA stars.
First, he calmly drilled a three-pointer from the wing over the outstretched arms of Lakers star Anthony Davis. Then, as Davis broke away, Flagg broke off the long pass and continued his pace toward the end of the court.
After a missed shot, he lunged at the rim and fouled Miami’s Bam Adebayo. Not that official stats are kept, but it was a preview of what Duke will get later in the fall and what the NBA will look forward to as the stands were packed with coaches and front office personnel.
They were excited, not because of the result, as the Olympic team pulled out a one-point win after Davis blocked Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski’s shot in the final seconds. But those who watched the entire game were whispering about Flagg.
Olympic coach Steve Kerr can’t speak specifically about Flagg due to draft rules, but he spoke highly of the performance of the drafted team overall. There was some slight concern about Flagg’s arrival and perhaps not being able to live up to the physical demands of the game, but he answered that question flatly.
“I’m confident in my ability and my skill,” Flagg said afterward. “So yeah, at the end of the day I’m confident in who I am and what I can do.”
Flagg won’t turn 18 until late December, so he wasn’t expected to dominate the day, and no one would argue he was the best player on the court — after all, it’s no exaggeration to say all 12 members of the Olympic team will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
But there is some hope in him, and he probably knows it. Entering the year with Duke pedigree will be one thing, but along with that will be the belief that he could be the next American-born star in a lane increasingly populated by foreign players.
As far as the first two days of camp went, however, he just played ball and did a good job.
“It’s a feeling of pressure, I wouldn’t say pressure, it’s a bit of a surreal feeling to be able to share the court. I’m fortunate to have this opportunity and to be here,” Flagg said. “So just knowing that I could go out there and compete, I wasn’t worried about it. I didn’t put pressure on myself, just because I’m here for a reason. I’m confident, I was just playing.”
The select team appeared to be worthy preparation for the Olympic team, which will play an exhibition game against Canada on Wednesday night in Las Vegas. It’s almost a crash course for the U.S. team — a talented team, to be sure, but the countries they’re competing against have been training and playing together for some time. Flagg doesn’t seem to think that will matter for the U.S. team, though.
“They can be whatever team they want to be. They have no weaknesses and no holes,” Flagg said. “They can play any way they want and dominate. They will be a dominant team that will impose their will on everyone.”
But for now, or at least for a few moments, Flagg has positioned himself among the sport’s elite. He can take that position to Duke and beyond, presumably even putting himself on the Olympic shortlist for the Americans.
The Select Team is typically filled with young players on rookie contracts rather than the next level of NBA stars, but many players have gone from the Select Team to the Olympic team in a four-year cycle.
“It gives me confidence to keep improving and showing what I can do,” Flagg said. “Just seeing success and striving for what I know. I know I can do it, it gives me confidence.”