USA Basketball mainstay Kevin Durant wasn’t on the court to face Cooper Flagg and the select team, but the future Hall of Famer could still see the talent level and maturity the 17-year-old showed going up against the best the U.S. has to offer.
Flagg, the consensus top recruit in the class of 2024 who will play at Duke, was the lone collegiate player invited to training camp in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is the first collegian to participate with the select team since Doug McDermott and Marcus Smart in 2013.
He was among the players who competed against the senior roster ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games, which also featured LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis, among others. He earned high praise from several players, including Durant, who is limited by a sore calf.
“From watching him on the sideline, he looked like a hell of a player,” Durant said, via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. “He is somebody that is only going to get better with more experience. He is 17 years old, coming in here playing like he is a vet, almost. No emotion. Just out there doing his job. That is a good sign.”
I asked Kevin Durant for his impressions of potential No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg. He replied, “He looked like a hell of a player. He’s somebody that’s only going to get better with more experience. He’s 17 years old coming in here playing like he’s a vet almost. No emotion.” pic.twitter.com/Q1FOn0aT55
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 9, 2024
Flagg, who will turn 18 in December, dazzled in a portion of the scrimmage open to the media. From splashing 3-pointers in front of Davis, to drawing defenders such as Jrue Holiday, Flagg put on a show against a roster gearing up to compete for its fifth straight gold medal.
The 6-foot-9 forward was the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year while playing for Nokomis Regional High School before arriving at the Montverde Academy in Florida. He chose Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils over established programs like UConn and Kansas.
Flagg is the overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, ahead of Ace Bailey, VJ Edgecombe, Dylan Harper, Tre Johnson and Dink Pate, among others.
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