Duke’s Cooper Flagg compared to Celtics superstar by NBA executive

Duke Blue Devils freshman Cooper Flagg will be the No. 1 overall pick in June’s NBA draft, but what can fans expect from Flagg once he enters the Association?

Evaluating draft prospects by comparing them to past or present NBA players has become the most convenient way to predict performance. Flagg has been compared to a lot of guys including former Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko, Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen, and current Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum.

Tatum, like Flagg, played one year at Duke before turning pro.

On Thursday, ESPN’s Jeremy Woo released a piece on Flagg citing a Western Conference executive likening Flagg to Tatum.

"Both of them at Duke presented really positively as guys that were going to have a couple of off-ramps to be super successful,” the anonymous executive said, per Woo.

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“We're seeing that with Flagg recently, he's had poor shooting nights like against [Alabama in the Elite Eight], and still was super impactful [toward] winning. ... People questioned both of their shots, which turned out to be a silly concern, probably. They both have really good feel offensively in a way that's just uncommon for their size and usage.”

Tatum averaged 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game for Duke as a freshman (29 games). His 2016-17 Blue Devils were bounced from the second round of the NCAA tournament by South Carolina.

Flagg’s numbers have been better this year (18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists), and his team is more talented than Tatum’s was. Flagg and Co. will face Houston on Saturday night in San Antonio for a chance to reach the national title game.

Flagg is nine months younger than Tatum was as a freshman at Duke, and he’s further along as a player.

That being said, it’s easy to argue that Tatum has exceeded expectations in the NBA. People knew he had All-Star potential, put to have transformed into a perennial MVP-type player and NBA champion by his mid-twenties? JT has already put together a ridiculous career.

If Flagg can do anything similar to that, he’d be more than worthy of a No. 1 overall selection. Then again, so much depends upon which team drafts him. Tatum was fortunate to get drafted by one of the league’s most winning organizations, and Flagg might not be as lucky.

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