In recent days, Cooper Flagg has become a huge star in the NBA world. Before the Olympics, the high school player represented the Select Team and dazzled the crowd with an impressive performance against Team USA. Not only that, but even the players he faced off against have been raving about him. Jayson Tatum has even said he thinks the 17-year-old has what it takes to be among the greatest in the game.
In an interview with Carmelo Anthony on 7 PM in Brooklyn, Tatum acknowledged that Flagg was already on par with the players he played against on Team USA.
Jayson Tatum hypes up Cooper Flagg
Although the high school player wasn’t nearly as talented as them yet, he claimed that it was just a matter of time until he caught up to the best players in the NBA.
“It [Cooper Flagg’s performance vs Team USA] just reminds you of like, ‘Aight, he’s on the path to be the guys he playing against. Majority of us was a version of him when we were 17,18 playing against pros. I mean, he’s a hell of a player… It’s clear as daylight, we going to be playing against him in a few years, and he’s on the right path to be, you know, the guys that he probably look up to.”
Jayson Tatum is right to be optimistic about Flagg’s future. At six feet nine, Flagg appears to be one of those athletes who can do it all. And when the time comes for him to join the NBA, he might appear more dangerous since he is probably going to grow a little bit more over the next two years in addition to being more accustomed to his body.
There’s still time for that, of course. Flagg is currently scheduled to attend Duke, Tatum’s alma mater. At this point, everything appears to be working in Flagg’s favor because the program is renowned for its expertise in talent appraisal and development. All he has to do now is take advantage of his opportunities.
