“And with Cooper (Flagg), I don’t know if we’ve ever had a 17-year-old with this much hype and attention,” the Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reflected on his mentee’s popularity. After scoring the team’s highest 22 points in a recent exhibition game against Lincoln, Flagg will take the court in the last preseason matchup of the season against Arizona State on Sunday. Following the hype and his exceptional performance, many have compared him to NBA greats such as LeBron James for a similar career trajectory. However, amid all the expectations and pressures, an analyst opines that the 17-year-old is nowhere near the NBA legend.

On Thursday’s episode of The Field Of 68: After Dark, Randolph Childress discussed Flagg’s future in the NCAA, while suggesting that he is nowhere near James, or his peers.

“You’re hearing people say, ‘Oh, he’s a generational talent.’ He’s not a generational talent. He’s hella good. He’s hella talented. There’s no doubt about that. But when I say, he’s not a Victor Wembanyama, he doesn’t belong in that LeBron. He doesn’t belong in those guys’ category, saying that he’s a generational talent, but he’s a hell of a player,” Childress stated.

According to many, Flagg is more of a defensive player than an offensive machine. Though he knows how to shoot, pass, and dribble, still offense doesn’t come as naturally to him. In 2024, when he was named the Naismith Prep Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball USA, he had finished the season with an above-average 16.4 points per game.

He does a little bit of everything well. And he’ll have a hell of a year, and he’ll stuff the stat sheet with everything. Couple of blocks, steals… He’ll probably be their leading rebounder, he’ll average anywhere from 13 to 15 points a game,” he added while appreciating the freshman’s abilities.

Flagg was the highest-rated recruit in the Class of 2024. He was given 5 stars by multiple media houses, having received his first NCAA D1 scholarship when he was just in eighth grade from the Bryant Bulldogs. Though initially he was set to commit to the class of 2025, after proving his mettle multiple times he reclassified to the 2024 class. Even numerous NBA mock drafts rank him as the number-one pick for the 2025 draft. Hence, Flagg’s popularity and stature as a baller are growing day by day. However, he might not be as complete as he looks to be if Childress is to be believed.

Therefore, his critics opine that once he starts plying his trade in the NCAA, his scoring average might decrease more, which can take away the tag of being in the same league as The Chosen One. However, no one can strip him of the achievement when he dumbfounded James.

Cooper Flagg earns accolades from experienced NBA stars

In July this year, ahead of the Olympics, Team USA scrimmaged against the men’s national team called the Select Team which had Flagg battling against greats like James, Anthony Davis, and Steph Curry. While Team USA won the matchup, Flagg did not give up easily, taking the game into overtime. He scored a three against Davis and also schooled James by scoring against him. Therefore, when the game ended, the Team USA stars were all praises for the Maine-born.

“He looks like a hell of a player… Somebody who is only going to get better with more experience,” Kevin Durant stated. Meanwhile, Select Team forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Heat expressed ‘To be able to do what he did, not even playing a college game, let alone an NBA game, there’s no fear… It’s relentless… And the thing that you can tell about him is that he just has a knack and the will to win.”

In fact, while lauding the future of USMBNT and the talented incoming stars, even Bron could not help praise the Duke recruit, “Cooper Flagg, who’s going to be a big-time player here for Team USA down the road. So yeah, absolutely. There’s a lot of great young talent that’s going to want to strive to be an Olympian.”

On the other hand, Flagg revealed being nervous about playing against his idol James Sr. Hopefully, when the Blue Devils play their last exhibition game on Tuesday, he will be able to show his mettle and silence his critics, who feel he is not meant to be a great.