The star-studded Group USA held an exhibition forward of the Paris Olympics on Monday when it performed a recreation towards the US choose staff.
When the scrimmage wrapped, there was little discuss LeBron James, Anthony Edwards or anybody else headed to France later this month. The lion’s share of the eye was on a star within the making.
Cooper Flagg, who has but to even play a school recreation in his younger basketball profession, greater than held his personal towards the world’s finest. In reality, one NBA head coach available for the session mentioned the 17-year-old “kicked butt” in Las Vegas.
This wasn’t the primary time Flagg commanded nationwide consideration. All eyes have been on the Maine native final fall when he revealed his plan to play for the Duke Blue Devils this season. However as NESN’s Travis Thomas defined on the most recent episode of “Maintain My Banner,” the displaying towards Group USA separated Flagg from the remainder of the up-and-comers.
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“We’ve seen this over time in sports activities — when you’ve gotten a “youngster prodigy,” Thomas mentioned. “Cooper Flagg has all of these psychological traits you’ll want to verify these containers. It might be regular for a 17-year-old along with his items bodily to return in and perhaps mentally be slightly bit nervous. Nobody would knock him for that. Be slightly intimidated by the second. ‘Oh, man. I’m going 1-on-1 with Devin Booker. I’m going 1-on-1 with Anthony Davis.’ Guys that he grew up idolizing, now he’s going towards.
“So if he struggled in any respect, or stories got here out like, ‘Mentally, you recognize, he wants extra time,’ we wouldn’t bat an eye fixed. We’d say, ‘Yeah, that Cooper Flagg goes to be nice sooner or later. Good for him getting that have.’ He’s not simply getting the expertise, people. He’s going at these gamers. All of them are saying the identical factor. ‘This man is an murderer. He was coming at me.’ That’s the distinction. That’s the distinction between being a prodigy and a reasonably good younger prospect. Cooper Flagg is a prodigy.”
Flagg’s efficiency towards American Olympians — and his physique of labor in Durham this fall — very properly might affect how a handful of NBA groups method the upcoming season. We might see blatant “tank” conditions throughout the league within the 2024-25 marketing campaign, just like the affect Victor Wembanyama had on the NBA two seasons in the past.
You’ll be able to take heed to the complete episode of “Maintain My Banner” by clicking the hyperlink right here.
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