Cooper Flagg evolved into a dominant primary offensive engine for Duke throughout his freshman season. That projection changes his outlook as a prospect, rendering him a possibly special player. I broke down his excellent offense on my YouTube channel, focusing on the aspects that define his profile.
Flagg’s impressive counting stats, averaging 18.9 points and 4.1 assists this season, can’t capture his offensive prowess. Let’s discuss three reasons Cooper Flagg projects as a lead offensive option if he can reach his ultimate ceiling that we discussed in the video.
Flagg is a versatile, efficient shooter
Flagg quickly put any concerns around his 3-point shot to bed throughout conference play. Despite a poor shooting start to the season, he’s knocked down 36.8% of his triples this season on a solid 7.2 attempts per 100 possessions.
Even beyond his raw percentages, Flagg’s shooting indicators project even more growth. He’s an excellent free-throw shooter (83%) and he’s already a prolific shooter off of the dribble from mid-range. Flagg’s pull-up and off-movement shooting help boost his ceiling on the ball and help him scale down as well.
He passes like a primary playmaker
Regardless of height and position, Flagg grades as one of the better playmakers in the class. Duke asked him to run their offense, carrying by far the highest usage rate (30.3%) on the team. He dished out dimes to the tune of a 26.3% assist rate with a stellar 1,9 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Flagg has excellent vision, capable of making every read in the pick and roll. He’s an especially strong interior passer, using manipulation and trickery to open up passing windows. His playmaking excellence is another strong indicator of future star offensive upside.
Flagg’s handle keeps improving
Early in the season, Flagg made a few notable blunders with the ball late in games, Jon Scheyer trusted the then-17-year-old Flagg as his late game initiator, who couldn’t avoid the turnover bug in clutch moments.
Those moments helped Flagg learn on the job, and he’s made significant progress as a handler. He’s comfortable stringing together crossover and behind the back moves to shoot, drive and pass. Continuing to develop his handle will help Flagg reach a true superstar ceiling.
