Team USA has been working out in Las Vegas in preparation of the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Still, amongst all the legends preparing to represent the country, it’s not even a pro that’s generating buzz based on the play of Cooper Flagg.
Tim Bontemps joined SportsCenter on Monday evening and ended up talking about Flagg’s apparent outburst in the day’s scrimmage between Team USA and the Select Team. Simply put, the story is true coming out of the gymnasium that Flagg more than held his own against some of the very best in the NBA.
“He was out here in this scrimmage with the Select Team going toe-to-toe with those guys and really dominating the final portions of that scrimmage,” said Bontemps.
What makes it such a wild development is Flagg being by far the youngest player taking part in the camp. He’s fresh out of high school ahead of his first college season at Duke. Even so, he’s currently playing more than well against some who have been dominating the sport since he was a baby.
“This is a pretty remarkable story,” Bontemps said. “You’ve got Cooper Flagg, who’s 17 years old. He doesn’t turn 18 until December. When he was born in 2006, Kevin Durant was in his freshman year at Texas and LeBron James was in his fourth NBA season.”
“He’s the first college player to be part of the Select Team since Doug McDermott and Marcus Smart back in 2013. Those guys were already well into their college careers when they were here playing against Team USA,” added Bontemps. “Cooper Flagg hasn’t even played in a college basketball game yet.”
This has apparently been just as interesting to those in the gym around Team USA as it is for those preparing for the upcoming season in college basketball too.
“I saw PJ Carlesimo afterward,” Bontemps shared. “He was joking with Matt Painter, one of the Select Team coaches, that Painter doesn’t have Duke on the schedule and will not have them on the schedule now after seeing Cooper Flagg in this game.”
“I asked (Jayson) Tatum about the way Cooper Flagg played, going to, as you said, his alma mater in Duke,” continued Bontemps. “He said he looked every bit the part of a guy who fit being out here on the court.”
Flagg is the No. 1 recruit in the country and the top projected pick for next summer for a reason. He has been making a name for himself for some time ahead of what’ll likely be one and only collegiate season in Durham.
That continued today when he impressed decision makers around the league with how he performed against Team USA.
“That’s why the executives on hand here wanted to see him play because he right now is projected by our Jonathan Givony as the number one pick in next year’s NBA Draft,” Bontemps said.
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