Although he has yet to play in a single NBA game, Duke Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg has already begun to earn unique comparisons to NBA legends. With March Madness currently underway, Flagg and the Blue Devils have established themselves as the best team in the country and are expected to win the NCAA tournament.
Every draft has at least one special talent, with a lot of expectations placed on him even before meeting the team. Flagg appears to be that player from the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft. While there is no way to know for certain if his skill set will translate successfully, a well-known former NBA coach seems to be very confident.
George Karl Believes a “Better” Scottie Pippen Is the NBA Comparison for Cooper Flagg
George Karl, also known as Coach K, is a former NBA coach and is incredibly respected by the basketball community. During his time in the league, he coached the Seattle Supersonics, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, and Sacramento Kings.
Although Karl undoubtedly knows the difference between playing at a college level and finding success in the NBA, he recently shared a tweet that Flagg’s current NBA comparison appears to be a “more offensively skilled” Scottie Pippen. These NBA comparisons are quite common, with every draft prospect being compared to a relatively successful player in the league.
However, calling Flagg a “more offensively skilled” version of Pippen turned quite a lot of heads. After all, Pippen joined the Chicago Bulls and helped the franchise win six NBA championships. While Pippen might have been an enthusiastic defender, fans may want to know if there is any truth to this comparison regarding their offensive gap.
As far as the statistics go, Pippen’s stats during his last year in college are better when compared to Flagg. He scored, rebounded, and assisted at a more productive rate and was also more efficient in terms of field-goal shooting percentage.
The only categories in which Flagg has proven to be better than a young Pippen are three-point shooting and free-throw shooting. Although Pippen took on a more defense-focused role during his time in the NBA, he still averaged 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists.
Coach K did not provide much insight into what Flagg can do with this perspective. After all, Pippen dominated the league in the 1990s, and the game has changed drastically within the past few years.
Comparing players from different eras will not help fans understand what Flagg is capable of. Since the modern NBA emphasizes long-distance shooting more, it is no surprise that Flagg is considered a more offensively talented version of Pippen.
Statements like these that are shared with the public should be limited moving forward. All they do is inadvertently create potential tension between new players and current ones. After all, one can only imagine what stars across the league will do to a rookie who has earned a comparison to Michael Jordan.
