Rookie phenom Cooper Flagg’s entry into the NBA followed big hopes and tons of scrutiny. The NBA world expected fireworks from the top pick right from his debut, and the Duke phenom delivered. His 21.2-point-per-night production swiftly put him in the ROY conversation.
Flagg has a bright career ahead, but can he outshine the league’s top talent, such as Victor Wembanyama? Former NBA guard Gilbert Arenas shared his thoughts on the matter, acknowledging Flagg’s skills but making it clear he can’t match Wembanyama’s ceiling.
Gilbert Arenas Details Why Cooper Flagg Can’t Match Victor Wembanyama
Since the departure of Anthony Davis, Cooper Flagg has been single-handedly running the offense for the Dallas Mavericks, and he is doing it with poise. The 19-year-old recently erupted for 51 points against the Orlando Magic, becoming the first teenager in league history to reach the 50-point mark in a game.
He followed the hot streak with a 45-point outing against the Los Angeles Lakers. Flagg’s extraordinary feats earned him league-wide praise from both players and analysts. His elite production puts Flagg in rarefied territory reserved for the likes of Wembanyama or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
But not everyone is convinced that Flagg could ever match Wembanyama’s ceiling. Former All-Star Gilbert Arenas put it plainly that the rookie, despite having top-notch basketball skills, won’t outshine the French phenom:
“There is nothing Cooper Flagg can do on that stat sheet that Wemby isn’t going to have covered. If Cooper is averaging 30 at one point, Wemby’s going to be averaging 30. Wemby will kill him in rebounds. Wemby will kill him in blocks. Theres really not much of the stat books that Cooper Flagg can get over a player like Wemby… so that’s unfair of a comparison.”
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Arenas’ reasoning is that Wembanyama is simply on another level, both on offense and defense. He’s already putting up bigger numbers and doing it on both ends.
We’re talking about a guy who boasts around 23.3 points per game, a massive 11.0 RPG, 3.5 APG, and 3.5 BPG for his career so far. And those 3+ blocks every night are generational stuff that puts Wembanyama farther ahead as a defensive leader than anyone in the league.
Now, Flagg has been unreal for a rookie, not taking that away. He’s already in that 21+ PPG range and looks like a future All-Star, maybe even an MVP-type player. But the gap shows up in efficiency, rebounding, and that defensive impact.
A big reason is just how Wembanyama is built. At 7-foot-4 and around 235 pounds with that crazy wingspan, he’s basically a cheat code.
That kind of build gives him a natural edge, especially on defense and on the boards, that very few players can replicate. Flagg, at 6-foot-9 and around 205 pounds, is long and athletic, but he is not the same kind of presence as Wembanyama.
If you compare rookie years, Flagg’s raw scoring is right up there, even comparable to Wembanyama’s 21.4 points. But the Frenchman was miles ahead defensively from day one. He walked into a bad San Antonio Spurs team and instantly changed its fortunes, steering them to the No. 2 seed in the West this year.
Defense is where the real separation between Wembanyama and Flagg lies. Wembanyama is giving you 3.1 to 3.8 blocks per game and completely shutting down the paint.
Besides contesting, he’s erasing shots, as well. Flagg is a very good defender who can switch, get steals, and apply pressure, but he’s not anchoring a defense like Wembanyama.
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The Spurs star has a player efficiency rating of 29.5 this season, while Flagg sits at 17.9. Flagg’s game is more about creation, as he handles the ball more, gets you assists, attacks downhill, and plays in transition. That’s where he probably has the edge right now.
So, Flagg might give you better playmaking and more on-ball creation. But Wembanyama gives you elite scoring and elite defense at the same time, and that’s the real difference.
At the end of the day, like Arenas is saying, it’s not even about who’s better today, but the overall impact.
And right now, Wembanyama is a defensive anchor who scores efficiently, while Flagg is more of an offensive creator who defends well. Both are special, but Wembanyama just operates on a different scale.
