Team USA raves about Cooper Flagg: ‘Incredible’

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LAS VEGAS — Cooper Flagg is leaving Las Vegas as rumors swirl during Team USA’s now-completed training camp.

Flagg, 17, a freshman at Duke and an early favorite to win the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, isn’t part of the team heading to Paris and a possible fifth Olympic gold medal. But he’s been the team’s best player and one of the most consistent players on the court in three games over the past three days against the national all-star team.

“Cooper Flagg was unbelievable,” said Jim Boylen, assistant coach of the select team and the Indiana Pacers. “He’s not afraid.”

“He showed no fear,” added Detroit Pistons and draft center Jalen Duren. “He came in and worked hard every day. You’d think he’d be there already, you know what I mean?”

“Coop was playing unreasonably,” added Jaime Jaquez Jr., a player on the selected team who also plays for the Miami Heat.

“He wants it, you see how bad he wants it,” said Devin Booker of the U.S. national team.

It was just a sample.

Flagg’s final tally was not immediately available, but U.S. coaches and officials estimated Flagg scored between 14 and 17 points in a tight 74-73 loss to Team USA on Monday. And in the portion of the scrimmage open to the media, Flagg made a corner 3-pointer and then executed a daring throw over the U.S. defense to give Team USA a 69-68 lead with less than 2 minutes left. Flagg missed the ensuing free throw.

Team USA won thanks to back-to-back three-pointers from Booker and then Jrue Holiday (who was tasked with defending Flagg – a compliment for the Duke freshman as Holiday is one of the best defenders in the NBA). Anthony Davis turned away Brandin Podziemski’s potential game-winning shot at the buzzer.

One of Flagg’s three points came against Davis, which Jaquez said was retribution for a block Davis recorded on Flagg during Sunday’s scrimmage.

“He got blocked yesterday, and today he came back and hit him in the face,” Jaquez said. “Right after that, he made the and-1 putback, so those couple plays, and he got a steal in there. He was unbelievable today.”

Flagg, a 6-foot-10 forward, is the first college player to attend a Team USA training camp since Marcus Smart and Doug McDermott in 2013. He’s not the first player on a select team to disrupt a U.S. training camp by shining as brightly as the star-studded team. Last year, Cade Cunningham, for example, drew similar criticism.

But Cunningham had already been in the NBA for two seasons, and part of the reason his time on the draft team drew so much praise was that he was coming back from a knee injury that cost him most of his second year in Detroit.

Flagg is not yet old enough to vote, but his competitive spirit betrays his youth.

“I think he’s got a competitive spirit, he’s not afraid of anybody and he’s going to attack you,” said Trayce Jackson-Davis, the Golden State Warriors’ 24-year-old big man who just finished his rookie season. “That’s what you need as a player. And when you’re already like that, at 17 years old, you can’t help it.”

The selected team was disbanded after Monday’s practice, as the national team will take a tryout Tuesday and play Canada in an exhibition game Wednesday night in Las Vegas before flying to Abu Dhabi. Duke coach Jon Scheyer and two of his assistants were in Las Vegas to watch Flagg, as were Flagg’s parents.

Flagg was a member of the U.S. Under-17 team that won gold at the 2022 World Cup, and last season he was both the Gatorade and Naismith Boys National Player of the Year in high school at Montverde Academy in Florida.

These are all noble distinctions, but they don’t quite match the distinction of standing up to NBA champions, Olympic gold medalists and all-time leading scorers.

“Once the ball is rolling, I’m just trying to win at all times,” Flagg said, explaining why he’s unfazed by his surroundings in Las Vegas despite his age. “I’m just a competitor, and that’s what it comes down to. It’s a little bit of an adjustment, being on the court with them, but at the same time, I’m just playing basketball and trying to learn.”

In numerous interviews, the American staff and some of the team’s players have praised Flagg’s qualities and size, but also his mental abilities.

“He has that confidence in himself that he’s not afraid of moments, and I think that’s really important for young guys, especially someone his age,” said the team’s coach, Jamahl Mosley, who also coaches the Orlando Magic.

Langston Galloway, a former NBA player and longtime USA Basketball player who serves as a practice player for the national team, became an instant fan of Flagg’s game.

“I’m not even impressed by the score and all that. I’m more impressed by his composure,” Galloway said. “He’s not trying to force things and say, ‘It’s my turn now. Let me try to shoot.’ He’s trying to make plays. You can see he obviously understands the game. He gets in the paint, everybody’s collapsing, making the right reads. So that’s the most impressive part of it, that a 17-year-old is able to understand the game.”

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Boylen, a former NBA head coach and former coach of the U.S. teams that qualified the country for the 2023 World Cup, said Flagg would be a great player on the international stage. After this summer, the men’s national team won’t be in action again until the 2027 World Cup in Qatar and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

By the next Olympics, Flagg will likely have three years of NBA service under his belt.

“He’s versatile, he’s got the size for his position, he’s a smart player and he enjoys contact,” Boylen said.

Flagg confirmed he is interested in playing at the World Cup in three years if his game continues to develop.

“It’s something I’m looking to do, to be the best I can be and if I can do that and make the World Cup team in two years, that’s another goal on my list,” Flagg said. “I’m just working and trying to get better every day.”

Galloway came away from the Flagg experience understanding why experts say Flagg will be the first overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft.

“I think today was a starting point to show where he’s going to be next year,” Galloway said. “This year, he’s obviously going to be at Duke. But next year, you’ll see where he’s going to be.”

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(Photo of LeBron James and Cooper Flagg: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)





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