Duke Blue Devils basketball great Cooper Flagg gets questionable comparison from Mark Cuban
There will be plenty of media attention about Duke Blue Devils basketball great Cooper Flagg’s puzzling Summer League debut, where he shot a woeful 24% from the floor, but the 18-year-old is ramping up to be a pivotal part of the Dallas Mavericks’ rotation right out of the gate.
The rookie showed some flashes of being a point forward, which could help add a crucial new wrinkle to Jason Kidd’s attack.
It’s still unclear how exactly Flagg’s game will immediately translate to an NBA court, but with his skillset and a solid roster around him, it’s easy to be optimistic.
One prominent former member of the organization is even projecting a similar path to an NBA legend.
While sitting courtside watching Flagg’s first minutes in Las Vegas, ex-Mavs owner Mark Cuban envisioned that the Duke product would have a comparable development track to a young Kobe Bryant.
Although the comparison makes sense on the surface, it’d be stunning if it came to fruition.
Flagg is far less of a raw prospect than Kobe coming out of Lower Merion, indicated by the fact that the “Black Mamba” only started six games his first year in the league.
Flagg will likely have a hefty workload alongside Anthony Davis, trying to remain competitive in a loaded Western Conference until Kyrie Irving returns to action, and be a Rookie of the Year frontrunner. If Flagg doesn’t have a prominent role early, something likely went wrong.
Cuban did an impressive job trying to stay in the Dallas headlines, but this take is lazy.
And for that reason, I’m out.
