Ex-Celtic Tony Allen doesn’t believe in the Cooper Flagg hype: ‘I’m seeing Andrei Kirilenko’
"I don't think Cooper Flagg is going to turn your franchise around like that."
Any college basketball prospect, even one as talented as Maine native and presumptive No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, is bound to have their share of skeptics.
Count former Celtics defensive stopper Tony Allen among those who is not buying the hype around Flagg.
The Duke star could be a “nice” piece for an NBA team, Allen said during a recent podcast appearance on Grind City Media, but he isn’t sold on Flagg’s potential as an NBA superstar.
“I don’t think Cooper Flagg is going to turn your franchise around like that, and I’m serious,” Allen said.
The Dallas Mavericks, who received intense blowback after trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers, are reportedly set on taking Flagg with the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft.
Things went off the rails quickly for Dallas in the aftermath of the Doncic trade. They went from playing the Celtics in the NBA Finals to finishing 10th in the Western Conference in one year.
Adding the reigning national College Player of the Year could give the franchise a boost. He averaged 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds during his freshman season after reclassifying to finish high school a year early.
He led Duke to a Final Four appearance during his only season in college, and he reportedly had an impressive showing during a scrimmage against Team USA last summer during which he scored on premier defenders such as Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday.
But, Allen said he isn’t seeing anything in his skill set that would place him amongst the elite in the NBA.
“I ain’t seeing [Kevin Durant]. I’m just not seeing all that,” Allen said. “I’m seeing Andrei Kirilenko, bro.”
Kirilenko, whom Allen compared Flagg to, made an All-Star team in 2004 and was a first-team All-Defensive selection in 2006. He played more than a decade in the NBA, mostly with the Utah Jazz. He was a late first-round pick who wound up averaging 11.8 points per game in his career.
Kirilenko had a lengthy and successful career both in the NBA, and overseas, but the expectations surrounding a potential No. 1 overall pick are different.
“He’s going to be a one-time All-Star,” Allen said. “I don’t see it. I’m just not hyped on these Duke kids. Look at the couple that came out, besides Jayson Tatum.”
Allen has experience guarding some of the top players in the NBA. He was a three-time All-Defensive first-team selection, and a three-time All-Defensive second team selection. His No. 9 jersey was recently retired by the Grizzlies.
He holds the opinion that Flagg’s “max-out potential” is a player of Kirilenko’s caliber and he predicted that Flagg will not win Rookie of the Year.
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