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Kevin Durant had high praise for top basketball prospect Cooper Flagg
Kevin Durant says that the 17-year-old Maine native could be "one of the top players in the league for 15 years."
Not many people can understand what it’s like to be a top NBA prospect before they’re old enough to attend senior prom.
Kevin Durant, however, can relate.
In 2006 he was the second-best recruit in the country and was suiting up for his freshman season at the University of Texas, Austin.
It’s hard to believe that future Duke phenom Cooper Flagg wasn’t even born yet.
“The intangibles that he has, his measurables and his raw talent. I can see that through the TV,” Durant said recently about the five-star prospect.
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The 17-year-old Newport, Maine native is the best high school basketball player in the country and will likely be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. There are a lot of eyes on Flagg, especially since he announced his commitment to play for the Blue Devils on the cover of SLAM Magazine in the fall. Already, copies of the exclusive edition are selling for nearly $300 on eBay.
Durant, in a sit-down interview with Rich Kleiman for Boardroom, revealed that he is one of the many people who have taken notice of Flagg.
“I mean he’s 6’10” and can run the floor like that, and [he’s] got the instincts with the basketball like that,” Durant said.
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Flagg’s size, speed, and confidence combine to make him a unique two-way prospect. He’s a defensive standout, particularly as an off-ball defender. And as Durant points out, his instincts with the ball have given him a strong playmaking foundation.
This season, Flagg is averaging 16.5 points, 4.1 assists, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. And while he will likely continue to put up impressive numbers at Duke in the fall, Durant had some words of advice for the prodigy.
“If you work at it, and if you care, and if you’re consistent with who you are – like I said, showing up every day – if you show up every day and be the best that you can be, I think Cooper Flagg can be one of the top players in the league for 15 years.”
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