Duke star Cooper Flagg is headed to the NBA as the favourite to be the No. 1 general draft decide.
This system introduced Flagg’s transfer in a social media publish Monday following a lone faculty season that noticed the 18-year-old turn out to be solely the fourth freshman named as The Related Press nationwide participant of the yr whereas main the Blue Devils to the Remaining 4.
Flagg had reclassified to get to Duke a yr early, and his resolution was anticipated all yr, whilst he typically declined to spell out plans about his skilled future because the season pushed into March or talked about how a lot enjoyable he had enjoying in faculty.
“I imply, it’s been an unimaginable yr with a very nice group of individuals,” Flagg informed the AP in March after profitable nationwide participant of the yr.
The 6-foot-9, 205-pound ahead from Newport, Maine, averaged 19.2 factors, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals to guide the Blue Devils in every class. He’s a flexible menace who confirmed the power to thrive as a scorer, playmaker and defender.
“His highlights, his statistics, the methods he impacted the sport on each ends of the ground, actually in each class, was off the charts — pretty much as good of a freshman season {that a} man has had right here,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer stated in a social media video from this system about Flagg’s NBA declaration.
“However to me the separator and the enjoyment of teaching Cooper is the individual he was each day, the teammate that he was — by no means about statistics or something aside from creating an atmosphere and serving to his group to win.”
The statistical spotlight got here when Flagg scored 42 factors to set an Atlantic Coast Convention freshman document towards Notre Dame in January, together with having 30 factors, six rebounds and 7 assists to assist Duke maintain off Arizona within the NCAA Match’s Candy 16. There have been loads of spectacular single performs, too, that demanded highlight-reel placement like his transition dunk by a defender towards Pittsburgh in January.
Flagg closed with 27 factors and 7 rebounds in a loss to Houston within the nationwide semifinals. The Blue Devils had led by 14 with about 8 1/2 minutes left however faltered late, with Houston scoring the sport’s final 9 factors within the last 33 seconds and Flagg lacking a late shot for the lead.
Nonetheless, he was an elite and hypercompetitive drive for one in all faculty basketball’s high groups all season with a recreation way more superior than his age, able to making an influence from baseline to baseline and sideline to sideline. He gained’t flip 19 till December, which might be roughly two months into his rookie season.
Flagg is the third Duke participant to announce an early exit for the NBA up to now week, becoming a member of freshman wing Kon Knueppel and junior guard Tyrese Proctor.
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