Ancient Duke head basketball coach Mike Kryzyzewski has been retired for a year now. But he is always there to share his thoughts on a number of topics on the college basketball game today. On Wednesday, the legendary basketball coach couldn’t contain his enthusiasm for the No. 1 player overall in the 2024 cycle who recently became involved in Duke Blue Devils, Cooper Flagg. He spoke with Olympic Channel’s Tom Kirkland Wednesday afternoon on Flagg and a number of other topics.
How good does he think Cooper Flagg is? Is he a legitimate, timely prospect? “Yeah, if it was earlier he would have finished.” He’s so good. And he’s hard to describe because he does everything well…. He reminds me defensively of one of the great international defensive players, Andrei Kirilenko. But offensively, he can really pass. There’s no aspect of the game he can’t do. But then we add morale and competitiveness at the highest level. And all these things you do well. You know what. You do them really well. And I can’t wait to have him here at Duke,” Krzyzewski said.
Andrei Kirilenko was selected in the first round by the Utah Jazz in 1999. During the 2003–04 NBA season, he ranked third in the league in blocked shots per game and also ranked fourth in the league for interceptions per game, becoming the second player. in league history to place in the top five in both categories (David Robinson it was the other).
While playing for the Jazz, he averaged over three blocks per game during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. He was also the NBA’s blocks leader in 2005. A native of Russia, Kirilenko played for the Jazz. he Russian national team, guiding them to a bronze medal in 2012 in London.
What’s funny about Coach K comparing Flagg to Kirilenko, Jamie Shaw, On3 National Basketball Recruiting Expert recently interviewed a Big East coach who discussed the same comparison. And while they agreed, they also said they thought Flagg’s offensive skills were much more advanced at the same stage.
“I heard someone compare Cooper Flagg to a young person Andrei Kirilenko during the summer. I watched Andrei when he was 16 and I think it’s a perfect comparison. The difference in my opinion is that Cooper’s offensive skills are much more advanced at the same stage. And for the generation that has never heard of Andrei or is unfamiliar with his game, look up his first two years in the NBA. I think Cooper needs to improve his three-point shooting, but it’s only natural that this is the area for long-term and very talented prospects. He was AK’s “hole” and he never really developed it, but he was a great NBA player.
Without a doubt, Flagg is one of the most anticipated basketball prospects in recent memory. He committed to the Duke Blue Devils on Monday, giving them their fourth commitment for the 2024 cycle. The Five Star Plus+ small forward was reclassified to the 2024 class in August. He is expected to be a lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Duke’s class is currently the No. 1 ranked class in On3’s 2024 Team Recruiting Rankings.
Jamie Shaw from On3 also contributed to this article.
