Cooper Flagg is the clear No. 1 pick and one of the most complete prospects in NBA history. The Duke forward's size combined with his ability to contribute in every facet of the game separates Flagg from other prospects. With that in mind, let's dive into what stars Flagg is most similar to and why.
Jayson Tatum
Boston Celtics superstar and former Duke Blue Devil Jayson Tatum is one of the more common comparisons for Flagg. Both have similar builds: Tatum is 6-foot-8 210 pounds and Flagg is 6-foot-9 205 pounds. Additionally, both players are do-it-all wings. While Tatum's main selling point will always be his elite shot creation, his playmaking, rebounding, and versatile defense are all crucial to the Celtics' success. Tatum's defense and playmaking have developed a lot recently he is averaging a career-high six assists this season. His all-around play was key during the Celtics' title run, he led the Celtics in all three major statistical categories during the playoffs and found ways to impact the game outside of scoring.
Flagg is similar in his ability to impact the game in a variety of ways, however, defense is arguably his best trait. Lead shot creation and 3-point shooting were arguably Flagg's biggest concerns heading into his freshman season. However, Flagg shut these concerns down averaging 19.2 points, and shooting 38.5 percent from beyond the arc. At the NBA level, Flagg projects to be a lead shot creator who makes a well-rounded impact, this skill set is pretty similar to Tatum. If Flagg develops into one of the league's best scorers the Tatum comparison will make a ton of sense.
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Scottie Pippen
Perhaps the best comparison for Flagg is Hall-of-Famer, Scottie Pippen. The Bulls forward was one of the original point forwards and is one of the all-time great defenders. Throughout his career, Pippen was named to 10 All-Defensive teams, seven All-Stars, and of course won six titles next to Michael Jordan. Pippen's combination of defensive versatility and lockdown on-ball defense is eerily similar to Flagg's skill set. Both Pippen and Flagg are also great rebounders. At 6-foot-8 210 pounds Pippen has a similar build.
Offensively, Pippen and Flagg are both incredible secondary ball handlers, with elite passing vision. Pippen averaged 5.2 assists for his career and arguably would have averaged more in this modern era. Furthermore, Pippen averaged 16.1 points, including 17.7 in his Bulls' tenure. Pippen was always capable of being a lead-shot creator but he had to settle for becoming the best second option of all-time. In 1993-94 without Jordan, Pippen finished third in MVP averaging 22 points and leading the Bulls to a top-three seed. Ultimately, Pippen's all-around skill set allowed him to fit in with any lineup Flagg will be similar for this reason his two-way versatility allows him to fit with any player/team.
Scottie Barnes
Ironically, this is the second player named Scottie we are comparing Flagg to. It's possible Flagg and Scottie Barnes become teammates which would be intriguing given their similar skill sets. Finding a point forward with similar athleticism to Flagg is challenging which in part is what makes him so unique. However, Barnes is also an elite athlete (39.5-inch vertical) this part of his game goes under the radar. The most similar part of their games is that both players can guard every position. Their positional versatility is also similar, in four seasons Barnes has played three different positions via Basketball-Refernce. Both Barnes and Flagg are also capable ball handlers and playmakers.
While Barnes is a one-time All-Star and has a solid career average of 17.1 points he isn't necessarily a lead creator at least not yet. Moreover, as a 30 percent 3-point shooter, his jump shot hasn't panned out. Barnes shows a blueprint for what Flagg may look like if his scoring or jumper don't totally translate. Overall, as a point forward with elite size and defense the similarities between Barnes and Flagg are clear.