Former 6-time All-Star Blake Griffin offers high praise for Cooper Flagg
Flagg is viewed as a generational prospect as the No. 1 pick and enters next season with tremendous hype as the front-runner to win Rookie of the Year. He is projected to play a key role as a player who can help the Mavericks win now because of his overall skill set.
The 18-year-old is highly regarded because of his size, athleticism and potential to impact games on both ends of the court. He also has an innate ability to process plays in real-time, traits that Griffin highlighted on the "Post Moves" podcast with Candace Parker and Aliyah Boston.
I think he is the most complete player that we've seen come into the NBA in recent memory. I'm not saying he doesn't have room to grow -- he still has a ton of room to grow -- but he passes, shoots, defends (and) rebounds. He seems like a great teammate (and) a great kid. There is, like, what's the red flag? Which is really exciting for basketball to have these young guys. ... Cooper is just able to play and guard so many different positions.
Flagg played two games with the Mavericks last month in summer league, averaging 20.5 points, five rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals on 35.7% shooting from the field. He produced 31 points and four rebounds in his final appearance on July 12.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said the team is going to ask a lot of him during the upcoming season to maximize his development. They will experiment with him playing on and off the ball to ensure he can impact games in various ways, and it appears that Flagg is up for the challenge.
Griffin, who will serve as an analyst for Amazon Prime, knows firsthand how much hype comes with being a top pick, and the six-time All-Star believes Flagg is in a good position to live up to the expectations. He is eager to see him take the court and begin his career with the Mavericks.
"I love that he is in Dallas," Griffin said. "I think they have a really solid team around him. Most No. 1 picks are going to teams that haven't been doing too great in the past. But I'm just excited for him to start this journey."
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