Latest news with #Flagg
Hamilton Spectator
7 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
2025 NBA draft primer: Raptors targets, top prospects and a Canadian first-rounder
Over the last couple of months, the Star has profiled 2025 NBA draft prospects , including some who the Raptors could target Wednesday. About halfway through our series, the NBA draft lottery ping pong balls determined that the Raptors would be drafting ninth, giving us a better picture of who the Raptors might take a look at. Below is an overview of the players we've covered, what makes some a potential fit for the Raptors, and links to the full profiles. With the Raptors falling down instead of winning the draft lottery, these players are no longer in reach, but they're certainly worth taking note of. Cooper Flagg — NBA teams seek shooting and offensive intelligence. They want to find willing and versatile defenders. They are always searching for a mentality and a drive that separates prospects from suspects. It's good if they can find one quality, great if they can find two. Three is the kind of discovery that keeps general managers and team presidents employed. Find them all? They've found Flagg. Read the full profile here: Dylan Harper — The son of ex-NBAer Ron Harper and brother of the Detroit Pistons' Ron. Jr., a former Raptors prospect, has all the skills that could have landed him atop the draft class had Flagg not existed. He's a six-foot-six lefty guard with smarts and instincts that belie his 19-year-old self, and it's hard to find a major flaw in his game that can't be worked on and improved. In one season at Rutgers, Harper finished with a 70 per cent success rate at the rim, he's got a deep bag of floaters and drives, and he has found a way to dictate the tempo to the game. Read the full profile here: VJ Edgecombe — Jaw-dropping athleticism and defensive instincts, which make Edgecombe a surefire NBA lottery draft pick, are also what make him a somewhat longer-term selection. There are no questions about the raw skills of the six-foot-five Baylor University wing, just as there is no doubt that there are aspects he'll have to improve once his NBA career begins. Edgecombe, a 19-year-old from Bahamas, is highly touted, thought by many experts to be the third selection in June's draft behind Flagg and Harper. Read the full profile here: Their prospect stock is rising, but what if they fall to Toronto at No. 9? Tre Johnson — There are NBA draft picks who have immediate impact because their already-developed skills prepared them for handling the league. And then there are the prospects that teams are willing to wait for, players with an abundance of promise to be mined like minerals. Johnson, a six-foot-five point guard seen as a pick anywhere from third to 10th in the draft, certainly fits in the second category, but is someone most experts believe is worth waiting for. Read the full profile here: Khaman Maluach — It's such a logical fit on so many levels that the music is building to a draft-night crescendo for Toronto to draft the Duke centre because he ticks every Raptors box. He's an 18-year-old born in South Sudan and raised in Uganda, and everyone knows Raptors president Masai Ujiri sees Africa as fertile ground to unearth basketball treasures. Maluach has only been playing basketball since 2019, and there's nothing like raw talent to mould and fit the Raptors development program. He's also a seven-foot-two centre, addressing Toronto's glaring size deficiency. The question is, will he be available at No. 9? Read the full profile here: Kon Knueppel — Knueppel possesses one undeniable NBA skill, and it guarantees he is a virtual lock to go in the first 10 picks in the draft. The Duke University wing is a proven shooter — 40.6 per cent efficiency from three-point range, 47.9 per cent from the floor overall, 91.4 per cent from the free-throw line in one collegiate season — and that skill is in heavy demand throughout the league. Scouts know it, general managers know it, his much-ballyhooed Blue Devils teammate knows it. 'I know he's going to be great. He's solid in so many different ways,' Flagg said at the NBA draft combine last month. Read the full profile here: Any of these players could be available when the Raptors pick, but who would be the right fit? Derik Queen — When the Maryland freshman big hit a buzzer-beating basket to win a March Madness game, it vaulted him up the consciousness of many casual college basketball fans. To NBA talent evaluators, the shot was in keeping with Queen's offensive skills and shot-making ability, but it did not answer the major questions about the six-foot-10 centre and those will dog him throughout workout sessions in the pre-draft process. Can the 20-year-old Queen disprove the feelings that this consistent work ethic is enough to carry him to the upper echelon of the NBA? Read the full profile here: Collin Murray-Boyles — There are so many things that Murray-Boyles brings to the NBA draft that are impossible to ignore. He was a defensive star in the NCAA — he can switch coverages, blow up screen-roll actions and get his hands on passes — and any team looking for a young stopper to groom has to be enthralled with the 19-year-old South Carolina sophomore. His size is impressive — six-foot-seven, 240 pounds — and there have already been comparisons to Golden State's Draymond Green. That's unfair to put on a kid who just turned 20 years old this month and hasn't even taken part in an NBA practice, but it is the kind of comp he's getting. Read the full profile here: Noa Essengue — It's hard to imagine many NBA fans spent the winter wondering how Essengue's season was going and what his skills might do to enhance the chances of a team here. Now they probably are. The 18-year-old Frenchman who plays for Ratiopharm Ulm in the top German league, has become one of the darlings of recent mock drafts, leaping up to the top 10 heading into the festivities. The six-foot-10, 200-pounder is a quick, rangy big man with three-point shooting ability and what appears to be a promising future as he matures. Read the full profile here: Kasparas Jakucionis — One of the difficulties of nailing NBA draft picks is each teenage prospect's lack of experience limits the information available. A season, maybe two, at an American college hardly provides a long and detailed baseline, leaving teams to work mainly off their own projections. That's not the case with guard Jakucionis, who brings more experience to the process than anyone else touted as a top-10 selection. He has an impressive resumé for a youngster sure to be on Toronto's radar heading into Wednesday's first round of the NBA draft. Read the full profile here: Get to know the only Canadian expected to hear his name called in the first round of the NBA draft. Will Riley — ESPN has the Canadian pencilled in as the 22nd pick in a recent mock draft, though the Star has learned that some teams drafting in the lottery range have considered Riley. His scoring instincts and ability to create his own shot have caught the attention of NBA executives and scouts. At the draft combine in Chicago in May, Riley met and interviewed with 12 teams. He will become the second player from Kitchener to be drafted since Jamal Murray went seventh to the Denver Nuggets in 2016. He's also gotten plenty of love from the Durant family. Read the full profile here:
USA Today
17-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Cameron Boozer called Duke 'overlooked,' and I can't wait to hate again
I'm going to share something in confidence this morning and all I ask in return is for it not to be thrown in my face at a later date: I was kinda rooting for Duke last season. I know, I know. It pains me to admit as much as it pains you to read, but hear me out. I wasn't directly rooting for the Blue Devils. Growing up a Terps fan, I hated them as much as anyone. The problem is I just really enjoyed watching Cooper Flagg play basketball. So, while I didn't actually care about the result of their games, my hope of seeing a great Flagg performance was, by extension, me rooting for Duke. I feel gross even typing that. It brings me immeasurable shame, only eased by the suspicion that my split interests weren't unique last college basketball season. A lot of us hate Duke. A lot of us also enjoy great players -- and Flagg was able to have one of the greatest freshman seasons ever without being that traditional Duke brand of dislikable. Those two things were hard to reconcile. Luckily, today, I have good news for those of us who want to restore the feeling: the Boozer twins are here. Specifically, I'm talking about Cameron Boozer, the five-star kid of Carlos who was named the Gatorade National Athlete of the Year last night at the ESPYs. He wasn't given time for a speech, and judging by a recent interview he gave ESPN, that was probably for the best. Because diving into that story this morning, I couldn't believe what I was reading. Boozer actually let these words come out of his mouth about Duke: "I think we're very overlooked right now, but once the season starts, that'll change for sure. ... I think just playing together, playing hard, defending, competing, we're going to be in a spot to get [to the Final Four] just like they did last year." Excuse me, what?? Duke... overlooked!? Next thing you know he'll be telling me about the uphill battle he faced to become a top prospect as the son of a former NBA All-Star. I know a Cowboys-Lakers-Yankees fan when I hear one. ESPYS: 16 fabulous photos from the red carpet This is nonsense of course. Nobody is overlooking Duke. The Blue Devils just played in the national championship game and they have the third-best odds (+1300) at BetMGM to win next year's title. Though the team is moving forward without Flagg and its other freshman standouts lost to the draft, Duke once again brought in the top recruiting class, which is simply the new normal down there in Durham. That class includes two other five-star players, Boozer's four-star twin Cayden, and the crowned jewel himself, Cameron -- a projected top-three pick in Bryan Kalbrosky's early 2026 NBA mock draft. At this point, we just expect Duke to be good every year. If Flagg said something similar last summer, forgive me for missing it. I would have reacted the same way. But thank you, Cameron Boozer, for bringing me to my senses. Comments like that are an easy way to make sure I never get caught slipping again. 2026 NBA Mock Draft While Cameron Boozer is a top-three pick in BK's new mock, he isn't the projected No. 1 pick. That distinction belongs to AJ Dybantsa of BYU (still weird to think about), who Bryan has landing in Utah, because of course: "The Jazz have an obvious plan as they enter this phase of their rebuild process after losing key rotation players like John Collins, Collin Sexton, and Jordan Clarkson. They're trying to get a high draft pick, and the connections to AJ Dybantsa are obvious. The 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup MVP transferred to prep school in Utah before committing to BYU, where Jazz governor Ryan Smith and CEO Danny Ainge are both alumni and donors. Dybantsa would pair well on the wing with talented Utah rookie Ace Bailey." BK is the best draft prognosticator in the game, so definitely check out his early mock to familiarize yourself with some of the top names to be on the lookout for. The NFL has a 2nd-round pick crisis NFL training camps are due to begin soon, but 30 of the 32 players selected in the second round of April's draft have yet to ink contracts with their respective teams. As FTW's Christian D'Andrea wrote, the reason might have to do with the guaranteed deals of the two players who did sign: "The answer may lie in Schwesinger and Higgins' contracts. The two signed fully guaranteed deals -- the first time that's happened under the NFL's most recent collective bargaining agreement (CBA) signed in 2020. Higgins received four years and $11.7 million. Schwesinger got four years and $11.8 million. While there's no one official reason for this rash of holdouts, the most likely culprit is that teams don't want to dole out all those guarantees." Here's more of the context of that from Christian, including the names of all 30 players still holding out. Quick Hits: Mahomes on Flagg ... Klagan?? ... and more Thanks for reading. We'll be back next week with more. This was For The Win's daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here.
NBC Sports
17-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Top 15 most interesting players at 2025 NBA Summer League: Cooper Flagg, Yang Hansen, Reed Sheppard
LAS VEGAS — Summer League is a lot of things: Part celebration of young NBA talent, part NBA convention, part networking event, part owners meetings, part party… And there's basketball. A lot of basketball. It's the first chance for many fans and media members to get a look at the top draft picks in person and see how their games translate in a quasi-NBA setting. It's also a chance to see how players who have been in the league for a year or two have improved. Here are the 15 most interesting players I saw in Las Vegas, broken down by category. This is an incomplete list and only includes players I saw in Las Vegas. That means guys such as Ace Bailey are not on here (he has yet to play in Vegas). The Big Names Cooper Flagg The No. 1 pick lived up to the hype. What makes Flagg such a promising prospect is that his floor is high — on nights his shot is not falling, he remains an elite defender and shot blocker, he runs the floor hard, makes smart passes, and he can be a secondary shot creator. That's what happened in his debut. Mavericks' Cooper Flagg with the monster help side block, transition push and assist for go-ahead jumper in final minute vs. Lakers Flagg struggled with his shot in his first game (5-of-21) and there are going to be moments like that during his rookie season. His ability to create and consistently knock down shots is the only real question about his game entering the league, and consistency with that will take some time to develop. That said, Flagg bounced back with 31 points in his second outing, showing off his ability to drive and finish with either hand. Cooper Flagg's second Summer League game: - 31 points - 4 rebounds - 1 assist - 1 block - 10/20 FG - 3/8 3P - 8/13 FT - 31 minutes This kid is special.#MFFL While Flagg looked good with the ball in his hands, he looked better playing off it, and that will be more of his role in Dallas where D'Angelo Russell in the short term and Kyrie Irving long term (once healthy), not to mention Anthony Davis, will facilitate the offense most of the time. Dylan Harper Spurs fans had to wait to see the No. 2 pick, he didn't play in the California Classic games or in the Spurs' Las Vegas Summer League opener due to a groin issue. When he did take the court, he impressed, showing flashes of his athleticism and putting up highlights — and not just on the offensive end. NO. 2 PICK DYLAN HARPER GETS WAY UP FOR THE SWAT 😱 Harper was smooth on offense, showing control of his pace to get into the lane and the ability to finish with either hand at the rim, or hit a little floater. He finished in Vegas averaging 16 points a game, but shooting 35.7% from the floor — there is some work to do, but Harper impressed with how he played and his body control. He's going to be special. smoooth with it @dy1anharper 😮💨 VJ Edgecombe After creating a buzz by dropping 28 points in the Salt Lake Summer League, Edgecombe's Las Vegas debut was delayed until Tuesday night due to a thumb injury. When he finally got back on the court, he impressed with a couple of athletic defensive plays in transition to take away scoring opportunities, and his drive-and-dish game was on. What was not on was his shot. Edgecombe shot 0-of-7 from the floor in the first half, but he wasn't making excuses. 'Simple, I was just missing shots. Ain't nothing I can say about that,' Edgecombe said. In the second half, he started to get downhill to the rim more, and with that, he found his shot, hitting 4-of-7 on his way to finishing with 15 points. Forget the shooting struggles, plenty of promising rookies have them at Summer League, it was the way he did everything else that makes us think Edgecombe is going to get plenty of run in Philly this season. VJ Edgecombe in his #NBA2KSummerLeague debut: 🔔 15 PTS 🔔 6 REB 🔔 4 AST 🔔 3 STL 🔔 76ers W Yang Hansen Yang's style of play is infectious — it had the other Trail Blazers in Las Vegas playing hard and cutting off him, knowing he could find them with a pass. It was also infectious for the crowds, who turned out in large numbers to see the Chinese star play. He didn't disappoint them. The Yang Hansen show premiered in Las Vegas tonight! 🏀 10 PTS 🏀 4 REB 🏀 5 AST 🏀 3 BLK A walking highlight reel in his Trail Blazers summer debut. Yang's passing skills are as advertised, he sees the court and makes passes that few big men can. He's also got a nice 15-foot jumper, and he can bully his way to the paint in a mismatch. There is a lot to like about his game. There is also a long way to go — his defense is unimpressive (especially away from the rim) and he's going to have to get a lot stronger. Still, there was plenty to like about the Trail Blazers' surprise first-round pick. Bronny James Summer League is a benchmark for young players — it's not the raw numbers we see from second-year players, it's how much they improve season over season. Are we seeing growth? With Bronny James, the answer is a clear yes. His defense has always been good, but his handles and decision-making came with a lot more confidence this year. 'His passing out of the pick and rolls and really seeing,' Lakers Summer League coach Lindsey Harding said of Bronny's improvement. 'And it's not just the pass to the big rolling, it's if the low man comes over, he sees the man in the corner. Right? It's the whole floor. And I think it's easy to see one read, but, like, he's developing everything else. Understanding where everyone else is on the floor and where their defenders are coming from.' Bronny's shot is still a work in progress, and if he wants to be a regular rotation player that has to become consistent, but he looks like a guy who can handle a few more minutes for the Lakers this season. Guys too good for Summer League Matas Buzelis The Bulls' Buzelis is getting the chance to run an offense in Las Vegas and show he is ready for more. His first game was a little rough around the edges (17 points on 4-of-14 shooting with four turnovers), but in his second outing he reminded everyone he is better than just about every other player in Vegas. He can run an offense, and he is too good to be here. Matas Buzelis (28 PTS) put on a SHOW in the @chicagobulls #NBA2KSummerLeague win 🤩 Reed Sheppard Reed Sheppard was a standout a year ago at Summer League, but that didn't buy him consistent run during last season on a deep Rockets team. Back in Las Vegas, Sheppard has looked impressive again and just too good for this level, averaging 23 points a game. What should make coach Ime Udoka happy is that Sheppard just looks stronger and seems more comfortable with the physicality of the game, something he needs if he's going to get into the Rockets rotation as expected this season. Ajay Mitchell Ajay Mitchell re-signed with the Thunder for three years, $8.7 million this summer... so what is he doing in Las Vegas? Getting the reps and run he can't get on a championship roster. He's averaged 20 points a game, shooting 51.4% overall, with six rebounds and 4.3 assists a night, and is handling Vegas just fine (after three years of college parties in Isla Vista, before going pro, Vegas' party scene isn't going to faze him). Kyle Filipowski Filipowski is the leading scorer in Las Vegas, averaging 29.3 points a game on 56.1% shooting, including 39.1% from beyond the arc, plus 7.7 rebounds a game (in 28.6 minutes a night). Filipowski came on in the second half of last season in Utah and has taken a step forward from there. Utah shut him down after three games in Vegas (plus a couple in the Salt Lake City Summer League). Kyle Filipowski - Game 3 - Vegas Summer League highlights Flip played 31 minutes and finished with 35 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, & 1 steal . .#JazzNation #UtahJazz #TakeNote#NBA #NBA2KSummerLeague#KyleFilipowski #NBASummerLeague Guys Who Caught My Eye Joan Beringer Rudy Gobert is still an elite defender, but he is 33 and expensive, the Timberwolves might need to move on from him in a couple of years. It's just a few Summer League games, but one can envision Beringer, the French center that the Timberwolves took at No. 17, sliding into that defensive center role. He impressed with his athleticism and defense — recording Beringer 11 points, eight rebounds and six blocks in his Summer League debut. He's averaged 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks a game in Las Vegas. NO FLY ZONE 😳 French rookie Joan Beringer with back-to-back blocks in Summer League for the Wolves 😯 Noah Penda The No. 32 pick in June's draft has shown a real versatility for the Orlando Magic (who traded some seconds to get him). He's averaged 11.3 points a game on 56.7% shooting, including 40% from beyond the arc, and has initiated the offense while playing point forward and even some stretch five. Most importantly, the French player has a high IQ game and is going to find a spot in the NBA. 'He's just got a knack for where to be on the floor, his instincts are phenomenal. I thought his rebounding for us was huge today. His ability to pick up things on the fly,' Magic coach Ameer Bahhur said. 'We played him at the five today, which he had never done before.... His versatility allowed us to use him as another ball handler to relieve pressure and bring the ball up the court. And he did a great job, whether he was at the four, whether he was at the five, he got us into what we needed to do and he helped us run our offense.' Daniss Jenkins The former St. John's star emerged from Rick Pitino's world to earn a two-way contract with the Pistons — he should get at least that this season, maybe more. With Detroit in Vegas, he is playing fantastic defense — he's the reason Reed Sheppard had a relatively tough first night — and he's averaging 17.3 points a game while shooting 58.3% in 3-pointers. He can just flat-out play. Daniss Jenkins with the AND-1 DUNK!@DetroitPistons | #NBA2KSummerLeague Ryan Kalkbrenner He was a defensive anchor at Creighton, and that has translated nicely to his role for Charlotte in Summer League — he is a strong defender in the paint, averaging 2.3 blocks a game in Las Vegas. He's also scoring 8.7 points per game, although his rebounding and ability to be a stretch big need some work. Still, the potential is there, which is why Charlotte locked up the No. 34 pick with a four-year, $9.9 million contract. Yuki Kawamura Everyone loves Yuki — somebody give that man a two-way deal. He was on a two-way contract with Memphis and has earned at least another one of those from someone while playing for Chicago this summer. Yuki Kawamura DAZZLES in the @chicagobulls W in Vegas 💫💯 15 PTS 10 AST (several are 😱) 3 STL Ryan Nembhard The brother of Andrew Nembhard went undrafted because he was considered too small and there were a lot of questions about his shooting. What he showed in Las Vegas is that the former Gonzaga star knows how to run a team and be a strong floor general, and his shot is better than advertised, averaging 11.3 points a game. Nembhard is on a two-way contract with Dallas and will have the opportunity to prove his worth. Carter Bryant That other guy the Spurs drafted in the lottery (No. 14) turns out to be a defensive terror on the wing — he bothered Cooper Flagg more than any other player defending him in Las Vegas. You can see where he fits in San Antonio if he can develop a respectable offensive game, something that we have not seen in Las Vegas, where he is shooting 12.5% through three games. Still, the thought of a Spurs opponent struggling to drive past Bryant on the wing only to run into Victor Wembanyama in the paint is potentially terrifying.
Newsweek
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Duke Reacts to Cooper Flagg Winning Major Award
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Duke Blue Devils went on a great run during the 2024-25 college basketball season. Led by Cooper Flagg, the storied program made it all the way to the Final Four before being eliminated by the Houston Cougars. Flagg lived up to all of the hype in his lone season at Duke. That impressive season led to him being drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. While all eyes are on Flagg heading into his first NBA season, he has won yet another prestigious college basketball award. Cooper Flagg #2 of the Duke Blue Devils runs down the court during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers at Lenovo Center on March... Cooper Flagg #2 of the Duke Blue Devils runs down the court during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers at Lenovo Center on March 21, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina. More Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images As shared by the NCAA in a post on X, Flagg took home the ESPY's Best College Athlete - Men's Sports award. He was well-deserving of that honor. Read more: Report: Lakers Looking to Pair Luka Doncic With Nikola Jokic It didn't take long for the Blue Devils to share their reaction to the news. Duke took to social media as well to respond to Flagg's new award. The post was just two words long. "Yeah Coop!!!" it read. During his one season with the Blue Devils, Flagg put together big-time numbers. He played in 37 games, averaging 19.2 points per game to go along with 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 steals. Flagg also shot 48.1 percent from the floor and knocked down 38.5 percent of his three-point attempts. Heading into the NBA, Flagg is expected to be an instant impact player. The Mavericks are going to use him in multiple different ways. Jason Kidd has made it clear that he plans to give Flagg minutes at the point guard position. If that experiment works out, he'll be able to create major matchup issues for opposing defenses who have to guard the size that Dallas can put on the floor. Read more: Mavericks' Cooper Flagg Receives Buzzworthy Kevin Garnett Take NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal recently spoke out about Flagg as well. He loves the fit with the Mavericks for the young forward. Great young man. I know both his parents very, very well," O'Neal said. "Everything about this city, this organization, it's going to be the right place. And then we'll give him time to develop. We all remember Dirk [Nowitzki] wasn't Dirk when he first got here. I think this is a great organization, a great town for him to start off his NBA career." All of that being said, Flagg has now added another award to his collection. He will be missed at Duke, but Blue Devils fans will continue rooting him on in Dallas. For more on the Dallas Mavericks, Duke Blue Devils and general NBA and college basketball news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
Time of India
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Cooper Flagg claims ESPY for Best College Athlete after electrifying season with Duke Blue Devils
Cooper Flagg. Image via: Getty Images Cooper Flagg's remarkable rise in the basketball world continued on Tuesday night as the former Duke Blue Devils phenom and current Dallas Mavericks rookie was named Best College Athlete at the 2025 ESPY Awards. The 18-year-old's dominance in his freshman year has been hard to ignore. He is breaking records, winning major awards, and proving himself as one of the most electrifying young players in the sport. His ESPY win is yet another acknowledgment of a season that left college basketball in awe. Cooper Flagg secured ESPY for Best College Athlete Cooper Flagg was named the Best College Athlete at the 2025 ESPYs, edging past Oklahoma State wrestler Wyatt Hendrickson, Cornell lacrosse standout CJ Kirst, and Colorado football and Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter. The win made Flagg one of the youngest players ever to claim the award. — Mavs_FFL (@Mavs_FFL) The 6-foot-9 forward had already set the bar high before arriving at Duke, and somehow exceeded expectations. His ESPY win came on the heels of being selected No. 1 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks— the youngest top pick since LeBron James in 2003. Flagg was also nominated for Best Breakthrough Athlete at the same event, placing him in elite company alongside lacrosse star Chloe Humphrey, rugby's Ilona Maher, and MLB pitcher Paul Skenes. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Other notable awards won by Cooper Flagg The ESPY adds to what's been a historic haul of accolades for Flagg. In April, he was named the Naismith Men's College Player of the Year, becoming just the fourth freshman ever to win the award. Flagg also earned AP National Player of the Year, winning 41 of 61 first-place votes and besting Broome once again in what became a two-man race for the honor. He later secured the John R. Wooden Award, making him Duke's eighth winner. In addition, Flagg collected the Julius Erving Award for the nation's top small forward and was named a First-Team All-American, solidifying his status as college basketball's most complete player. Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg's Summer League status Flagg's leap to the NBA hasn't come without a few early lessons. His NBA Summer League debut was rocky, shooting just 5-of-21 against Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers. But he bounced back in emphatic fashion with a 31-point performance against San Antonio Spurs rookie Dylan Harper on July 12, drawing widespread praise. Now, it appears that Flagg's time in the Summer League is done. He did not suit up for the Mavericks' July 14 game against the Charlotte Hornets and is unlikely to return before preseason begins this fall. Also Read: Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark wins ESPY for Best WNBA Player Through two Summer League outings, Flagg averaged 20.5 points, 5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and shot 35.7% from the field and 21.4% from three. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
