Cooper Flagg’s impact: Big and getting bigger

With five college games under his belt, basketball fans are getting a better idea of ​​what Cooper Flagg can do. Right now, the 17-year-old Flagg — remember, he’s supposed to be a high school senior this year — leads Duke in scoring (17.8), rebounds (8.8), assists (3.8), steals (1.8) and blocks on (1.8).

Yes, it’s early, but this is pretty incredible. The guy does everything. Could he shoot better? Yes – and we are sure he will.

Some things you can measure with normal statistics, others you can’t. We don’t realize that you can measure the psychology of the game with a man who can boost the confidence of his teammates just by his presence. Do you need a board? Coop! Basket? Yo, Coop! Block? Steal? Smart pass? Hey, Coop!

These guys don’t grow on trees. Duke had at least a few. Zion Williamson did it in his freshman year. Shane Battier did some of that his junior year and definitely his senior year – but it took him a lot longer to do it than Flagg.

Danny Ferry also made it his senior year.

But it’s rare. And at 17? Play like that? Bill Walton may have attended UCLA, but he wasn’t considered a freshman. No one except a select few knew how good he would be.

Check out what Arizona native Jaden Bradley said about Flagg:

“He’s big, athletic and can land across a lot of bodies. He’s just super sporty. I feel like we did a good job of containing him in the first half. I think we just deviated from the game plan and then didn’t talk, didn’t communicate as a group, and he found holes in our defense. He provides them with mismatch problems. We get a smaller guard for him, he can get us inside and use his strength and height advantage. We have a bigger guy next to him, he can play fast, play fast and be able to shoot over the top or get past him.”

That doesn’t sum up his impact, but it does sort of explain the dilemma he presents. The guy is growing rapidly and is just getting started.