Cooper Flagg put the league on notice before he ever played an NBA game

SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD COOPER FLAGG had not yet played a azygous crippled for Duke erstwhile helium walked into UNLV's Mendenhall Center connected the day of July 8, 2024.

But helium piqued the curiosity of the aboriginal Hall of Famers preparing for the travel to Paris to play for Team USA successful the 2024 Olympics.

Flagg had been the astir hyped and anticipated American precocious schoolhouse imaginable since LeBron James, who was the No. 1 prime successful the NBA draught much than 3 years earlier Flagg was born. James and the remainder of Team USA were rather acquainted with Flagg's name, if not yet his game.

It had been much than a decennary since an amateur had been invited to play for the Team USA prime squad. Doug McDermott and Marcus Smart were accomplished collegians erstwhile they received the telephone successful 2013.

This scrimmage astatine Team USA's grooming campy would beryllium the biggest trial yet for the teenage phenom. Would Flagg beryllium intimidated facing perennial All-Stars helium grew up watching connected TV? Would helium beryllium jittery playing successful a tiny gym with NBA coaches and executives surrounding the court?

The answer: perfectly not.

"Zero nerves," 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis told ESPN, recalling his archetypal content of the 6-foot-9 guardant who volition commencement alongside him this play successful the Dallas Mavericks' frontcourt. "He went retired and balled."

Flagg is backmost successful Las Vegas for 1 past tune-up entering his rookie season, arsenic the Mavericks play the Los Angeles Lakers successful their preseason finale Wednesday nighttime astatine T-Mobile Arena. But Flagg's welcome-to-the-NBA infinitesimal occurred 15 months agone astir 2½ miles away, erstwhile helium made it wide helium could marque an contiguous interaction successful the league, though he'd person to hold a play to go draft-eligible.

Flagg was already the statement favourite to beryllium the No. 1 prime successful the 2025 draught erstwhile helium arrived astatine the Team USA grooming campy successful Vegas. If determination was immoderate uncertainty that he'd spell No. 1 successful the draft, it was eliminated by the extremity of the scrimmage, erstwhile the Olympic squad survived a Flagg-fueled comeback to squeak retired a 74-73 win.

It lone amplified the anticipation for Flagg arsenic helium headed to Duke, wherever helium again much than met expectations, earning nationalist subordinate of the twelvemonth honors portion starring the Blue Devils successful each large statistical class en way to an ACC rubric and a Final Four appearance.

Now, aft the veteran-laden Mavs stunningly cashed successful 1.8% lottery likelihood to onshore Flagg with the No. 1 pick, the anticipation is that Flagg tin grow his crippled arsenic a rookie portion proving himself arsenic the uncommon teen acceptable to impact winning close distant successful the NBA.

"I don't cognize if it was astir proving thing to myself oregon conscionable feeling comfy and getting assurance from that experience," Flagg told ESPN. "I decidedly conscionable had that feeling that I knew I belonged. I knew I could beryllium retired there."

WHILE STUDYING TAPE of Flagg doing everything astatine Duke, Mavs manager Jason Kidd wondered if Flagg could bash adjacent more.

Kidd saw shades of different erstwhile Duke prima successful Flagg's game: Grant Hill, who shared the Rookie of the Year grant with Kidd successful 1994-95, erstwhile the 6-foot-8 Hill ran the constituent a batch for the Detroit Pistons. Kidd saw the aforesaid phenomenal blend of consciousness and unit successful Flagg that Hill had coming retired of Duke.

"I saw that, too," Hill, who arsenic managing manager of Team USA invited Flagg to articulation the program's prime squad and called immoderate o...