Carmelo Anthony Rates Duke’s Cooper Flagg Ahead 2025 NBA Draft

Carmelo Anthony has expressed strong admiration for Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, highlighting his unique combination of skills and dominance at a young age. While Anthony praises Flagg's versatility and overall game, he notes that Flagg does many things very well but lacks a singular standout skill, raising questions about whether that is enough for the top pick, especially for a team like the Dallas Mavericks seeking a prolific scorer. Anthony also contrasted Flagg's hype with that of Rutgers’ Ace Bailey, suggesting that Bailey’s lesser media attention may partly be due to Flagg being a rare white player with such size and talent, a perspective that has sparked debate. Despite this, Anthony holds Bailey in high regard, believing his skillset is superior to Flagg's even if Bailey resembles a more familiar mold of players. Flagg's freshman season was exceptional, leading Duke to the National Championship game with averages of 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game, and his physical profile has been compared to that of Scottie Pippen. Overall, Anthony’s nuanced evaluation underscores Flagg’s promise and the complexity of projecting his immediate impact at the NBA level.