Former NBA champion not buying Cooper Flagg hype before 2025 Draft: One-time All-Star
Cooper Flagg has a skeptic, one with an NBA title.Ex-Celtics NBA champion and former First-Team All-Defense honoree Tony Allen doesn’t quite see the same ceiling for the Duke star and projected No.1 overall pick that others do.Allen has expressed skepticism about the top draft prospect’s potential to be a transformative player in the league.
“I don’t think Cooper Flagg is going to turn your franchise around like that,” Allen said recently in a GrindCityMedia video.“I’m serious.
I ain’t seeing (Kevin Durant).“I’m just not seeing all that.I’m seeing Andrei Kirilenko.
That’s who I’m seeing, bro.”Allen continued: “He going to be a one-time All-Star.I don’t see it, bro.
Just not hyped on these Duke kids.”There’s a vast gap between Durant and Kirilenko, although, at the minimum, both had solid careers.Durant, the No.2 pick in the 2007 Draft, is one of the best players in the history of the sport.Kirilenko, the No.
24 pick in the 1999 Draft, spent 13 seasons in the league, including two with the Nets, and averaged 11.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.The Dallas Mavericks, who recently won the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery with just a 1.8% chance, are widely expected to select Flagg with the first overall pick.And they surely hope Flagg is more Durant than Kirilenko, especially after receiving a life raft for the much-scrutinized trade of Luka Doncic and amid efforts to reshape their roster.Allen, renowned for his defensive prowess during his 14-season NBA career, played against both Durant and Kirilenko during his career from 2004-18.He was a key contributor to the Boston Celtics’ 2008 championship team and was named to six All-Defense teams.Allen earned First Team All-Defense three times in his NBA career and finished top 10 in Defensive Player in the Year five times.Flagg, a 6-foot-9 forward from Duke University, had an impressive freshman season, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game, with shooting splits of ...