Jay Bilas has shared his feelings about Cooper Flagg. The ESPN analyst and Duke alum offered his bold take on the basketball star on an episode of the ‘Gil’s Arena’ podcast, posted on YouTube on Thursday, July 10.
When asked if Flagg will have an immediate impact on the Dallas Mavericks this season, Bilas pointed to the 18-year-old’s success with the Duke Blue Devils.
“I think he’s the real deal, especially at that age, to do what he did,” Bilas said (0:05). “I think he’s the best freshman Duke’s ever had.”
Bilas wasn’t yet done discussing Flagg’s skillset.
”That doesn’t mean he’s the most talented [freshman Duke’s ever had],” Bilas said (0:15). “I’m not saying he’s more talented than Kyrie Irving or Grant Hill when they were freshmen, but he was better and did more. He led a Final Four team in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, and blocks.”
Bilas praised Flagg for his defensive edge, competitive nature, and maturity, while standing by his opinion that Flagg is the best freshman to ever play for Duke, even after ‘Gil’s Arena’ special guest Rashad McCants questioned if Zion Williamson was better.
”Flagg’s more skilled [than Williamson], he shoots it better, I think he’s more impactful defensively,” Bilas said. “Zion didn’t dominate all the categories in his freshman year like Flagg did.”
A number of dominant freshman phenoms have passed through Duke, but Bilas stands firm that Flagg is the best, regardless of what others believe.
Cooper Flagg’s award-winning freshman season at Duke
Jay Bilas has a solid case for considering Cooper Flagg as the best freshman in Duke history. Flagg joined the Blue Devils as the top-ranked recruit in his class in 2024 and didn’t disappoint.
In his sole college season, the forward led Duke in every major stat category, contributing 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. He shot 48.1%, including 38.5% from three.
Flagg led his Duke squad to a top seed in the NCAA Tournament and a March Madness run to the Final Four.
The freshman’s excellence was recognized both in the ACC and on the national level. Flagg was named ACC Player of the Year and ACC Rookie of the Year. He was also selected to the All-ACC first team, ACC All-Defensive team, and ACC All-Rookie team. Flagg’s 12 ACC Rookie of the Week selections set a new conference record, and he swept the weekly awards five times in one season, becoming the only player in ACC history to do so.
The Maine native was awarded on the national level as a consensus first-team All-American by Sporting News, AP, NABC, and USBWA. The Blue Devils’ star won both the National Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year awards.
Flagg accomplished a lot in his freshman campaign, leading Bilas to argue that he’s the best freshman in Duke history.
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