Cooper Versus Bronny is Strictly an Off-Broadway Event, Not a Broadway Feature Show
ESPN and other media outlets promoted Cooper Flagg's summer league debut game with a level of breathless hype just a notch or two below that accorded to an NBA Finals game--but this was equivalent to treating an off-Broadway play as if it were a Broadway feature show. It is understandable that fans may be interested to see how the number one overall draft pick performs, and it is natural for media outlets to relentlessly seek ratings/clicks/view/likes. However, the attempt to market Cooper Flagg's debut as some kind of battle royale versus Bronny James is ludicrous.
Cooper Flagg will immediately be an impactful player in the NBA, and there is good reason to believe that he will eventually be at least an All-Star; he is not fighting for a roster spot, nor will he spend a minute in the NBA G League. He will have to adjust to the physically, speed, and strength of NBA players, but he will be playing rotational minutes from day one.
In contrast, as a rookie last season, Bronny James scored 62 points in 181 minutes on .313 field goal shooting. He made 21 field goals and committed 13 turnovers. His season high was 17 points, which was the only time he scored in double figures; he failed to score in 13 of his 27 games. Bronny James is only in the NBA because his father is LeBron James, who has been the de facto general manager of the L.A. Lakers since joining the team in 2018 (although that may change in the wake of the Luka Doncic trade and the Buss family selling the team to owners who may not want James to continue to serve as player/GM).
Flagg may have 62 points in his first three NBA games, and he may average 17 ppg for his rookie season, never mind scoring 17 points in just one game. It will be shocking if he has 13 games during which he does not score a point.
Neither player shined in this overhyped summer league game, during which the Dallas Mavericks defeated the L.A. Lakers 87-85 after Flagg blocked DJ Steward's layup attempt, pushed the ball in transition, and found Ryan Nembhard for what proved to be the game-winning corner three pointer. Flagg finished with 10 points on 5-21 field goal shooting, six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and one blocked shot in 32 minutes. James had eight points on 2-8 field goal shooting, two rebounds, and two assists in 21 minutes. Neither player shot well, but Flagg showed that he can create shots for himself and for others; casual fans often underestimate how difficult it is to even get a shot off against NBA players. James' regular season single game career-high for field goal attempts is 10, but it is easy to picture Flagg averaging at least 10-12 field goals attempt per game in the regular season right now.
There is rarely a prospect who is a sure thing. No one can say for sure if Cooper Flagg will be an all-time great, an All-NBA player, an All-Star, or just a solid pro--but based on what he has already shown at Duke and with USA Basketball, it would be surprising if he is not at the very least an NBA rotation player for a long time. In contrast, it would be surprising if Bronny James becomes an NBA rotation player any time soon, if at all. Flagg is playing in the summer league to practice running an offense and to get used to NBA defensive rotations, while James is playing in the summer league to try to earn an NBA roster spot and avoid being sent back to the NBA G League, which is where most players with his skill set and scant collegiate and NBA production play.
Labels: Bronny James, Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks, ESPN, L.A. Lakers, LeBron James
posted by David Friedman @ 4:47 PM
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