Cooper Flagg compares his IQ and two-way ability to Kevin Durant and former Duke superstar (Exclusive)

In an interview with Sportskeeda's Mark Medina earlier this week, Duke star Cooper Flagg compared his basketball IQ and two-way ability to Kevin Durant,. Anthony Davis and former Duke superstar Zion Williamson.

Durant, Davis, Williamson, and now Flagg are the only freshmen to have ever won the Wooden Award, which honors the most outstanding college basketball players in the season.

When asked about what he admired about his predecessors in the list, Flagg highlighted their IQ and defensive versatility, comparing himself to them.

"Just the IQ and the effort they all play with and the defensive versatility. That's something that I can compare myself to," Flagg said.

Cooper Flagg is an effective three-level scorer, and his agility and court awareness enables him to make simple but effective plays. The 6-foot-9 forward also has exceptional defensive instincts, making him a versatile two-way player similar to Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson.

Flagg led Duke to their first Final Four appearance since 2022, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks while shooting 48.1% from the field, including 38.5% from deep.

However, the Blue Devils were eliminated from the tournament following a 70-67 loss against Houston after the Cougars went on a 9-0 scoring run in the final 35 seconds of the game.

Cooper Flagg gets real on LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry's opinions about him

Cooper Flagg was part of a select team that played against Team USA for practice ahead of their gold-medal run at the Paris Olympics last year. The 18-year-old held up well in the scrimmages against the men's national basketball team, which earned high praise from NBA superstars including LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry.

In the interview with Sportskeeda's Mark Medina, Flagg shared his takeaway from the support and feedback from LeBron, KD, and Steph:

"I think it’s really cool to hear them talk about me in a positive light. Those are players I grew up watching and idolizing. To hear them talk about me and say I was able to hold my own was really cool. It just gives you a lot of confidence moving forward."

Following his impressive collegiate season with the Blue Devils, Cooper Flagg is presumed to be the top pick of the 2025 NBA Draft. However, after his tough exit from the NCAA tournament, Flagg recently relayed that he needs some time to regroup and decide on his NBA future.