Ex-Duke star Dereck Lively drops 1-word reaction to hypothetical teamup with Cooper Flagg, Paolo Banchero and more

Before Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach make their NBA entry, Dereck Lively II, Jared McCain and Paolo Banchero are the recent biggest names out of Duke. These players are not only playing key roles with their respective franchises but also made an early wave in the basketball landscape through their college stints.

ESPN's recent post highlights the school's potential starting lineup had Lively, McCain and Banchero stayed in Durham. The 2024-25 season would have been Paolo Banchero's final year while Lively and Jared McCain would have returned for one and two years respectively.

"Imagine if college players had to play 4 years in college before going to the NBA. This is what Duke might’ve looked like this year 🤯," the post read.

While fans compared Cooper Flagg's potential roster to the 2017 Golden State Warriors, Dereck Lively II himself reacted to the post:

"Insane👀👀," he commented.

Moreover, Stephen Collier, Nate Robinson, Blue Devils' IG and others also joined in:

"👀," DUKEMBB wrote.

"Cheat code," Robinson added.

"That’s just the starting 5. Imagine who coming off the bench too 😮‍💨😮‍💨," Collier commented.

Dereck Lively II, Stephen Collier, Nate Robinson and Duke's IG react to ESPN's hypothetical Blue Devils' take | via @espn/ig

The Blue Devils still have a shot at achieving a star-studded lineup in the coming season. Currently, freshmen Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach are expected to declare for the 2025 NBA draft.

However, in case they opt to run it back with the program, they will pair up with the Boozer Twins in the 2025-26 campaign. Cayden and Cameron Boozer are the top recruits in the incoming freshman class.

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Cooper Flagg will be available for his NCAA tournament debut

A positive update on the Blue Devils' freshman star Cooper Flagg has emerged, clearing him off the injury list for the opening round of the NCAA tournament. On Thursday, the school confirmed that Flagg will return to the rotation for the game against No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s on Friday at the Lenovo Center.

Flagg also updated on his mindset while sharing the details of his recovery process.

"I'm feeling pretty good," Flagg said to NY Post. "I'm really confident about going 100 percent.

"I had an MRI, X-Ray - both of those looked really good. So, from then it was just moving on, pain-tolerance type of things, just getting the recovery and treatment that I needed."

Cooper Flagg suffered an ankle injury during the quarterfinal ACC conference matchup against Georgia Tech last week.