Cooper Flagg draws Zion Williamson comparison from NCAAB analyst Sam Vecenie; he claims Duke star's floor is higher than Zion’s 

Cooper Flagg, a former No. 1 prospect out of high school who is now expected to be the No. 1 NBA draft pick, has attracted a lot of attention over the last few months. Many have compared the Duke freshman to another star who spent one season with the Blue Devils - Zion Williamson.

NCAAB analyst Sam Vecenie agreed with this comparison and stated that the two prospects were on par with each other.

“He’s unbelievable,” Vecenie said of Flagg. “He is on par with Zion Williamson as a prospect to me. People melted down about Zion. I think Zion showcased a little bit higher of a ceiling at Duke, but you can’t underestimate the floor. We knew that Zion had a real floor with the injuries."

“Cooper Flagg’s floor is so much higher than what Zion’s is," the analyst said. "Yeah, I guess Zion’s ceiling is a little bit higher, but I don’t know how much higher. It’s not like crazy, crazy, ridiculously higher. It was higher, but when you throw in the floor, I don’t know, man. If you made me bet right now, I will have a higher grade on Cooper than I did on Zion."

Williamson went on to be the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA draft and was drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans. This season, he's averaging 24.4 points per game along with averages of 7.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists. He has only played in 18 games this season due to injury problems.

Williamson's career has been plagued by health concerns. He missed the majority of his freshman season with a meniscus tear. The forward then missed the entirety of the 2021-22 season with a Jones fracture in his right foot. Recently, he has had a left hamstring strain which led him to miss several weeks.

Comparing Cooper Flagg & Zion Williamson's time at Duke

Zion Williamson averaged 22.6 points per game in his sole season with the Blue Devils, compared to the 19.7 points per game that Cooper Flagg is averaging right now. Williamson also outrebounded the forward with 8.9 rpg compared to Flagg's 7.7 rpg. However, the Duke freshman averages 4.0 assists per contest in comparison to Williamson's 2.1 assists per contest.

The New Orleans Pelicans player shot a staggering 68% from the field for Duke, while the team's current star shoots 48.6% from the field. Despite the differences between the two players, it's likely that the Blue Devils have produced two No. 1 draft picks in the last decade which remains an admirable feat.