"That's my dawg!": Cooper Flagg opens up on close bond with 7'2 Duke star Khaman Maluach after beating Stanford

Duke guard Cooper Flagg treats 7-foot-2 teammate Khaman Maluach as his close friend and a brother as they are on the same campus and share a dorm. The 6-9 guard elaborated on their closeness after the Blue Devils' 106-70 win over Stanford on Saturday.

Flagg was asked by a reporter about his relationship with the South Sudanese center, saying that he and Maluach seemed extra close and shared moments on and off the court.

"I mean, that's my dawg," Flagg said. "We have a good connection being on the East campus. We had to live in the dorm. Me and Khaman are kind of extra close. Giving him rides all the time. Just connecting. Sharing some moments. That's my brother (in the team) that's the connection."

Their closeness translates on the court, although Flagg admits that the familiarity with each other remains a work in progress.

"For me, it has been a big learning experience. I've never played with somebody like Khaman. So I've been trying to learn and grow and having that connection and being how to find him all the time," Flagg said. "It has been a work in progress. I think we are starting to find a good groove and click together."

Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach clicked on all cylinders on Saturday against Stanford, with Flagg tallying 19 points, five rebounds, six assists and two steals. Maluach added 17 points, six rebounds and one block.

---

Cooper Flagg assesses Duke's game against Stanford

Cooper Flagg gave his assessment on Duke's 36-point win over Stanford on Saturday, saying that the Blue Devils executed the ball well and took care of business by following the game plan intently.

Duke ruled the assists department, 23-12, with Flagg sharing the game-high honors with Sion James with six dimes.

"It is all about trusting my offense. Trusting what we do," Flagg said. "Just moving it to the open man. That's what we're doing."

The freshman also praised junior Tyrese Proctor for his excellent showing against the Cardinal. Proctor finished with 23 points, making 9-of-13 shots, including 5-of-8 from the 3-point range.

Cooper Flagg described the 6-foot-6 Australian as a talented individual, but he needs to be assertive and decisive to showcase his plays on the court. Proctor is averaging career-highs in points (12.2 ppg) and rebounds (3.4 rpg) as well as field goal percentage at 43.8%.

Duke will have two games next week with the first being an ACC clash against Virginia on Monday. The second of the two-game stretch will be against non-conference rival Illinois on Feb. 22 at the Madison Square Garden in New York.