Not long ago, Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren was working his way up from amateur to professional basketball in the NBA.
The 22-year-old became a household name in high school, placing at the top of his class and committing to Gonzaga. He continued to dominate in college, which set him up well to be selected by the Thunder in the 2022 draft with the No. 2 overall pick.
Holmgren’s early career was cut short by a foot injury, but that didn’t stop him from returning to form and putting together an impressive rookie season, finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting. He has now established himself not only as a key part of Oklahoma City, but as one of the league’s brightest rising stars.
Much like Holmgren, Duke forward Cooper Flagg is the biggest name in college basketball. He’s expected to immediately join the program as the Blue Devils’ forward and should be the consensus first-round pick if all goes according to plan.
Flagg even appeared in a few games with Team USA this summer, where he drew attention and praise from the established stars around him. He’s not your average 17-year-old, and he’s demonstrated that through an unwavering talent that’s allowed him to compete with some of the best talent in the world.
Holmgren had to deal with some of the expectations and praise at a young age, as Flagg does now, so it’s no surprise he’s keeping tabs on the freshman.
“It’s impressive,” Holmgren said of Flagg’s time with the U.S. basketball team. “Not only do you get to see some of the different skills he has, but you get to understand the situation. He’s 17 years old, never played a college game and he comes in, he’s playing against the highest level of basketball players in the world.”
Many players with Flagg’s experience level wouldn’t be able to pull off a situation like this, but the fact that he did shows everything there is to know about him. He’s as talented as everyone says he is, and he’ll certainly be a valuable player for any team that drafts him.
Holmgren understands how special Flagg will be. He has obvious potential and unmatched skills at his age, and he’ll have no trouble becoming a successful player in the NBA. With some of the similarities they share at this age, maybe he sees a little bit of himself in Flagg, too.
As he heads off to college and looks to build his draft stock at the same time, Holmgren might not be a bad person for Flagg to take inspiration from.
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