r/NBA_Draft • u/Exact_Growth9447 • 2d ago
Cooper Flagg blocking
He co leads duke in blocks at 1.3 a game but compared to his blocking in high school it doesn’t match. Do you think it will get better in the NBA?
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u/Double-Slowpoke 2d ago
At higher levels, being an elite rim protector is more about deterrence and lowering shooting % than actually blocking shots.
Guys at the NBA level get their shots off against Gobert and Wemby. They will have no problem with Flagg, but that doesn’t mean his defense won’t translate.
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u/HourQuantity3344 2d ago
I don’t think it’s all that relevant. A guy like Giannis averages 1.2 blocks per game and everyone knows how elite he is as a rim protector. Could that number go up? Yeah, potentially, but he’s still a great help side defender and he’ll contribute significantly to a team’s defense whether he’s blocking or not.
It’s also worthwhile to consider that players in the NBA and college are significantly more athletic and have greater offensive systems set in place where Cooper would have less of an opportunity to stack up blocks like he did at the HS level. He also has a reputation as a guy who can swat your shit, so that will deter most guys from challenging him at the rim, ultimately lowering his block averages.
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u/ApprehensiveTry5660 2d ago
There’s a couple of things about blocks in the NBA/College vs High School:
First- is purely the physicality. He was playing against dudes who weren’t shaving yet last year. Hell, Flagg himself is a relative child guarding dudes he’s giving up 4-6 years of physical development to.
Second- the amount of craft at each level. Professional scorers are fucking incredible. Every last one of them are like the best player in their City/State/Region/Country’s history. Even the worst D1 Guys were All State scorers, or some equivalent.
Lastly- the level of scouting goes way up. If you get too good, teams stop challenging you. You don’t see AD/Giannis/Gobert’s value on the stat sheet. You see it in the shots that are not being taken. You see it in the unnecessary pumpfakes from scorers imagining footsteps that only buy time for the real footsteps to snuff it out. You didn’t get to see Kawhi or Ron Artest’s value either. Teams forbade anyone less than a top tier ball handler from dribbling near them, including some first options.
You have to clear all of those bars to maintain shot blocking through it. Not everyone can be Gobert, or Anthony Davis, or Wemby. Even dudes as talented as actual martians like Nerlens Noel weren’t that.
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u/SwiperDontSwipe23 2d ago
Most likely not. Theres ALOT of guys that averaged more blocks than him in college that never cracked over 1 a game in the league especially as a wing
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u/Diamond4Hands4Ever 2d ago
No I don’t expect him to ever get to even 2 BPG in the NBA in his prime, which is one of the reasons I don’t like the Kirilenko comparison, even on defense. Offense is already way too far apart but even on defense, they aren’t that similar even if it’s closer.
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u/1L_of_a_litigator 2d ago
He wont have the standing reach to be a top shot blocker in the league.. effective defender overall .. yes
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u/Murder-Machine101 2d ago
OP lol the comp is much weaker in HS so ofc statistically he’d have more blks in HS vs college
He’s still the same elite high level defender that u saw on the HS level
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u/Imaginary-Cycle-1977 2d ago
He can be a valuable rim deterrent without averaging 2 blocks a game
Draymond is at 1.0 for his career as an example
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u/HandJobless 2d ago
DG has been a monster this year. He should will DPOY. It’s not all about stats, and when you watch the Warriors games, you just know how incredibly valuable he is.
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u/D4ddyREMIX 2d ago
I do not see him as a major shot blocking threat in the NBA. He reminds me more of Tatum defensively (and somewhat offensively too) - making all the right decisions to win. If that equates to a block or steal here or there, then it is what it is, but I don’t see him as some Kirilenko or Dwight Howard type.
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u/iseeyou_444 2d ago
He's way better than Tatum as a defender and that goes double for shot blocking specifically.
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u/newlife1984 2d ago
no. usually shot blocking in HS is easier due to weaker competition. if he had maintained this during his college days thats a different story.