"You the great white hope" - Carmelo Anthony identifies glaring issue in Cooper Flagg's skillset despite praising Duke phenom

There are already high expectations for Cooper Flagg before he's even officially drafted into the pros. Flagg is being touted as part of the crop of future superstars that will take over the league someday, but one former NBA superstar thinks that Flagg's game has one major issue.

10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony discussed Cooper Flagg with Paul George on "Podcast P" on Monday. During that episode, Anthony acknowledged Flagg's dominance at every level he's played in so far, which he's done by being extremely good at several things.

However, Melo Anthony said that an issue with Flagg's game is that he doesn't have a skill that stands out or can be considered great. Something that he'll need to become a leader in the league.

"He's going to be tested with that, because you're going to a team to lead," Anthony said. "You're not just going to a team to just be part of a situation. You're being thrown the keys, you're here, you the great white hope." (33:57-34:08)

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Cooper Flagg impacted the game significantly in his season at Duke. In 37 games, he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks, with shooting splits of 48.1/38.5/84.0 percent, highlighting his scoring efficiency.

Also read: Duke’s Cooper Flagg on following Kevin Durant, Zion Williamson and Anthony Davis, Blue Devils' stellar run and US Olympics scrimmage (EXCLUSIVE)

Carmelo Anthony likens Ace Bailey to previous NBA stars while comparing him and Cooper Flagg

Carmelo Anthony also praised Rutgers guard Ace Bailey, who is projected to be a high pick in the upcoming draft. However, Bailey isn't being talked about the same way as Cooper Flagg. Per Anthony, fans have seen the likes of Bailey before.

In the same "Podcast P" episode, Anthony shared why Flagg received more attention than Bailey.

"We've seen Ace before," Anthony said. "We've seen Paul George, we've seen Kevin Garnett, we've seen Tracy McGrady. We've seen Ace, that's why he's not being talked about. That doesn't take anything away from him but visually we've seen him." (38:09-38:29)

While Cooper Flagg is listed as a 6-foot-9 forward, Bailey is a 6-foot-10 guard. Despite the positional difference, Bailey's numbers were similar to Flagg's in college.

He averaged 17.6 ppg on 46.0/34.6/69.2 percent splits. He also logged 7.2 rpg, 1.0 spg and 1.3 bpg. Where there's a noticeable difference between the two is in playmaking. While Flagg averaged 4.2 dimes per contest, Bailey only averaged 1.3.

About the author

Miguel is a basketball writer at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 7 years. A lover of the sport owing to its mental aspect, he has played it throughout high school and college as a power forward and small forward, and has also coached high school and college basketball teams. These experiences have given him a unique perspective on the game, which translates into insightful content.

For Miguel, the San Antonio Spurs, especially during the Tim Duncan era, were the embodiment of team basketball. He respects Gregg Popovich's empathy toward his players and his understanding of the game. The Spurs' titles, Kobe Bryant's poignant "Dear Basketball" tribute, Derrick Rose's remarkable 50-point game with Minnesota and Magic Johnson's remarkable comeback are among Miguel's top basketball moments.

For his articles, he conducts thorough research, cross verifies information with at least three sources, and sometimes sacrifices speed for accuracy. Content simplification and maintaining a neutral view on topics are his strengths.

Miguel follows other sports, particularly the NFL, and when not working he enjoys hobbies like cooking and playing video games.

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Edited by William Paul