Cooper Flagg lists interesting Mount Rushmore of Duke basketball players

It's always interesting to see how incoming freshmen view the greats of the Duke basketball program and Cooper Flagg had to put his Blue Devil knowledge to the test this week at the ESPY Awards.

In winning the honor for Gatorade Best Male Player of the Year, Flagg was asked before the award show who his Mount Rushmore of Duke basketball players would be and the poised rookie didn't miss a beat.

Christian Laettner, who is widely considered as the best player in program history, was the first name that Flagg said which was followed by another two-time NCAA Champion, Grant Hill.

Hill can certainly be in the discussion for one of the best players in the history of the school but it's also a great strategic answer by Flagg after Hill, the managing director of USA Basketball, had invited the phenom to be a member of the USA Select Team last week in Las Vegas during Olympic training camp.

Many expect Cooper Flagg will eventually be the face of USA Basketball and some had thought he had the chance to earn a roster spot on the 2024 Olympic Team after Kawhi Leonard's injury.

Nevertheless, Flagg went with two recent players to complete his Mount Rushmore in Zion Williamson and Jayson Tatum.

It's hard to envision, but Flagg is entering college with more hype surrounding him than Williamson, the eventual No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, and the focus around the Montverde Academy (Fla.) superstar is expected to exceed the attention that circled Zion during his one season at Duke.

Cooper Flagg is likely to join the list of Duke players to be the top pick in the NBA Draft next summer.

Jayson Tatum, who Flagg competed against at Team USA camp, has taken the mantle as the best NBA player to come out of Duke after winning a championship this season and already being a 5-time All-Star and 3-time First Team All-NBA selection.

Perhaps with an extraordinary season, some could see Cooper Flagg surpassing someone on the Mount Rushmore of Duke basketball players in the future.