Kevin Durant says Duke basketball signee Cooper Flagg can be "top players in [NBA]"

Cooper Flagg has been getting praise from all over the spectrum before he even steps foot on campus as a Duke basketball player but the latest breakdown of his game might be the most impressive yet.

Kevin Durant, a 14-time All-Star and 2-time NBA Champion, said on The Boardroom that he believes Flagg has the potential to be "one of the top players in the [NBA] for 15 years."

"Young dudes are truly hard to understand when you're playing against high school competition," Durant explained. "You don't know who's the best of the best."

Flagg is the consensus top ranked player in the Class of 2024 after he reclassified from 2025 and has been the leader of No. 1 Montverde Academy's (Fla.) undefeated season, averaging 16.5 points per game and is coming off of a 20-point performance last weekend against No. 2 Long Island Lutheran (NY).

"The intangibles that he has, his measurables and his raw talent, I can see that through the tv," Durant added.

Flagg leads the top ranked recruiting class next season for the Blue Devils which also includes 5-star prospects Isaiah Evans, Kon Knueppel, and Patrick Ngongba II as well as 4-star recruit Darren Harris.

Duke is also still in the mix for 4-star center Khaman Maluach.

"When you are 6-foot-10 and can run up and down the floor like that, and got the instincts with the basketball like that," he continued about Flagg's potential. "If you work at it, and if you care, and if you are consistent with who you are, like I said showing up every day."

Cooper Flagg's head coach, Kevin Boyle, has nothing but praise for his superstar, saying he's handled all the attention "amazingly" after his team's 32-point victory over LuHi and also believes he will be a great player in the NBA

"He's really a humble kid. He's not about himself...that's why I think he will be a good pro early in his career," Boyle explained.

"His versatility...will make him a very productive player early, even as a 19-year old kid, which is hard in today's league."

The attention and hype surrounding Flagg will only grow as he finally puts on the Duke jersey in November.