Cooper Flagg has been recognized by many as one of the most talented number one picks in recent times.
Right after high school, Cooper Flagg had big D1 offers lined up, but he decided to join Duke.
Even before stepping foot on the NBA court, Flagg was a known name among NBA players due to his performances on the USA Select team for the 2024 Olympic practices.
He performed brilliantly in college and was picked by the Dallas Mavericks as the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
His game was expected to smoothly transition to the league as he was brilliant on both offensive and defensive ends of the floor.
However, after his debut Summer League game against Bronny James’ LA Lakers, an NBA expert has picked out one thing Flagg really needs to work on.
Tim Legler says Cooper Flagg needs to work on his shot release
Flagg scored 10 points, grabbed six boards and had three steals in the game against the Lakers.
Kyrie Irving heaped praise on him after his performance, but the number one pick himself was not satisfied with his output.
Flagg shot only 5-21 from the field and went without scoring a three-pointer throughout the night.
Tim Legler was one of the many present to watch Flagg in action and after the game dissected what he thought went wrong for the former Duke player.
Speaking on the All NBA podcast, the former player said: “I could see it from behind him as soon as it came off from his hands you could see that it was not going in because the flight was different.
“So to me, is that an easy thing to fix? You have to stop turning your wrist. To be honest with you, I don’t know.
“He’s only 18 years old, but they’ve got to see the same things that I’m seeing and it’s nit picking the number one pick and a guy that you know might be a Hall of Famer, he might be an MVP one day.
“But that is something for me that he absolutely needs to get hold of because he’s gonna be a high 20s low 30s three-point shooter if he doesn’t.”
Flagg’s shooting will improve
While a single game is not indicative of what Flagg can do as a player, Legler’s analysis certainly is something that the player could work on.
The 18-year-old shot 38.5% in the NCAA tournament from beyond the arc, but the three-point line in the NBA is a little different from college.
Flagg is going to be guarded physically and will not be given a lot of open shots, which means he will have to make the most of his opportunities.
If he continues shooting with a faulty technique, Flagg could have trouble with efficiency.
However, he is teammates with one of the best shooters in the NBA – Klay Thompson.
Alongside being a great player, Thompson can also be a great mentor to Flagg.
Rookies sometimes struggle with efficiency, but Flagg has brilliant teammates around him, something which even LeBron James pointed out.
The four-time champion has one of the best shooting forms in the league and that is something Flagg can learn a lot from.
If he listens to his teammates and is able to adapt well to instructions, there is no doubt that he will be one of the best players in the coming years.