Will Dylan Harper or Ace Bailey surpass Cooper Flagg for the No. 1 pick? NBA execs, experts weigh in
Will Dylan Harper or Ace Bailey surpass Cooper Flagg for the No. 1 pick? NBA execs, experts weigh in
Will Dylan Harper or Ace Bailey surpass Cooper Flagg for the No. 1 pick? NBA execs, experts weigh in
- Thread starter Tango Two
- Start date
Seems like Flagg has Dylan's ability to drive to the hoop and Ace's ability to make mid range jumpers. The differentiator seems to be that Flagg plays defense at a higher level. He'll be #1 but I wouldn't be surprised if Dylan gets picked ahead of Ace.
That said, when these guys are all 24 year old men in the NBA, Ace might be the one you want.
That said, when these guys are all 24 year old men in the NBA, Ace might be the one you want.
Uh ... I would not characterize Flagg's relative strengths that way. At least not yet.
Flagg is not nearly as good as Harper in driving to the hoop. And Flagg's mid-range shooting is not as good as Bailey's mid-range game. And both Bailey and Harper are shooting 3's at a better % by far - though small sample size, admittedly. Just like the FT's are too small a sample size (like 1 totally weird game of 1-8 FT moved Bailey's FT from 75% to 60%). Consider this:
Overall FG%: Flagg 41%, Harper 52%, Bailey 47%
3-Point FG%: Flagg 24%, Harper 36%, Bailey 35%
2-Point FG%: Flagg 48%, Harper 59.5%, Bailey 51%
Flagg's primary "advantages" over Bailey at this time are: 1) Overall defense (no question, either) - 18 steals and 15 blocked shots in 11 games, as stats to Bailey's 10 steals and 7 blocks in 9 games (not that those stats are the only measure of defense - Flagg is better in unmeasurable defense also, I am sure); 2) Assist: Flagg has 40 in 11 games, to Bailey's mere 5 - a huge difference ... turnovers are actually about the same (Flagg with 25 in 11 games, Bailey with 22 in 9 games) ... Flagg has a slight edge in rebounds so far - but in the last 4 games Bailey is averaging almost 10 rebounds per game, so he may close the gap ... especially interesting since Bailey, by skill set and inclination is a pure WF, while Flagg is more of a hybrid/Stretch PF.
Flagg is a better defensive player than Bailey, by far, and than Harper (by some unknown margin - Harper is relatively solid defensively, Flagg is better than that). Flagg is also much more inclined to pass than is Bailey - and his teammates hit shots, meaning way more assists than Bailey ... and Bailey turns the ball over the most of the 3 players.
I feel Flagg's hype has so many people on the bandwagon and they can't explain why. Flagg is the Swiss army type of player every team needs, but he's not your first option to get buckets. The NBA is all about getting buckets. Also, I'm not a fan of Duke players in the NBA. For the amount of players they have produced at the level, there are more failures than success. And what I mean by failure is a lottery pick who turns out to be a very good complimentary player. You don't get drafted that high to be a Robin. You are either Batman or Superman.
In my opinion Harper should go #1…..but I don’t think he will unless Flagg struggles for the rest of the season (pretty unlikely)
The media has created so much hype around Flagg that I feel like an NBA GM wouldn’t pass up on his because if they do, their job would be in danger.
The media has created so much hype around Flagg that I feel like an NBA GM wouldn’t pass up on his because if they do, their job would be in danger.
As a Nets fan, I've been on the Dylan train before the season even started.
Like you correctly poiny out - Ace at 24 has the potential to be much better than Dylan.
But I think I'd rather take the higher floor and PG in Dylan (who's ceiling is still pretty high but maybe just below Ace).
I'll take the risk on missing out on Ace and hope an elite PG like Dylan can attract an elite wing like Ace down the line - or maybe even Ace himself!
Note - I haven't seen Flagg at all. But I think the same comparison applies for me personally.
Dylan’s positional value really sways me.
Dylan is, currently, the most polished and NBA ready of the three.
Flagg is the most versatile of the three, but likely has the lowest ceiling (relatively speaking).
Ace is the least NBA ready but has the highest ceiling.
I would be happy with any of the three if I was the first team picking.
Flagg is the most versatile of the three, but likely has the lowest ceiling (relatively speaking).
Ace is the least NBA ready but has the highest ceiling.
I would be happy with any of the three if I was the first team picking.
NBA GMs don’t care about hype, they have been scouting these kids for years . . .
I disagree, Flagg at 17 years old has the most potential. He needs to work on his outside shot but once he improves that he will be a great all around player. He passes. rebounds, blocks shots and his overall athletic ability is very high.
