Even before suiting up for Duke, high‐school phenom Cooper Flagg was widely regarded as one of the nation’s top prospects. Although the Blue Devils fell short of a title, Flagg’s draft stock only soared. With the Mavericks now holding the number 1 pick in the upcoming draft, the Maine native’s next destination could truly be Dallas. With Draft Day less than a month away, skepticism over the 18-year-old’s upside is growing.

We already saw him dominate the stats with Duke, as he was the outright leader in five major categories. He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. Yet, NBA champion and renowned defender Tony Allen shared a hot take. Allen doesn’t believe Flagg is a franchise-changing talent like Kevin Durant. Predictably, that remark ignited a ferocious debate. Unusually, a large swath of fans sided with Allen, declaring Flagg overrated.

“I ain’t seeing KD [Kevin Durant]. I’m just not seeing all that,” Allen continued on “The Chris Vernon Show“. “I’m seeing Andrei Kirilenko. That’s what I’m seeing. He’s going to be a one-time All-Star. I don’t see it, bro. I’m just not hyped on these Duke kids. He is nice, but his max-out potential is Andrei Kirilenko.” Kirilenko, nicknamed AK-47, was a 2004 All‐Star and 2006 All‐Defensive first‐teamer for Utah.

Popularly known as AK-47, Kirilenko was just 15 when he started playing in the Russian Basketball Super League. Soon, the call for the NBA followed, where he established his defensive game. Allen also added that Cooper Flagg could be a “nice” piece for an NBA team, but he isn’t sold on Flagg’s potential as an NBA superstar.

“I don’t think Cooper Flagg is going to turn your franchise around like that, and I’m serious.” The sentiment from the netizens also echoed serious doubts over the Maine native’s ability.

Ahead of the draft, concerns pile up for Cooper Flagg

Kirilenko, whom Allen compared Flagg to, made an All-Star team in 2004 and was a first-team All-Defensive selection in 2006. He played more than a decade in the NBA, mostly with the Utah Jazz. He was a late first-round pick who wound up averaging 11.8 points per game in his career. That’s why a comment read, “Thank you. No shade to AK47 at all but Flagg isn’t generational to me.” It’s not Allen who raised the issue about the Duke forward.

“Coop is nice. I’m very high on his game, (but) to me, he doesn’t do anything great. He just does a lot of shit very good.” This was not the only comment from Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony. He added that Flagg must develop a killer ‘skill set,’ since he currently lacks a true ‘go-to’ play. Agreeing to this, a fan wrote, “Harrison Barnes or Andrew Wiggins max. Great player, but he choked under the brightest lights.”

Flagg’s NCAA tournament loss will likely be scrutinized come draft night. Tim Donnely, in the ESPN 99.9 The Fan podcast, highlighted the concern about the 6’9″ star that led to those losses. He referred to the fact that in all three games that Duke lost this season, Flagg committed some blunders, which could be a point of concern. Which led to a fan disagreeing with the hype “Bro I’ve been saying this for YEARS 😂.”

Before Flagg, hype for the No. 1 pick centered on Victor Wembanyama. Fans now argue Flagg falls well short of that ceiling. “He ain’t lying. Cooper Flagg will be a good second option but not a franchise player.” While another commented, “I agree that’s what I’m seeing too. I don’t see generational talent but a great player is in there. He’s not even better than Wemby to me.”

Every phenom sparks “what-if” talk: Kwame Brown (No. 1 in 2001) and Darko Milicic (No. 2 in 2003) flamed out, while LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Anthony Davis, and Kyrie Irving met—or exceeded— their billing. Only time will tell on which spectrum Cooper Flagg ends his career.