Duke’s game against the North Carolina Tar Heels has gained a lot of traction. Before this much-anticipated matchup, analyst Seth Greenberg made a statement on Get Up. When asked whether he sees any NBA player’s potential or playing style similar to Flagg’s, the analyst pointed to his towering height and speed, saying that Flagg’s game is similar to former NBA players Grant Hill, Scottie Pippen, and Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum. 

“He’s got a little Jayson Tatum in his game, he’s got a little Grant Hill in his game, he’s got a little Scottie Pippen in his game. You’re talking about a 6’9″ guy that you can run your offense through… His IQ, his feel, his versatility offensively and defensively. I think Tatum, I think Grant Hill and I think Scottie Pippen,” he said.

Is he right about the comparisons? A netizen wrote, “maybe Tatum please leave Scottie and Grant out of this.” Pippen is a legend! The 7x NBA All-Star who led the Chicago Bulls to the championship with 16.1 points per game during his NBA career. Was Greenberg too quick to compare him with Pippen? 

Flagg is considered a generational talent in America. In the matchup against UNC in Chapel Hill, as mentioned before, his Duke team managed to secure an 82-69 victory. Duke had a great start in the first half, leading the team to win the outright ACC regular-season championship.

The 18-year-old dropped 15 points and 9 rebounds in his 29 minutes of playing time. Both Sion James and Tyrese Proctor contributed 16 points each. UNC had a slow start but eventually gained control and even led 21-7 in the final minutes of the first half. Maliq Brown and Caleb Foster were crucial in the second half. This was the first win for Duke’s head coach, Jon Scheyer. 

All in all, it was a good game where not just Flagg but every Duke player stepped up to lead the team. And speaking of the 18-year-old, what do fans think about Greenberg’s claim? Did they agree?

Fans didn’t approve of Seth Greenberg’s claims

Greenberg’s claims had received support from some fans. However, there were plenty of comments suggesting that fans had different thoughts. For instance, this isn’t the first time Flagg has been compared to other players. He is often compared to Andrej Kirilenko and Franz Wagner. “Kirilenko. All these other names are just wishful thinking,” a netizen thought. Is the burden to prove his worth too heavy?

This sentiment was evident in the comments section. Another suggested, “Offensively he’s like Franz but defensively I see comps to wings like Kirkenko and Odom, Webber.” Most fans leaned toward the theory that Flagg’s game was similar to Kirilenko’s, while some chose to criticize. One wrote, “The disrespect is crazy!”

Another fan jumped, “He is no Scottie 😂 He’s not putting no superstars in straight jackets.” Flagg is currently averaging 19.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. He has shot 49.7% from the field and 38.2% from the three-point range across 30 games. In Duke’s latest game against Wake Forest, Flagg had a stunning 28 points. 

But another enthusiast had little faith in Greenberg and wrote, “Same clowns that said Ant was lazy , fultz was a no-miss, and Lonzo was better than fox and Tatum…and they would LOVE you to forget about Bagley too. Chill with the comps, Seth the internet is forever.” Greenberg might find some peace in knowing that the most important stakeholders of the game — fans — do believe Flagg reminds them of Hill. However, several had doubts regarding the six-time NBA champion Pippen. What is your take on this?