The Utah Jazz had their worst season as a franchise in the hopes of getting their hands on Cooper Flagg or at least a prospect close to him. By getting the No. 5 pick, that's out of the question. However, if Flagg turns out to be the second coming of an exteemed Jazz alum, Utah should be thrilled about that.
Flagg is hyped up to be the NBA's next face of the league. However, that doesn't mean everyone believes the same about him. Among those who think Flagg's ceiling will be limited is former NBA player and champion Tony Allen.
On the podcast Grind City Media, Allen expressed his doubts about Flagg.
“I don’t think Cooper Flagg is going to turn your franchise around like that, and I’m serious,” Allen said.
While Allen followed that up with, "he nice" after his take was question, he then compared Flagg to a former Jazz star.
“I ain’t seeing KD [Kevin Durant]. I’m just not seeing all that. I'm just not seeing all that. I’m seeing Andrei Kirilenko, bro.”
Allen continued on why he doesn't have much faith in what Flagg can do.
“He’s going to be a one-time All-Star,” Allen said. “I don’t see it. I’m just not hyped on these Duke kids. Look at the couple that came out, besides Jayson Tatum.”
For what it's worth, Kirilenko was an excellent NBA player who is consistently lauded for being ahead of his time. However, a franchise player, he was not. When Kirilenko was the Jazz's best player, they were an average team in a cutthroat Western Conference. It wasn't until Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, and Mehmet Okur were added to the team that the Jazz ascended to the next level.
Being picked at No. 24 in 2001, Kirilenko is definitely among the better (but not the best) draft steals in franchise history. However, he was not someone a team would want as the No. 1 pick. If Flagg pans out to be a modern version of Kirilenko, the Jazz would sleep well at night.
A jack-of-all-trades player is not the same caliber as a franchise player, no matter how useful they are. Kirilenko was the kind of player a team would put next to their best players, but never the best player. Flagg may be hyped up to be a superstar, but it'll be on him to prove it.
The Jazz may or may not get their next face of the franchise in this draft, but even if they don't, it won't be too hard to stomach if Flagg doesn't pan out all that well.
This isn't the first time Flagg has been compared to Kirilenko
Back in April, Bleacher Report's draft experts compared Flagg to Kirilenko, though to be fair, they made it out much more like the Jazz aum is Flagg's floor more than anything else. They made it clear that defensively, Flagg could be an elite player like Kirilenko was on that side of the floor, but also noted how offensively limited Flagg would be if he turns out to be an AK-47 type.
Ultimately, the Dallas Mavericks will cross that bridge when the come to it. If Flagg turns out to be Kirilenko defensively while turning into a Durant offensively, that's one of the best players to ever play the game. However, the comparisons to the Jazz alum will stick out like a sore thumb if Flagg has some struggles out fo the gate on the offensive side.
It's easier to welcome those comparisons now that it's clear he won't be Utah-bound. No one's saying it's a certainty that this will happen. In fact, the odds are seemingly low, but it's something that could be on the table.