Report: USA Select Team coaches pegged Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Cooper Flagg as best players on team

A total of 15 players were selected to help star-studded Team USA prepare for the upcoming Paris Olympics, and it seems like Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Heat and Cooper Flagg of Duke University were two standouts.

Said this on Off the Floor:

I was told that the coaches of the Select Team had Cooper Flagg and Jaime Jaquez Jr. ranked as the two best players on that team.

— Five Reasons Sports 🏀🏈⚾️🏒⚽️ (@5ReasonsSports) July 15, 2024

Jaquez is coming off a rookie campaign in which he averaged 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. He finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting and ninth in Sixth Man of the Year voting. Furthermore, he was named to the All-Rookie First Team after shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 32.2 percent from 3-point range.

The 23-year-old California native figures to be a key part of the Heat’s core moving forward.

What about Flagg?

Oct 20, 2023; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils recruit Cooper Flagg during Countdown to Craziness at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

Flagg is about to start his freshman season at Duke and is widely viewed as the top prospect eligible for the 2025 NBA Draft. He is 6-foot-9 and can play both guard and forward.

He has received major praise from the basketball world for a while now, with many across the league already anticipating his arrival despite the fact that he has yet to play in a college game.

“He has a mixture of Giannis, Tatum, George, and Wagner all in one.”

– NBA Scout on Cooper Flagg

(Via @On3sports ) pic.twitter.com/le9HP0FA4M

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 19, 2023

It’s easy to see why some Select Team coaches thought Flagg was one of the best players on the team. He showed no fear while going up against some of the best players in the NBA. The Maine native even looks like he’d be able to contribute to a team in the NBA this season.

Cooper Flagg is going OFF

(via @BenGolliver) pic.twitter.com/tgVJQ2EuYB

— Zion O. (@DukeNBA) July 8, 2024

Other players on the Select Team were Jalen Duren, Langston Galloway, Nigel Hayes-Davis, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Brandon Miller, Trey Murphy, Keegan Murray, Brandin Podziemski, Micah Potter, Payton Pritchard, Jabari Smith Jr., Jalen Suggs and Amen Thompson.

Those are some talented players, so it’s very impressive that Jaquez and Flagg stood out above all of them.

Team USA is in the midst of its preparations for the Olympics. The squad’s Olympic journey commences on July 28 against Denver Nuggets star big man Nikola Jokic and the Serbian national team.

LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry headline the American squad, which is looking to win the tournament for the fifth straight time.

Jaquez and Flagg are undoubtedly hoping for that result and would surely love to be part of the next Olympic squad in four years time.

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