Not all NBA draft comparisons are created equal. Most equate a player’s style of play, such as Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, the projected No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft, reminding analysts of Chicago Bulls guard Coby White, San Antonio Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox and New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.
Other comparisons ignore the on-court style of play and consider only a player’s measurables: height, weight, wingspan, vertical jump, sprint time and shuttle time among others. One such example will be noteworthy to Wisconsin basketball fans.
Duke forward Cooper Flagg, the prohibitive No. 1 prospect in this year’s draft, drew one major comparison with his draft combine measurables: Wisconsin basketball great Sam Dekker.
At the time of the two players’ combine process, the two were the same height, less than three pounds apart, had a one-half inch wingspan difference, ran the same lane agility time and were within hundredths of a second in the 3/4-court sprint and shuttle run. The only major measurable difference was in the standing vertical jump: Flagg edged Dekker by 3 1/2 inches.
Of course, this comparison does not equate their on-court play. Dekker went 18th in the 2015 NBA draft to the Houston Rockets. Flagg is set to go No. 1 to the Dallas Mavericks and is considered by some as a generational prospect.
Dekker played parts of five seasons in the NBA. He averaged 15.4 minutes, 5.4 points, three rebounds and 0.8 assists per appearance. Currently, the Badger great suits up for Joventut Badalona in Liga ACB, Spain’s top professional league. He excelled for the London Lions from 2022-24, headlined by a league MVP season in 2022-23.
If Flagg lives up to the hype in the NBA, Wisconsin fans will know the answer to a random trivia question: Which former NBA player was Flagg’s direct measurable comparison?
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