Del Harris didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to.
When Del Harris talks basketball, the room naturally leans in. More than 550 career wins will do that. So will stops with the Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Los Angeles Lakers. So will a résumé that includes a three year stretch of 128 wins in Houston and NBA Coach of the Year honors in 1995.
Harris has lived through every version of the league. He has coached young talent before it understood the league’s pace. He has coached Hall of Famers before the plaques were inevitable. He has seen potential arrive raw and watched it sharpen into something historic.
Which is why his recent words carried such weight.
In a conversation with AllSportsPeople, Harris was asked about what he’s seeing from Cooper Flagg, the 19 year old wearing No. 32 for the Dallas Mavericks. Harris didn’t rush the answer. Then he reached for a name few coaches ever invoke casually.
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“Cooper is the best I’ve actually seen since Kobe Bryant,” Harris said. “And he’s actually more ready than Kobe was having played at Duke.”
It wasn’t meant as a comparison for debate. It was perspective.
Harris remembers Bryant as a singular force coming straight from high school, carrying the burden of being the lone star on his team. The talent was undeniable. The learning curve was real. Flagg, by contrast, arrives already fluent in physical, team centered basketball. Comfortable reading the floor. Comfortable making the extra pass. Comfortable attacking defenses before they fully form.
“When I see Cooper, the ball skills, the passing, his ability to attack the defense, it’s just off the charts,” Harris said.
That readiness shows up in moments that do not always make highlight reels. The angles he takes defensively. The way he anticipates help. The calm with which he lets the game come to him. Those are habits usually learned over time. Flagg arrived with them.
What separates Harris’ praise from routine rookie hype is the source. Harris coached Bryant at the beginning, when greatness was still being shaped. He understands how rare it is for a teenager to step into the league with both skill and structure already in place.
Around the NBA, that assessment is beginning to echo. Flagg’s momentum is no longer limited to scouting circles and film rooms. It is showing up in fan response as well. In All Star voting, he is currently pacing the rookie field by more than 25,000 votes over Jimmy Butler.
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For a player still learning the rhythms of an NBA season, that kind of traction speaks to trust as much as talent.
Del Harris has seen the beginning of legends before.
And when he says this one looks ready, people still listen.
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