Is Flagg vs Bailey The New Simmons vs Ingram?

An argument could be made, that the two situations are fairly similar.

Nov 16, 2024; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cooper Flagg (2) drives the ball down the baseline against Wofford Terriers forward Jeremy Lorenz (32) during the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images / Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

A few days ago, I was asked if I could see a certain resemblance in the projected first and second pick (Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey) to the first two players selected in 2016.

That'd be Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram, in case you forgot. 

On the surface, yes. There are some rough similarities, which I guess makes some level of sense. One if a defensive monster with a still unknown outside shot, while the other is an absolute bucket getter at the wing spot with great size. 

However, while I can see some people running with that comp, particularly in the months leading up to the draft when everyone gets a bit nutty, it's important to some pretty significant distinctions. 

Let's start with Flagg, who is quite simply a different archetype than Simmons. Yes, both are tall, athletic, agile, and Flagg projects to become an elite defender, much like Simmons used to be. 

But Flagg isn't a primary floor leader, nor does he seemingly envision himself as a point guard. He's a power forward. A wing-big. Whatever the terminology is today, he's embraced it. He'll happily play off lead guards, whereas Simmons wanted to *be* the lead guard.

As such, while there are some physical similarities, their respective approach to basketball, as well as responsibilities, are entirely different.

Also, let's not kid ourselves here. While Flagg projects to become a fine playmaker, he isn't sniffing the raw passing skills of Simmons. Sorry, that's just not a thing until Flagg makes 80-foot bounce passes delivered perfectly to some guard who's leaked out in transition.

As for Bailey and Ingram, that's probably a more fair comparison seeing as both will play similar positions, similar roles, and could offer similar scoring profiles to some extent.

So until further notice, I'll concede there's a baseline of similarities there, which I can roughly stretch into the original idea of the person identifying the two drafts as being in the same ballpark, when it comes to the Top 2.

That said, the very fact that Flagg doesn't come with the same floor-spacing issues as Simmons means the entire question becomes a bit moot. 

Let's go back to 2016 for a minute. The Simmons vs Ingram debate got INTENSE. Some prioritized the defense of Simmons, while others preferred the scoring upside of Ingram. In many ways, they were polar opposites, which made for many interesting perspectives. 

Are we sure Flagg and Bailey are all that different? 

Yes, Bailey is far more of a natural scorer, and should become an NBA shooter far quicker than Flagg. And yes, Flagg is much further ahead defensively than Bailey is. But that's where it ends. Flagg isn't a non-shooter. He actively takes the long ball, understanding full-well the necessity of having that shot in his arsenal.

Bailey isn't just prioritizing his scoring. It's his best skill, yes, but the Rutgers sophomore is active on the defensive end, attempting for that part of his game to catch up. 

In many ways, the two are moving towards each other, not further away like how it ended between Simmons and Ingram. As such, it's almost impossible to look at the two, and pigeonhole them as the 2016 draft reincarnated. 

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

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