"He is a top-five talent and player all-time at Duke, likely top-two," said a player who helped the Blue Devils win the 2010 national championship. "All-time starting five? I would probably say Flagg is the sixth man [because he lacks the team achievements]. If I had to pick a top five, however, it would be hard to keep him out."

After Flagg's underwhelming first game, he played another 30-plus minutes in Game 2 and put on a show, fully confirming the hype around his arrival to be real.