Photo: Duke Men’s Basketball/X

The Duke Blue Devils seem poised to have their star player, Cooper Flagg, back on the court for the NCAA Tournament after he sustained an ankle injury during the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.

Flagg’s return to the floor for Duke is something both experts and fans are eager to see as the Blue Devils enter March Madness.

However, head coach Jon Scheyer and his medical team had to carefully navigate the situation, balancing Flagg’s recovery with the desire to have him play in the tournament.

As former Blue Devils guard Seth Curry pointed out, players don’t choose to attend Duke without the aspiration to compete for a national title.

Curry, speaking to Fox News Digital, acknowledged that Flagg is ready to return to action with his teammates in pursuit of a national championship.

“There’s a reason he came to Duke, came to college when, honestly, he didn’t really have to in the first place,” Curry explained. “You go there to play in the ACC Tournament, you go there to play in March Madness, and this is his time.”

Flagg is undeniably the ideal modern NBA player – combining a big man’s size with the ability to score, pass, and defend against anyone.

Curry, who attended the Charlotte Hornets training camp at Duke’s facility before the 2024-25 NBA season, was thoroughly impressed by Flagg’s performance alongside his Duke teammates.

“I’m loving everything I’m seeing from him,” the guard explained. “First of all, we had training camp at Duke, so I was able to see him practice a few times. Seeing just his competitiveness, it’s as good as it gets, especially from a young guy.

“He’s not afraid to go out there and take control, and his leadership has been good, too. You can tell from those practices. 

“At his age, he’s wise beyond his years, and obviously, his skill set is unreal. He can do everything. So, he’s going to be that number one pick, like you said, and I think he’s going to have a great career.”

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