Cooper Flagg Tipped to Have Historic Mavericks Rookie Season

Cooper Flagg has been selected no. 1 overall after a barnstorming season of dominance with the Duke Blue Devils.

Cooper Flagg Tipped to Have Historic Mavericks Rookie Season

Cooper Flagg (Image by FirstSportz)

When Nico Harrison traded Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis in February, he didn’t expect the tidal wave of hate he got. However, he also probably didn’t expect the Mavericks, who had the shortest odds for the No. 1 pick in the lottery this year, to jump up and be eligible to select Cooper Flagg in one of the most stacked NBA draft classes of all time.

Cooper Flagg has had one of the most impressive recruiting runs by any player in league history. Much like Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant and Christian Laettner, Flagg has been incorporated into the Team USA setup before he’s had a single minute of NBA action. The 6’8″ forward blew the minds of the senior team members when he turned out for the Select team last summer. He even guarded Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

After this stupendously difficult blooding, playing against NCAA opposition was a walk in the park for Flagg. He emerged as the best player in college basketball even as a freshman at Duke. He showed off elite athleticism, defensive IQ, instincts, playmaking and even his scoring. After starting slightly slowly as an offensive player, Flagg blossomed into one of the best on-ball scorers at the forward position in the country.

Dallas Mavericks ESPN reporter Tim MacMahon sung his praises in a segment of First Take this morning. According to MacMahon, Cooper Flagg has the potential to be a better rookie than even Dirk Nowitzki. The analyst expects Flagg’s rookie year to stamp his presence in the league and be comparable to Luka Doncic:

Rookie of the Year, a top-two rookie season in Mavericks franchise history. The kind of campaign by a teenager that makes it crystal clear (that) this is a dude that you build around for a generation to come. And never, ever, even remotely, consider trading him.

Cooper Flagg has already received the blessing of many NBA legends who’ve seen him in action at the NCAA Tournament.

How does Cooper Flagg fit into the Dallas Mavericks as constructed?

The Dallas Mavericks have the deepest frontcourt in the NBA as the roster currently stands. In PJ Washington and Cooper Flagg, their combo forward duo has the ability to outlast every frontcourt athletically as well as with their motor. The duo are both elite in defensive ability and can back up All-NBA Anthony Davis, who will switch between the 4 and 5 positions based on the moves they make around the core.

Cooper Flagg
Cooper Flagg (NBA.com)

In addition to these two-way monsters, Dallas also has specialist 7-foot centers in Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively. Many expect Nico Harrison to look for a trade partner for one of these, probably Gafford. However, there remains the possibility that Harrison chooses to run with both of them for a part of the next season. The roster was debilitated by injuries last year and may need the depth through the course of the season.

Kyrie Irving will be out of action for over half of the upcoming season. The team needs help at the guard spots and will likely use Klay Thompson at the shooting guard position rather than as a 3 like in 2024-25. The likes of Dennis Schroder, Delon Wright and Malcolm Brogdon could all be options for the team in the short term. They could also make some moves in the second round of the draft to fill this role.

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