The Dallas Mavericks were fortunate to win the 2025 NBA Draft lottery and acquire Cooper Flagg.
Cooper Flagg seems worthy of being the first overall pick. He is a great two-way talent and already looks NBA ready.
Flagg’s impressive playmaking has been on display during the NBA preseason. The Dallas Mavericks started him at point guard in recent games as well.
Flagg had 11 points and seven assists in the Mavericks’ preseason win over the Utah Jazz.
With Kyrie Irving not expected to return until January, the Mavericks may look to get creative with Flagg.
With Irving gone, he will take on more on-ball responsibilities as the rookie can create for himself and others.
Brian Windhorst talked about what Flag has looked like with the ball in his hands. He said Flagg was better than LeBron James in his rookie season.
“You know what? He handles the ball better than LeBron in his first year in the league.
“Now, LeBron was a much more talented offensive player, but LeBron played point guard as a rookie and was frankly a disaster.
“He led the league in turnovers, which he himself admitted.”
The two-man game between Flagg and Anthony Davis is already going to give NBA teams nightmares.
Kendrick Perkins thinks Flagg should play point guard for the Mavericks because of his ability to multitask. He even compared the 18-year-old to LeBron James.
“I said it on draft night, he’s the white version of LeBron James, and as far as IQ for the game, he’s got it.
“When you talk about his ability to create, defend and do all of those things, Cooper Flagg has that package.”
The Mavericks have generational talent. They can use Flagg in a variety of ways this season.
There was a lot of hype around Flagg when he entered the league, and so far he’s lived up to all of it.