There’s a good reason the Dallas Mavericks were jumping for joy after landing the number one overall pick.
Nico Harrison and the Dallas Mavericks’ Top Brass celebrated after being given the much needed opportunity to reset when the franchise painted the overall pick through the NBA Draft Lottery.
Maverick now has the right to choose the highly advertised prospect Cooper Flag.
Kidd discussed his experiences in helping out Flagg, citing previous No. 1 pick Anthony Davis.
Davis has been on a rare list of elite college prospects for the past 15 years, and Flagg has planted his name as well.
Cooper Flag’s performance over the past seasons made him look hype and tanked by teams trying to give him a try through the lottery.
Evidence of his high ability is tracked through Bart Torvik’s advanced statistics, which record College Box Plus and Minus, dating back to the 2007-08 season.
Cooper Flag has the 10th best number overall (15.0) and he is one of three freshmen in the top 10.
The other two are Anthony Davis (16.7) in 2012 and Zion Williamson (18.7) in 2019.
On the list is Stephen Curry as a sophomore (15.5) in 2008, and most recently Zach Edey as a senior (15.5) in 2024.
Cooper Flag’s journey to the NBA has been an impressive and long time spent with teenagers who are impressed on all levels along the way.
Duke coach John Schayer explained how he first noticed Cooper Flag earlier this year, thanking former NBA player Brian Scarablin for the tip-off.
He explained: “I’ve heard of Cooper at a really young age. Scalabrin was the first person to make me realize that this is basically easy.
“I responded immediately. Then I just followed his progress. He was 14 at the time.
And I remember seeing him for the first time at Nike Eybl Peach Jam when he was 15 years old. I remember looking at him and saying Scal was right. It took about 90 seconds. From there, it all came out. ”
Currently, Flag is destined for the NBA and teams up with the Dallas Mavericks and the seemingly former elite prospect Anthony Davis. It’s an exciting pairing with two best college players for years to get the chance to play together.