NBA analysts have revealed why they believe Cooper Flag will be entering an elite defensive season as a rookie.
The 18-year-old was overall first selected by the Dallas Mavericks after an incredible performance at Duke in the NCAA Tournament.
There was no much doubt about him being the first overall pick in the 2025 draft, as he had already proven his ability to play with NBA players when he was with the USA Select team last year.
The Cooper Flag is fantastic on both ends of the floor, and the same is expected from him when he begins his NBA career.
He is also part of the stacked Mavs roster, and Tim Legler believes it means Flag needs to step up defensively.
Flaggg has appeared in the NBA as one of his best outlooks these days, as his name has been circulating around league circles since high school.
He had several college offers, but he chose to average 19.5 points at Duke, but most importantly, Flag averaged 1.4 blocks and stole a lot of steel in the NCAA Tournament.
The Mavs rookie gave a glimpse into his sparkle in his summer league performances, earning 10 and 31 in the two games he played there.
However, Legler saw something defensively from him and made him believe that Flag would be defensively important to MAV.
He said:
“The most important thing in number one is his lateral movements as a ball defender, and as a weak side defender, he expects the ground he covers, where he should be next, and the level of activity he is.
“He has the ability to recover and athleticism so that he can still stand there and annoy you, even when he defeats the dribbling.”
LeBron James said Flag has the luxury of playing on a roster full of legends such as Clay Thompson, Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving.
This helps him learn a lot as a rookie, but puts a lot of pressure from him as the number one pick.
His teammates certainly hold him accountable, and once the rookie enters the league, Flag also has a chance to compete for the championship.
Legler added: “His IQ, I want someone important to him. That’s important to me. I think you’ll notice him sooner. You know the first 10 games you’ve seen the Cooper Flag.
“There are not many people who are paying attention to the league. They want to score, they want opportunities, they want touch, they’re usually on a bad team, their defense isn’t that important.
“He’s on a team that is expected to compete and will be plugged in there soon, so his defense will be scrutiny.”