Cooper Flagg has been touted as a generational player for the Dallas Mavericks, although he needs to hone certain aspects of his game to be an MVP.
Cooper Flagg was easily the best player in the 2025 NBA Draft, and the Dallas Mavericks very likely landed a generational player to build around.
If it wasn’t for the hype surrounding Victor Wembanyama two years ago, Flagg would easily be the most highly touted rookie in recent memory, passing Zion Williamson and his new teammate, Anthony Davis.
However, Flagg is only 18 years old and still has a long way to go before he hits his peak. While he is expected to be a win-now player for the Mavericks, he has a lot to learn before he can cement himself as one of the better players in the league.
In his lone season at Duke, Flagg showcased his talents as an elite two-way player who can score with the best of them and lock down multiple positions.
Of course, as an 18-year-old, his game is far from perfect. While he can score from seemingly anywhere, Jason Kidd has made it clear that he wants Flagg to facilitate the offense alongside D’Angelo Russell.
In college, Flagg posted two assists for every turnover. In the Summer League, that number dropped to 1.7 assists per turnover.
Simply put, that’s not good enough for him to be even a secondary facilitator.
“It’s also worth noting that sources at NBA summer league pointed out a couple of minor deficiencies in Flagg’s game that he’ll need to iron out over his first couple of years in the league to rise to the level he’s projected to reach,” explained ESPN’s Michael C. Wright.
“After that, several factors,that are beyond his control, come into play, including overall team success, media narratives, and how Flagg’s NBA peers are performing.”
Flagg’s passing and ball-handling both have a solid foundation, although he is yet to play real games against legitimate NBA talent, and a learning curve and growing pains are to be expected. Still, the bar is ridiculously high.
LeBron James entered the NBA at 18 years old and was immediately a star. Flagg is expected to be on nearly the same level and is the American superstar that the NBA has missed out on in recent years.
“Flagg possesses the background as the most promising American No. 1 pick since LeBron James and the all-around game that will draw the around-the-clock attention consideration from MVP voters,” Wright added
By passing former first picks like Davis and Williamson, Flagg can be on the same level as James, although the expectations are slightly lower. James has four MVP trophies to his name, and Wright’s ESPN colleagues don’t think Flagg will quite get there.
According to a panel, 34.6% of writers think Flagg will never win MVP, 46.2% think he will win one, 15.4% think he will win two, and 3.8% think he will tie or surpass James at four or more.
Based on the attention Flagg got before getting drafted, anything short of an MVP season at least once during his career will be considered a failure, although he has some stiff competition.
