After an unlikely scenario where the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA Draft Lottery to secure the first overall pick, they officially selected Cooper Flagg, marking the first time since Mark Aguirre in 1981 that the franchise chose in the top spot. This put an end to a month of speculation about possibly trading the pick, something that was never on the table.
Now, they’ll boast a generational talent who will aim to return the franchise to the highest competitive level alongside elite players like Anthony Davis or Kyrie Irving.
A prospect from another planet, second only to Victor Wembanyama
If Victor Wembanyama is a phenomenon, Cooper Flagg isn’t far behind. We could say he’s the second-best prospect of the last 10 years, behind the Frenchman.
Flagg, a former Duke Blue Devils star, has already been compared to several NBA stars in recent years. Jeremy Woo of ESPN compiled various opinions from league executives, who have likened him to leaders, Finals MVPs, Defensive Players of the Year, and other notable figures.
Jayson Tatum
“Both of them at Duke presented really positively as guys that were going to have a couple of off-ramps to be super successful. We’re seeing that with Flagg recently, he’s had poor shooting nights like against [Alabama in the Elite Eight], and still was super impactful [toward] winning. … People questioned both of their shots, which turned out to be a silly concern, probably. They both have really good feel offensively in a way that’s just uncommon for their size and usage.” – a second Western Conference executive
Scottie Pippen
“I say Scottie because he could have been a No. 1 guy, and was after MJ left [Chicago], but he became by far the best No. 2. I think Cooper will be a hell of a No. 2, but he might need a top 10 [player] running mate with him. He can obviously prove me wrong, but I don’t see him as a No. 1 guy on a championship team in his career.” – an Eastern Conference general manager
Kawhi Leonard
“[Flagg]’s really good defensively and can be a game-changer on that end pretty much immediately with his size, effort, and IQ. He’s always been a very good defender, and the offense is coming along. It’s a very similar path to the one Kawhi was on early in his NBA career, as a guy who had all these really useful qualities, and then entered as a real two-way force as he rounded out his game.” – a Western Conference scout
Lamar Odom
“Just the ease and comfort level handling the ball on the perimeter – we talk about [whether] guys are inside players who develop outside or perimeter players who take their game down low. Flagg has had such comfort on the perimeter. Odom filled out and was a late growth spurt guy with ball skills. You love a guy who at 6-10 can play with the facility of being a 6-3 guard.” – Western Conference executive No. 1
Andrei Kirilenko
“Kirilenko led the NBA in blocks! I don’t see Flagg doing that. [Kirilenko] had the energy to expend more on the defensive end because he was a role player offensively. Kirilenko doing three blocks a game [at his peak] as a non-center is incredible, in an era where there weren’t as many possessions. … But you project Flagg to be much more meaningful on the offensive end.” – Western Conference executive No. 1
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