Flagg Arrives With Historic Hype
Cooper Flagg has entered the NBA with monumental expectations. The Dallas Mavericks rookie was drafted first general after a standout freshman 12 months at Duke. He grew to become solely the fourth freshman in historical past to win the Nationwide Participant of the 12 months award, cementing himself as the highest prospect within the 2025 draft class.
The Mavericks have been lucky to land him. That they had only a 1.8% probability on the No. 1 choose however managed to leapfrog into the highest spot. That luck gave them a participant who’s already being seen as the favourite for Rookie of the 12 months.
Coaches and Scouts Count on Huge Issues
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps not too long ago polled 20 coaches, executives, and scouts. Nineteen of them chosen Flagg as the favourite to win Rookie of the 12 months. The one different vote went to Flagg’s Duke teammate, Kon Knueppel, now with the Charlotte Hornets.
“Not surprisingly, Flagg ran away from the sphere as one of the crucial anticipated prospects to come back into the NBA in current reminiscence, presumably trailing solely Wembanyama in that class,” Bontemps wrote.
A Western Convention assistant coach defined his lone vote for Knueppel: “He’ll be on a nasty staff, may have the ball in his fingers and put up numbers.”
Projected Greatest Participant of His Class
Bontemps additionally requested which rookie would be the finest participant 5 years from now. Flagg once more dominated the ballot, incomes 18 of 20 votes. Solely Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper acquired one vote every.
“As some extent guard touchdown with Victor, there’s a transparent path to success,” a Western Convention scout mentioned of Harper. “If Cooper went to a nasty staff, he’d be the plain reply. However his touchdown spot might trigger him to develop otherwise.”
Able to Lead Early
Flagg’s position will probably be giant from the beginning. With Kyrie Irving sidelined, Dallas wants playmaking, and Flagg will deal with the ball typically. He confirmed his potential in Summer season League, scoring 31 factors towards the San Antonio Spurs in simply his second recreation.
The Mavericks are constructed round veterans like Irving, Anthony Davis, and Klay Thompson, however their future clearly belongs to Flagg. As these stars age, the rookie ahead is poised to develop into the franchise cornerstone Dallas has been in search of.
