How high can Cooper Flagg climb early?
That's been the question befuddling several pundits. The 6-foot-8 Duke forward was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the No. 1 pick in this June's 2025 NBA Draft.
Normally, 18-year-old top draft selections aren't expected to contribute right away, but Flagg is joining a fairly talented Dallas club.
Cooper Flagg will still be the best player from his draft class in five years, per insiders
Flagg was selected ahead of several other talented prospects in what is said to be a top-heavy draft class.
In a poll of 20 league coaches, executives and scouts from ESPN's Tim Bontemps, 18 believe Flagg will still be best player in five years among his draft class, above No. 2 pick Dylan Harper of the San Antonio Spurs and No. 6 pick Ace Bailey of the Utah Jazz. Each earned a vote apiece.
Former Baylor Bears shooting guard V.J. Edgecombe (the No. 3 pick by the Philadelphia 76ers), ex-Duke wing Kon Knueppel (selected at No. 4 by the Charlotte Hornets), and former Texas shooting guard Tre Johnson (No. 6 by the Washington Wizards) were all passed over by the panel.
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Of the 20 surveyed, 19 predict that Flagg will be named Rookie of the Year in 2025-26.
"If Cooper went to a bad team, he'd be the obvious answer. But his landing spot could cause him to develop differently," one cautious Western Conference executive told Bontemps, insinuating that Harper had "a clear path to success" from a growth standpoint.
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The talent surrounding Flagg does make his immediate future — and Dallas' short-term upside — a bit of a question mark.
He's joining a roster that already includes two still-potent All-Stars in big man Anthony Davis and point guard Kyrie Irving, and plenty of appetizing depth in wings Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall and Caleb Martin, forward PJ Washington, centers Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, and point guard D'Angelo Russell. Beyond Thompson, all of Dallas' role players remain in their absolute primes.
Irving is still recovering from an ACL tear, and could miss the first half of the season. Russell will do his best Irving impression until the future Hall of Famer does return.
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