Despite boasting three future Hall of Fame players on the roster, the Dallas Mavericks missed the playoffs last year and slid into the draft lottery. With only a 1.8% chance, they landed the first overall pick, selecting Cooper Flagg.
It’s rare that the top pick lands on a team with title hopes, but Flagg is ready for the occasion. His potential is sky-high, but he is far from a raw prospect. He’s ready to impact winning right away.
In the preseason, he is averaging 11.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. He is an excellent defender and can play whatever role Jason Kidd needs from him. His offensive versatility earned him comparisons to two other Duke stars.
GettyFORT WORTH, TEXAS – OCTOBER 06: Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks is defended by Cason Wallace #22 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half of a preseason game at Dickies Arena on October 06, 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Cooper Flagg Compared to Two Duke Legends
Duke University is an excellent academic school, but it’s known for its NBA pipeline more than anything else. In the 2025 NBA Draft, the Blue Devils boasted three players picked in the top ten.
Forwards, especially, seem to be tantalizing when leaving Durham. Flagg seems to be the next step, blending the talents of two of the more noteworthy Duke players: Jayson Tatum and Zion Williamson.
“It’s a little like Zion,” prefaced Bill Simmons on his self-titled podcast. “There’s going to be situations where it’s like, I guess we’re playing them at center, oh, I guess he’s our point guard now. He’s going to be all over the map.”
Williamson, when healthy, is one of the best players in the NBA. However, his frame and explosiveness have limited him severely, as injuries have kept him off the court more often than not. By and large, despite his talents, he is considered a draft bust.
However, unlike Williamson, Flagg doesn’t rely solely on his burst.
“It feels like he’s more sophisticated offensively with some stuff like going to the basket, shooting off the wrong foot, some of the explosive stuff,” Simmons listed. “It just feels like he’s added some stuff to his bag that I wasn’t positive he’d have. He felt way closer to Tatum than I was expecting.”
Tatum, despite his recent Achilles tear, is one of the more durable and versatile players in the NBA, and Flagg is expected to be an even better defender.
It’s Hard to Compare Cooper Flagg to NBA Legends
Like most top prospects, Flagg has earned his fair share of NBA comparisons. Unlike Victor Wembanyama, he doesn’t blend a never-before-seen skillset into a 7-4 frame, so it’s not impossible to find realistic comps.
However, his impact on both sides of the ball makes it hard to deliver a clear verdict.
At his best, Flagg is a DPOTY candidate who can play, to a degree, all five positions. Kawhi Leonard could lead a scoring attack and lock down on defense, but he is not a high-level facilitator. Nikola Jokic can do everything on offense, but he is not an elite defender.
Flagg takes the versatile skillsets of some of the best role-players in the NBA and adds a scoring punch to elevate him to superstar status. Imagine combining every position into one player and putting it in a fairly normal NBA body. That would be Flagg.
Unlike Wembanyama, Flagg is not a “never-before-seen” talent, although he manages to blend all of the things that have made similar stars great.
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