Cooper Flagg Speaks at Draft Combine After Lottery Surprise, Eyes Potential Fit With Mavs

“I’m grateful to get this opportunity, or any opportunity to hear my name called on draft night,” Flagg said, via DallasHoopsJournal’s Grant Afseth. “I’m just really excited for this whole experience. Not everybody gets to go through this, so I just feel really blessed. As far as Dallas goes, they’ve got a lot of really good pieces.”

With Utah, Washington and Charlotte entering the lottery with the best odds, few expected Dallas to come away with the top selection. But that’s how it played out, putting the Mavericks in position to draft a player widely considered the best in his class since he first stepped onto the floor at Duke.

Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks for the Blue Devils this past season, while shooting 48.1% from the field and 38.5% on 3-pointers. He helped guide Duke to a 35-4 record and a Final Four berth.

If Dallas holds onto the pick, Flagg would be joining a veteran-heavy roster that includes Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford, and P.J. Washington — a far cry from the typical rebuilding environment awaiting most top picks.

And there’s already one familiar face in Dallas.

“To be able to learn from D-Live — that’s pretty cool,” Flagg said, referencing Mavericks center and fellow Duke product Dereck Lively II. “So I think it would be a really cool opportunity.”

Flagg was in the audience Monday night when the lottery results were revealed, attending the event with Duke teammate and fellow lottery hopeful Kon Knueppel. He didn’t directly comment on the result, but admitted it took him by surprise.

“It was a crazy draft lottery,” Flagg said. “It was a cool experience to be there and go through that experience.”

Flagg is not expected to participate in most on-court drills during the combine. Per Afseth, he measured 6 feet, 7.75 inches without shoes with a 7-foot wingspan, 8-foot-10.5 standing reach, and weighed in at 221 pounds with a 40-inch vertical leap.

Flagg is unlikely to conduct private workouts for teams outside of Dallas. The Mavericks, meanwhile, have a decision to make — keep the pick and add the 17-year-old phenom, or field calls from teams hoping to move up.

But Flagg isn’t concerned with that part of the business.

“Wherever it is, I’m just gonna try and be me to the best of my ability,” he said. “Try to do whatever the team needs — play both sides of the ball and just play really hard in every single possession.”