Cooper Flagg Picks Nikola Jokic Over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander As Best Player In The NBA

Cooper Flagg's NBA arrival is around the corner, most likely with the Dallas Mavericks, who landed the No. 1 pick in the Draft Lottery. After the draft lottery, the media spoke to the upcoming class of prospects and asked them several questions about the league. One of the questions presented to them was who they think is the best player in the NBA.

While each player had their personal opinion, the best player in the NBA currently would objectively be the Most Valuable Player (MVP). Among a variety of options, some players even went as far as to claim James Harden and LeBron James are still the best players in the league. However, most of them decided between Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the MVP frontrunners. 

When Cooper Flagg was presented this question, he named the Serbian big man, Jokic. He said, "Best player in the NBA right now? Joker. I mean he does so much, he impacts winning in so many different ways."

Nikola Jokic was ranked No. 2 in the NBA's final ladder for the MVP race. He finished the season averaging 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists in 70 games played. One of the handful of players in NBA history to average a triple-double in a season, alongside teammate Russell Westbrook and NBA legend Oscar Robertson.

The No. 1 rank on the ladder belonged to Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in 76 games this season. He led the OKC Thunder to the No. 1 seed in the West and hence secured the top spot in the ladder.

What Cooper Flagg Thinks About Likely Playing In Dallas

Considering that Cooper Flagg is the widely renowned favorite to be drafted No. 1 in the upcoming class, the media assumed the Mavericks would pick him in the upcoming draft. Therefore, he was asked on multiple occasions. Initially, reports came out of his first reaction to the draft lottery.

A report from ESPN claimed, "Though Flagg initially looked shocked by the results of Monday's draft lottery, sources told ESPN that his camp realized how fortunate he is to land in Dallas. Flagg is said to be thrilled by the idea of joining a playoff-caliber roster with strong veterans and a team that has a void at the small forward position."

Later, when Flagg was asked by the ESPN Panel what he was looking forward to the most in Dallas, considering they are looking for a two-way player. He said, "This entire experience for me has been amazing. So, going forward, I'm just going to look forward to that. Like you said, being a two-way player, that's something that I've done since I was a little kid. So, I'm just going to try and keep doing that to the best of my abilities."

He further added, "I didn't try and think about it too much. I feel like it was out of my control, so I'm just kind of going through the process like everybody else and just trying to enjoy every single moment because we only get to do this once."

While Flagg seemed hesitant to directly address the Mavericks' pick, it seems clear that he is looking forward to playing alongside Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving.