Cooper Flagg Predicted to Be Dallas Mavericks’ Best Player ‘3 Years From Now’

The Dallas Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg with the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft out of Duke. The forward is entering a great situation, as the Mavericks have three future Hall of Famers in Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson to mentor him.

Flagg won’t be Dallas’ best player in 2025-26, but NBA writer Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report thinks the swingman will hold that title “three years from now.”

“Flagg’s floor is extremely high, but everyone is underselling his ceiling,” Hughes wrote. “In three years’ time, he will have proved himself capable of handling top-option duties.”

Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks in college. He’s expected to have a high usage rate in 2025-26, as Irving will miss a significant portion of the season recovering from his left ACL tear.

Flagg shot 5-of-21 from the floor and 0-of-5 from 3 in his Summer League debut against the Los Angeles Lakers. He finished with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes.

To no one’s surprise, Flagg bounced back in a big way in his second Summer League outing against the San Antonio Spurs. The talented all-around player went off for 31 points while shooting 10-of-21 from the field and 3-of-9 from beyond the arc, showing the entire NBA world why the Mavericks drafted him with the first pick.

Flagg is the betting favorite to win the 2025-26 Rookie of the Year Award. It will be intriguing to see how he performs for the Mavericks, who missed the 2025 playoffs after reaching the 2024 NBA Finals.

Dallas head coach Jason Kidd is widely expected to start D’Angelo Russell, Thompson, Flagg, Davis and Daniel Gafford to begin next season. Once Irving returns from his ACL injury, he will replace Russell in the starting lineup.