Jul 10, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) looks on against the Los Angeles Lakers in the third quarter of their game at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Former NBA All-Star isn't buying 'generational' talk for Mavericks' Cooper Flagg

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 7:10 PM ET

Cooper Flagg steps into the Dallas Mavericks as one of the most highly regarded prospects in recent memory. His floor from the first day should be a good NBA player, but some question if his ceiling is as high as some project. Is he a future MVP? Will he make a handful of All-NBA teams? Or will he only make an All-Star team once or twice?

One-time All-Star Jeff Teague wants to pump the brakes on calling Cooper Flagg a generational prospect, saying there are very few prospects that deserve to be called "generational."

“Generational? No. Generational was LeBron [James]," Teague said on the "Club 520" podcast. I don’t think we would consider Steph Curry a generational talent when he first came to the league. We thought Zion [Williamson] would be generational. I think he’s gonna be a really good player, though.”

Teague raises a good point that the term "generational" does get overused, but Flagg may fit that description. He won the national player of the year award in college as a freshman, joining Kevin Durant, Zion Williamson, and Anthony Davis as the only players to do so. Most people would consider those players generational at the time they were coming out of college.

Flagg also averaged 19.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 4.2 APG on a Duke team that made it to the Final Four, won the ACC, and went 35-4. He was clearly the best player on that team, even if he did miss part of the ACC Tournament.

If Cooper Flagg Isn't Generational, Who Was?

If Cooper Flagg doesn't qualify as a generational prospect in Jeff Teague's mind, let's try to figure out who does. The best way to do that is to narrow down when teams were clearly tanking to land a specific prospect, or if every draft scout in the world said, "This is the guy. There is no other guy," in regards to a top pick.

Victor Wembanyama is the most recent example. At his size, to still be able to extend his range beyond the three-point line was extremely rare. There hasn't been a player like him before, and there's a good chance there will never be another. The same can be said for LeBron James.

Besides them, in the last 25 years, it's really just Kevin Durant and Greg Oden (who was ruined by injuries) in 2007, possibly Anthony Davis in 2012, and Zion in 2019, who has also had an injury-plagued career.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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