How do Cooper Flagg's early numbers stack up against NBA champions?

Welcome to the NBA, Dallas Mavericks rookie forward Cooper Flagg, where life is much more challenging than it was at Duke. 

The Mavericks are banking on Flagg — the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 draft — to be an immediate replacement for superstar guard Luka Doncic, traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in February. So far, he looks like an 18-year-old rookie. 

Through four games, he's averaging 13 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game and 2.5 assists per game on 38 percent shooting from the field. On Monday, he scored a season-low two points on 1-of-9 shooting in a 101-94 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Is his slow start a cause for concern? Let's compare his early numbers to those of three champions to find out.

How does Cooper Flagg stack up against NBA champions?

In a story published in April, ESPN's Jeremy Woo reported that three of Flagg's best comps were Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Hall of Fame forward Scottie Pippen. Attached below is a chart with their offensive stats from their first four NBA games. All numbers were found through StatMuse.

Compared to these stars, Flagg's numbers don't look terrible. He's been more effective than Pippen and Leonard and a better facilitator than Tatum. 

His field-goal percentage still has room for improvement, but it could be better if the 1-3 Mavericks weren't overloading his plate and the small sample size is skewed by Monday's poor showing. With point guard Kyrie Irving (torn ACL) not expected to return until at least January 2026, Flagg has been forced to fill the position. For the most part, that experiment hasn't worked. 

Unlike Flagg, smaller-school stars Pippen and Leonard weren't considered elite prospects. Pippen played at Central Arkansas, while Leonard starred for San Diego State.

Tatum was more polished than Leonard or Pippen, but not as highly touted as Flagg. In a story published in June, The Athletic's Sam Vecenie ranked Flagg as his No. 2 prospect of the last decade. His fellow Duke alum came in at No. 12. 

Flagg may have been a tad overhyped in the preseason, but it's way too early to label him a bust. The numbers show he's no worse than Tatum, Leonard and Pippen were at the start of their careers. And they weren't being asked to carry franchises.

The aforementioned stars played for teams that had made the playoffs the previous season. Pippen played for the Chicago Bulls during his rookie season, while Leonard was with the San Antonio Spurs. Tatum was still on the Celtics.  

Dallas, meanwhile, was eliminated by the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament last season. That further puts Flagg's numbers into perspective and shows it isn't yet time to panic about the 6-foot-9, 205-pound wing.