With much hype surrounding Cooper Flagg, Dereck Lively II and the Dallas Mavericks are committed to helping the No. 1 pick have a smooth rookie campaign on and off the court.
Flagg is viewed as a generational prospect, with tremendous hype surrounding his arrival in Dallas. He is projected to start and could have the potential to have a productive season because of his size, athleticism and ability to impact games on both ends of the court.
Lively revealed in August that he was in touch with Flagg throughout the offseason to assist him with the transition to the organization. He has been in his ear early in training camp to help him feel as comfortable as possible ahead of the preseason.
He has been a sponge. He is out here asking questions. He is trying to understand the game. He was the No. 1 pick so everyone is going to be trying to challenge him, trying to go at him and trying to pick on him. I’m just trying to show him that, ‘You’re not one guy. We’re a team. If they’re picking on you, we’re all going to pick on them.’ So, just making sure we have his back. We’re all going to pick him up, no matter what happens.
Flagg enters the 2025-26 season as the front-runner to win Rookie of the Year, ahead of Tre Johnson (plus-800) and VJ Edgecombe (plus-900). He has his sights set on the award and is confident he’ll be in the mix if he can be himself and play his game.
The 18-year-old is already turning heads in training camp, earning approval from the likes of Klay Thompson, coach Jason Kidd and others. He has had a seemingly smooth transition to practice and is eager for their preseason opener on Monday.
Flagg landed in a good situation with the Mavericks, surrounded by a strong support system. The team will be pushing him to maximize his development and believes this season will be the start of a long and productive career in the NBA.