Cooper Flagg has been the best player on the basketball court for the majority of his career.
The Dallas Mavericks rookie dominated the high school and college level, but he’ll step into a new stratosphere on Wednesday night when he makes his official NBA debut against the San Antonio Spurs.
While most No.1 draft picks join rebuilding teams and are seemingly expected to become a franchise’s savior overnight, Flagg will have a bevy of vets around him in Dallas as he begins his professional career.
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Flagg admitted after Tuesday’s practice that he had several emotions ahead of his first official game, including nervousness and anxiousness, but he doesn’t feel the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“I feel like the opportunity that I was given this year took a lot of that pressure off me,” Flagg said. “Just having the situation to be around AD [Anthony Davis], Kyrie [Irving], Klay [Thompson].
“We’re a really deep team, so I think that kind of takes that pressure off of me to just be myself and not worry about expectations to be like anyone else, but just to be me and help this team win as much as I can.”
Flagg will be tasked with helping Davis and the rest of the Mavericks veterans bounce back from last season’s underwhelming record of 39-43. Their elimination from the Play-In tournament led to a postseason hiatus, but the absence led to the ultimate jackpot for the franchise’s future with the selection of Flagg.
There’s a chance Flagg could start at point guard, just as he did in the final two games of the preseason. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd admitted that he knew who his starting lineup would be for Wednesday, but held his cards close to his chest and wouldn’t reveal the first unit.
If Flagg does indeed start at point guard, there’s a good chance P.J. Washington will be alongside him at the small forward position. The two versatile wing players spent Tuesday’s post-practice together working on their catch-and-shoot 3-point shooting — another good sign of team camaraderie.
“He can do pretty much everything on the offensive end,” Washington said. “He has great size for his position. He can shoot. He makes the right play. For an 18-year-old to be able to do that is unheard of.”
Every player on the Mavericks – outside of Flagg and the team’s three two-ways – has experienced an NBA debut, but only Davis and Irving understand what it’s like for a No. 1 overall pick. Flagg said he hasn’t spoken to any of his older teammates about what the night will entail.
Instead, he wants the focus to be on the game itself and being as competitive as possible.
”I think everything will work itself out if we just lock in on being competitive and just trying to win as many games as possible,“ Flagg said. ”I think that’s the biggest thing. Just lock in on that and not really worrying about expectations or pressures or anything like that and just play to the best we can.”
Kidd, drafted second overall by the Mavericks in 1994, joked that he didn’t want to bore Flagg by sharing any of his experiences from his rookie season.
“We’re going to keep it high energy and fun. No reason to bring him down,” Kidd said. “I think it’s exciting for everyone to go into that atmosphere and get their own feelings because everybody sees it different, feels it different or deals with it differently,” Kidd said.
Flagg will be looking to make a splash in his first game, but there’s another player on the other side of the court who’ll be determined to stop him. Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, another young player heralded as a generational talent, will open his season against the Mavericks for the third straight year.
Wembanyama finished as the 2023-24 Rookie of the Year and his teammate, second-year guard Stephon Castle, hoisted the trophy last season. San Antonio will be without starting point guard De’Aaron Fox because of a right hamstring strain, but No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper will be in the lineup as well.
Flagg has seen film of Wembanyama, but he’s never witnessed him play in person.
“From what the guys have told me, he’s kind of just something you’ve never seen before and you can’t really understand that until you see it in person,” Flagg said. “Obviously, he’s an incredible player and I’m looking forward to getting that experience of competing against him.”
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A new NBA season is upon us, and Flagg’s one and only debut is just hours away. He understands it won’t be perfect, but he’s not expecting it to.
“Just being able to play my first real game obviously, but it’s the start of a great season and great journey with this team,” Flagg said. “I think we have a really good chance to be successful. Just really excited for it.”
Flagg’s first preseason points were recorded by scoring an acrobatic layup. During his press conference prior to the draft, Flagg said his preferred method of scoring his first official NBA points would be a dunk.
He won’t have long to find out if his prediction comes true.