There is good reason the Dallas Mavericks were jumping for joy after landing the number one overall pick.
Nico Harrison and the Dallas Mavericks’ top brass celebrated after being given a much-needed chance to reset when the franchise was drawn the top overall pick via the NBA Draft Lottery.
The Mavericks now have the right to select highly touted prospect Cooper Flagg, with head coach Jason Kidd indicating this is exactly what they will do.
Kidd discussed the experience the Mavericks have available to help Flagg, citing Anthony Davis, a former number one pick.
Davis features on a rare list of elite college prospects over the past 15 years, one that Flagg has planted his name on too.
Photo by Samuel Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesCooper Flagg’s college plus-minus
Cooper Flagg’s performances for Duke over the past season saw him up to the hype, with teams tanking to try and land him through the Lottery.
Evidence of his high ability is tracked through Bart Torvik’s advanced stats, which records college box plus-minus dating back to the 2007-08 season.
Cooper Flagg has the 10th best numbers overall (15.0) and he is one of only three freshman to place in the top 10.
The other two are Anthony Davis in 2012 (16.7) and Zion Williamson in 2019 (18.7).
Also on the list are Stephen Curry in 2008 as a sophomore (15.5) and more recently Zach Edey in 2024 as a senior (15.5).
Cooper Flagg has been a high level prospect for years
Cooper Flagg’s journey to the NBA has been a long time in the making, with the teenager impressing at every level on the way.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer spoke earlier this year to explain how he first became aware of Cooper Flagg, thanking former NBA player Brian Scalabrine for the tip-off.
He explained: “I heard about Cooper at a really young age. Scalabrine was the first person to make me aware of basically this is a no-brainer.
“I responded right away. Then just followed his progression. He was only 14 years old at the time.
And then I remember watching him for the first time in person when he was 15 in the Nike EYBL Peach Jam, and I remember watching him and saying, Scal was right. It took me about 90 seconds. From there, it was all out.”
Now Flagg is destined for the NBA, seemingly with the Dallas Mavericks, where he will team up with former elite prospect Anthony Davis. It is an exciting pairing with two of the best college players in years set to get the chance to play together.