Cooper Flagg has started to find his stride in his first year in the NBA. In the last six games, the former Duke star has averaged 23 points per game, while the Dallas Mavericks have gone 5-1.

While the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft will continue to develop, Flagg has already been compared to NBA greats such as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. 

ESPN recently ranked its top 25 players under the age of 25, and unsurprisingly, Flagg is near the top of the list at No. 8. 

After some early-season handwringing about Flagg’s initial performances — he was playing out of position at point guard on a team with hardly any shooting around him and with plenty of drama — things have looked far different once Flagg switched back to his combo forward role. He’s putting up stat lines that are only comparable to LeBron James among 18-year-olds in NBA history. Dallas is going to be just fine as the Flagg era takes hold in the Metroplex.

To take the next step, Flagg…

Has to continue to develop his body and offensive game. The thing that’s so impressive about him is that he still very much looks like a teenager playing against grown men — and he still puts up big numbers. That said, Flagg is shooting 25% from 3, and to become a complete offensive force in today’s league, especially as a wing player, he has to get into the mid-to-high 30s in the future.

Flagg and the Mavericks travel to Salt Lake City to play the Utah Jazz on Monday.