The Mavericks are set to take Cooper Flagg<\/a>, the consensus number one pick, and they will not be trading the opportunity away.<\/p>\n Flagg will become the Mavericks\u2019 new hero, with the fanbase recently left disconsolate after superstar player Luka Doncic was traded away<\/a> in the middle of the night.<\/p>\n But how good can Flagg become? Former NBA star Tony Allen does not see the \u2018generational\u2019 hype.<\/p>\n Former Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies star Tony Allen<\/a> believes Cooper Flagg<\/a> will not be able to single-handedly turn the Dallas Mavericks around.<\/p>\n And while perhaps he does not need to, due to the high caliber talent already on the Mavericks, who still made the Play-In Tournament, Allen believes it could be four years until the team see the best of Flagg.<\/p>\n In a heated debate speaking to The Chris Vernon Show on Grind City Media, Allen insisted: \u201cI don\u2019t think Cooper Flagg is going to turn their franchise around like that. I\u2019m serious.\u201d<\/p>\n Allen listed a number of players with unique traits, noting that he does not see any standout similarities in Flagg\u2019s game that jump out to him.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst he hyped up coming out of Duke, that\u2019s extra pressure. He\u2019s nice. I ain\u2019t seeing KD, I don\u2019t see that.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s not a knockdown three kind of Klay Thompson. He don\u2019t have that kind of shot. I don\u2019t see that Zion Williamson type athleticism\u2026 I don\u2019t see his handle. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m saying he\u2019s got a lot of work to do. You will see the upside of this kid probably in his fourth year.\u201d<\/p>\n Amid pushback on his claims, Allen doubled down, adding: \u201cI don\u2019t see it.\u00a0I\u2019m not even hating. I don\u2019t see it bro.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen KD came from Texas it was like damn, he\u2019s 6\u201910, he got a handle, he shooting it all up, he going to the hole.\u201d<\/p>\n Allen claims the upside he sees with Cooper Flagg is former Utah Jazz player Andrei Kirilenko, a former first round pick in 1999, who spent 10 years with the Utah Jazz<\/a> between 2001 and 2011, before spells with the Nets and the Minnesota Timberwolves. <\/p>\n Kirilenko, nicknamed AK-47, was a one-time All-Star, but not the superstar type player the Mavericks hope Flagg can become.<\/p>\n Allen said: \u201cI\u2019m giving him Andrei Kirilenko. That\u2019s a cornerstone\u00a0piece you can put in your organization, they still going to need a number one down the line.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Cooper Flagg won\u2019t win Rookie of the Year\u2019<\/p>\n Asked whether Cooper Flagg will win the Rookie of the Year Award for 2025-26, Allen had a simple answer.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. Wherever Fears go, wherever Jeremiah Fears go, he\u2019s the one.\u201d<\/p>\n Jeremiah Fears<\/a> has been projected by ESPN<\/a> as the number five overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the pick owned by the Utah Jazz.<\/p>\n![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2214887127-940x627.jpg\")
Photo by Michael Reaves\/Getty ImagesTony Allen compares Cooper Flagg to Andrei Kirilenko<\/p>\n