In leading the Dallas Mavericks to another NBA Finals appearance, Cooper Flagg has a once-in-a-lifetime chance to cement his place in basketball lore as one of the all-time greats.
Impressive statistics in his lone season with the Blue Devils led to the rookie sensation’s selection as the top pick in the most recent NBA Draft.
According to ESPN draft analyst Jay Bilas, Flagg’s performance with the USA Select team last summer was rather remarkable, indicating his potential in the league.
The other NBA players probably thought, “This guy’s pretty good.” So he’s immediately credible.
Cooper Flagg disses new Mavericks teammate Kyrie Irving
Cooper Flagg will team up with a former Duke star: All-Star point guard and former NBA champion Kyrie Irving, who has already taking Dallas to a Finals alongside shooting superstar Luka Doncic. Irving’s and Doncic’s talent was not enough to overcome Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brownand the rest of the Boston Celtics.
However, Flagg didn’t win any points by ‘dissing’ Irving during a “Start, Bench, Cut College Careers Challenge”, where Cooperwas asked to choose between three Blue Devils former superstars: Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, and JJ Redick.
The rookie chose Redick to start, benching Tatum and cutting Irving. Now, to be fair, Flagg was not too far off from his picks. After all, JJ Redick – the current Los Angeles Lakers head coach – remains Duke’s all-time leading scorer, and his 26.8 points per game as a senior in 2005-06 still sits untouched as the single-season school record.
Tatum flaunted the potential to be both a high-end scorer and an impact defender in his 2016-17 campaign at Duke, averaging 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
And Irving played one season for Duke University in the 2010-2011 season before being drafted first overall in the 2011 NBA draft. He was cut short by a toe injury after just eight games, where he averaged 17.4 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.8 rebounds.
Flagg wants to be a sponge during his rookie year
Cooper Flagg, a 6-9 18-year-old from Newport, Maine, becomes the first No. 1 pick in franchise history since 1981 when Mark Aguirre was selected. He will immediately step in as a major cornerstone for a team built to win now and for years to come.
There will not be any unreasonable expectations placed on Flagg because Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson are already on board.
However, if a major part is required immediately, he is more than eager to step up. “It’s incredible,” Flagg said to reporters in the Dallas region upon hearing the lucky announcement. “I long to be a magical sponge. As much as possible, I would like to learn.
The way AD influences the outcome of games from both sides of the ball makes him an outstanding role model, in my opinion. Additionally, Cooper expressed his belief that learning and understanding things would be a great experience.
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