The Dallas Mavericks have selected Cooper Flagg with the first pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, and Bob Myers expects him to hit the ground running. On ESPN's NBA Draft Show, Myers boldly stated that he believes Flagg will impact winning more next season than Victor Wembanyama did as a rookie for the San Antonio Spurs.
"The unique thing about Cooper Flagg, Malika, is he impacts winning," Myers said. "More so than a lot of players. I'm gonna say something that might be controversial: Victor Wembanyama got a lot of attention being the No. 1 pick. I could see Cooper Flagg impacting winning more than Victor did in his rookie year.
"And Victor is a fantastic player," Myers continued. "And the reason is Cooper Flagg is as NBA-ready as they come, and I'll tell you why. He guards. He defends. He blocks. He steals... How he's going to get on the court for Dallas and Jason Kidd is the work he does on [defense] and that's what I think makes him so unique... And he went to a team that is very good team already."
Myers was the general manager of the Golden State Warriors from 2012 to 2023 and played his part in their dynastic run, which yielded four titles. His opinion carries weight, but this might not be his greatest take for a couple of reasons.
First of all, as Myers himself pointed out, Flagg has gone to a very good team in the Mavericks. He will be playing alongside the likes of Anthony Davis and, eventually, Kyrie Irving, when the guard returns to the court from his torn ACL. Provided the Mavericks stay relatively healthy, they should be a playoff team.
Wembanyama, meanwhile, was selected first overall in 2023 by a Spurs team that wasn't exactly brimming with talent. Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, and Keldon Johnson were the best players the Frenchman played with as a rookie, and it wasn't a surprise that the team finished the 2023-24 season with a 22-60 record.
No matter how good you are, you aren't going to win too many games as a rookie if you don't have a good team around you. Even LeBron James missed the playoffs in the first two years of his career, and there haven't been too many players in NBA history who have impacted winning the way he has.
Secondly, Myers brought up defense as a huge positive when it comes to Flagg. It's safe to say, though, that he's not going to be as impactful a defender as Wembanyama was as a rookie.
Wembanyama averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.6 blocks per game as a rookie and finished second in voting for DPOY. As good as Flagg is on that end of the floor, he is unlikely to be in the running for the award in 2026.
There's a reason why no one has claimed that Wembanyama hasn't lived up to that title of being a generational talent despite not having a lot of team success. His impact is clear for all to see, and it's only a matter of time before he turns the Spurs into a powerhouse.
Provided Wembanyama and Flagg remain with the Spurs and Mavericks, respectively, for a long time, we'll get to see them face off against each other four times a season. Their clashes are going to be must-watch television.
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