The Dallas Mavericks have to be pleased with the way their top draft pick Cooper Flagg has excelled during his debut NBA season.
While the Western Conference team currently sits 12th, Flagg’s emergence as one of the best young players in the NBA has been refreshing for Dallas.
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In fact, the 19 year old is outshining one of the NBA’s legends at the same point in his career. Cooper Flagg is averaging over 22.8 points per game before turning 20 years old, which is more than LeBron James.
LeBron James vs Cooper Flagg at 19 years old…
LeBron James Cooper Flagg
▪️22.6 PPG ▪️22.8 PPG
▪️5.8 REBs ▪️6.6 REBs
▪️6.3 AST ▪️6.6 AST pic.twitter.com/pXk2KshbEn
— Underdog (@Underdog) December 31, 2025
Meanwhile, the former Duke sensation is also averaging more assists and rebounds per game than James during his debut season in Cleveland.
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Expectations were certainly high from current and former NBA stars before Flagg even entered the league. However, the Mavericks star has been the perfect fit for a franchise that needs resetting after the Luka Doncic trade.
The Mavericks are stuck in a competitive Western Conference, but Flagg continues to show that he can ball out against the league’s best. That included the promising talent putting up 27 points against the Golden State Warriors last week.
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At this current pace, Cooper Flagg is living up to the billing. Although he has a long way to go to be mentioned in the same breath as LeBron James.
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