A new report reveals that Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg is starting to be viewed by rival executives as one of the elite players in the league after just a few months in the NBA.
The Mavericks stunning decision to trade the face of their franchise, Luka Doncic, a year ago was universally mocked around the sport. However, the bold move was seemingly rewarded by the basketball gods when Dallas somehow won the No. 1 pick in last year’s NBA Draft.
Winning the lottery meant winning the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. The Duke star was the most highly touted high school player since LeBron James and delivered during his lone season in college basketball by earning Player of the Year honors and taking the Blue Devils to the national championship game.
However, after being taken first overall in June, it was not easy for Flagg during his first couple of months as a pro. He struggled at times and was forced into a position where he needed to carry a heavy load on an NBA team right away, despite only being 19 years old. However, by December, the game seemed to slow down, and he’s emerged as a lock to win the Rookie of the Year award this spring.
This week, he showed the heights of his potential when he dropped 49 points in a game against the Charlotte Hornets. Setting a new record by being the youngest player to score that many points in an NBA game. It has added to a growing narrative that Flagg will live up to the hype and soon become one of the faces of the league.
On Friday, more fuel was added to that idea by veteran NBA insider Ryen Russillo. He claims he spoke to a few NBA execs recently and asked which players in the league they would take over Flagg.
One response claimed they would only value Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, and Victor Wembanyama higher than the Mavericks youngster. Another claimed four. Russillo believes that includes the aforementioned trio and Anthony Edwards.
That means to some executives in the league, the 19-year-old already holds more value than big-time stars like Jalen Brunson, Cade Cunningham, and even Doncic.
If you need anymore proof, during a recent appearance on ESPN, prominent NBA insider Brian Windhorst claimed that in his over 20 years covering the sport, the only teenagers that have blown him away like Flagg has are James, Doncic, and Wembanyama.
In his mind, he believes Flagg is a better defender and has a better shot than James at the same age. Plus, his ball handling is also outstanding. If the young star can be anywhere close to James over the next two decades, Mavs fans would be overjoyed.
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After earning his journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos served as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sucka ... More about Jason Burgos