Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (left) and guard Kyrie Irving (right) look on during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Oklahoma City Thunder at Dickie's Arena.
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The Dallas Mavericks are hoping to take another step forward this year as they rebuild their roster around reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg. Flagg showed every bit of the superstar potential that Mavericks fans were hoping for last year, and this year, he will have the benefit of playing alongside future Hall of Famer Kyrie Irving as the point guard returns from an ACL injury.
Recently, the NBA 2k franchise has been releasing its initial player rankings for the upcoming season, and on Wednesday, they revealed that Flagg and Irving both came in at the exact same rating of 87.
That puts Flagg and Irving in the same rating group as players like Washington Wizards point guard Trae Young, San Antonio Spurs star Stephon Castle, and Houston Rockets big man Alperen Sengun, among others.
At this point, it's unclear what Irving will look like after missing all of the 2025-26 season due to an ACL tear he suffered shortly after the infamous Luka Doncic trade. Offseason workout videos have shown the star looking spry, but small guards in their mid-30s coming off serious injuries don't have a historically great track record.
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Meanwhile, Flagg is looking to continue adding to his game this year after his impressive rookie season, with a consistent outside jumper being the next box to check off on his road to superstardom.
The Mavericks didn't make any huge splashes this offseason, although they did add a potentially intriguing piece in 2024 number one overall pick Zaccharie Risacher to the mix.
Dallas will find out its schedule for the upcoming season on Thursday afternoon when the entire NBA slate is revealed at 3:00 pm ET.