The end of the NBA season is on the horizon, and with it comes the excitement of the 2025–2026 offseason, as the league’s next wave of stars prepares to make its entrance. The spotlight? It’s firmly on Cooper Flagg, the near-lock for the No. 1 pick in the Draft.
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Flagg won over the country and the basketball community during his fantastic year with the Duke Blue Devils. Now, with the Dallas Mavericks widely expected to be his NBA destination, the 18-year-old recently reflected on the pre-draft process—and how Jayson Tatum inspired him—during an interview on the Deep 3 podcast.
“It’s been an incredible experience,” began Flagg. “This whole opportunity has been super cool for me, and I think a lot of the guys would say the same thing.”
Fortunately, he’s not going through the process alone—several of his Duke teammates, including Tyrese Proctor and Kon Knueppel, are also at the draft camp with him. “I think having five of us here is a really cool experience. I don’t know how many times that’s happened.”
“But I think it’s a really cool experience for us, and being able to just hang out in the hotel together. To have people around that you are really comfortable with is really cool,” Flagg added.
The future NBA star was then asked about his favorite aspect of his game—and it didn’t take the 6’9″ athlete long to answer. “I would say the versatility aspect. Trying to make a lot of different winning plays and impact the game in more ways than just scoring. Trying to do it all at the same time at a high level.”
It’s hard to disagree with Flagg. A major reason he stood out at Duke was his ability to draw multiple defenders and create opportunities for his teammates. Yet, he still found ways to score, whether through his post game or a smooth, efficient jumper.
Like every aspiring baller, Flagg looks up to certain players. The biggest name for him is Tatum, who won a championship last year with the Boston Celtics—the team Flagg grew up supporting.
Flagg especially admires Tatum’s versatility. It’s something that helped him become a serial winner. “Watching Tatum play, he’s very versatile as well,” he told the host.
That said, it’s not just players from Beantown that he admires.
“Mikal Bridges, I like watching him play. He’s pretty versatile as well,” he added about the New York Knicks star.
The good news for Flagg is that his versatility and potential superstar skills would fit well with the Mavericks. Holding the No. 1 overall pick this year means he could join stars like Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis. His arrival might even help ease some of the fan tension lingering from the Luka Doncic trade.
That said, all this hinges on Flagg going first—and so far, there’s no sign he won’t. The bigger question is: can Dallas be trusted?
