The NBA season may be over, but with the draft just one day away, the offseason fun is just beginning. Basketball fans have been clamoring to see Cooper Flagg wear an NBA uniform. And if, as expected, the Dallas Mavericks submit his name Wednesday night, they’ll finally get their wish.
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Before he even stepped foot on Duke’s campus, Flagg was touted as one of the best prospects to come along in years. You have to be that good to get noticed in rural Maine.
Flagg only reinforced it by putting together a dominant freshman campaign and winning the Naismith Award as the nation’s top player. Only Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Zion Williamson, and Paige Bueckers accomplished that as freshmen, which puts Flagg in elite company already. No wonder LeBron James, a former No.1 pick, endorsed the young shooting guard.
Flagg is set to become the top overall pick, and the savior for a Mavericks fanbase that was left despondent after the team traded away Luka Dončić in February. And James, who went through the Draft as a top pick in 2003, is uniquely qualified to speak on what Flagg will be going through.
On the latest episode of Mind the Game, LeBron dove deep on what makes Flagg’s game so special. The King also described how Flagg’s situation differs from the one he faced when he entered the league 22 years ago.
LeBron described Flagg as “a guy that can do so many different things on the floor. Can play with the ball, can play without the ball. His jump shot is going to continue to get better. Super athletic, quick second jump.”
The NBA legend is hardly alone in praising the many ways Flagg can affect a game. But LeBron made a super insightful point about why he believes Flagg’s situation with the Mavericks will be much better than what he first took on with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“He has the benefit, unlike myself, he gets to join a team that’s established, with Hall of Fame guys. Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, [and] Kyrie Irving right off the bat. Hall of Fame coach, Jason Kidd,” LeBron said.
“These guys can give him the whole blueprint while he continues to learn what his blueprint will be, and I think that’s gonna be an incredible thing for him to have that type of presence, that type of leadership, that type of basketball IQ and knowledge around him every single day from those pieces. I think he’s going to be amazing,” he added.
Regardless of whether he just threw some unintentional shade at Ricky Davis, Jeff McInnis, Carlos Boozer, and Paul Silas, LeBron is absolutely right that Flagg is walking into a much better situation than most No. 1 picks do. He then made another astute point, comparing this Mavericks team to the Spurs squad that Kawhi Leonard joined as a rookie.
Kawhi wasn’t a No. 1 pick. But he was a well-regarded prospect who had the benefit of joining a team that already had a Hall of Fame core.
“He [Leonard] had time to hone those skills, to be around Timmy [Tim Duncan], be around Manu [Ginóbili], be around Tony [Parker], be around Pop [Gregg Popovich], to where he was able to get better on his own time and not the league’s time,” LeBron said.
Flagg has the type of game that can fit on any team. He’s not just a dominant scorer, though he can get a bucket from anywhere on the floor. He’s already a polished defender, capable of shutting down opponents 1-on-1 while also being a devastating help-side shot-blocker.
Like LeBron, he’s an unselfish player who’s just as happy to make a great pass as he is to take the shot himself. The Mavericks really did hit the lottery in landing a chance to draft Flagg. And it’s going to be amazing to see what he can do at the next level.
