October is here, which means NBA Opening Night is now less than three weeks away. Few teams carry as much hype with the season approaching as the Dallas Mavericks; a shocking development after how depressed the fanbase was following the Luka Doncic trade.
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The reason fans are so excited is the arrival of No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg. The former Duke National Player of the Year is one of the most anticipated new rookies in years. Unlike most No. 1 picks that end up carrying too big a load on a team with no hope of contending, Flagg is also joining forces with Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving.
Klay sat down with Samantha Gannon of Fox 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, and he had a startling realization that blew his mind after Gannon asked him what he thought of his new 18-year-old teammate.
“Dang, he’s only 18?” he sighed. “Wow, that’s incredible. That’s really cool. I love Cooper’s whole approach on the game, I love his game. Incredible athlete, he’ll have the key to the franchise one day, and I just love that he’s always willing to learn,” Thompson added.
“He’s very receptive to information, he plays the game the right way, and that’s so important as a young player, is just to soak in everything you can while you can because it goes by so fast,” the 4-time NBA champion noted.
While Klay spoke highly of Flagg’s game and mental makeup, he also said that he sees a big part of his own job as being a veteran mentor who can help Flagg maximize his potential. “It’s a great and privileged position to be in,” he said when asked if he feels a sense of responsibility to Flagg.
“I want to lead by example. I want to show him how much this means to me. Same with Anthony, Kyrie — we really cherish what we do, and I just want to leave a good impression on him, so as he furthers into his career he can be like, ‘Klay was my vet, I learned this and that from him,'” an optimistic Thompson said.
“That’s honestly greater than any scoring night I can have going forward, is just leaving a great imprint on this franchise as far as being a leader and a veteran,” he added.
Flagg honestly couldn’t have a better veteran to show him the ropes than Klay. A four-time champ with the Warriors and one of the greatest shooters the game has ever seen, Klay also has the humility and the team-first attitude to be the perfect role model.
When Gannon mentioned Klay as being a future Hall-of-Famer, he actually blushed and thanked her. Some veterans might be threatened by the next big thing showing up with so much hype attached, but he sees it as a great opportunity.
Despite being so young, Flagg has an incredibly mature grasp of the game. That’s a big reason why he was the slam dunk No. 1 overall pick. Learning at the feet of vets like Klay will greatly enhanced his chances of fulfilling his huge potential.
