Surprised to Learn Cooper Flagg Is 18, Klay Thompson Talks About How Important Being a Mentor Is to Him

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.

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.