"It's almost more normal to break through that way rather than come in as LeBron James or Cooper Flagg" - Steve Nash warns Flagg after his draft originally appeared on Basketball Network .
If we take a look at the stars that have marked the last decade of basketball in the league, we arrive at a very interesting conclusion that got Steve Nash 's and LeBron James ' attention and it's something Cooper Flagg should be aware of it as well.
The last 10 MVP award winners are, in order: Stephen Curry (7th pick in the first round), Russell Westbrook (4th pick in the first round), James Harden (3rd pick in the first round), followed by Giannis Antetokounmpo twice (15th pick in the first round), Nikola Jokic three times (41st pick in the second round), Joel Embiid (1st pick of the second round) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (11th pick in the first round).
Franchise players are more and more often coming out of nowhere, and usually, they are not expected to reach such heights.
James and Nash discussed this topic after the draft, where Cooper Flagg was already predicted as the future star of the NBA after being picked number one overall by the Dallas Mavericks .
"When you're selected with the first pick, the expectations are automatically put on you. It doesn't matter if they're right or wrong, " LeBron said on the "Mind the Game" podcast. "Cooper Flagg is the same age I was when I started. The expectations are such that you place an 18-year-old out there and he's supposed to be the best right away. I think that's unfair, but also something that kids like Cooper and I can use as motivation, " he continued.
Flagg is actually the second-youngest number one draft pick in league history. Had he been just 11 days younger, he wouldn't have even been eligible to enter this draft, while King James was eight days younger than Flagg is now when he was selected. Long before their draft selections, a narrative had already begun to form around the idea that they would be the next face of the league.
Meanwhile, in the NBA, the trend of players becoming stars even though they're lower draft picks continue more and more, as we mentioned earlier in the text and who go on to lead their teams all the way to championships.
Bron and Nash, in their conversation, specifically touched on Kawhi Leonard as a great example.
"We already mentioned Kawhi. We don't know if Kawhi would've become what he is without the habits he developed with the Spurs. He would obviously be great, but he had the time to develop his skills, to be around Tony, Manu, Timmy and Pop," James said.
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Nash followed up by pointing out that there are far more players who break through from the background than those who live up to expectations like James.
"There are way more of those kinds of stories than ones like yours. I don't remember Kawhi, Giannis or Jokic being on a lot of radars. The league is filled with players of that profile who somehow made it through an alternate path," he stated. "It's almost more normal to break through that way, rather than come in as LeBron James or Cooper Flagg," Nash concluded.
The latest example of a player who hasn't lived up to those expectations - at least so far - is Zion Williamson . Even though he's still young enough and has shown on the court that he can play at the highest level, some time has passed and it's fair to say that he definitely hasn't fulfilled that potential yet, mostly due to injuries.
When we compare that path with the one taken by Jokic or Kawhi, who emerged out of nowhere and progressed without the pressure of expectations, the point of the conversation between James and Nash becomes clear.
Cooper Flagg carries a huge burden on his shoulders and no one can say for sure how he'll handle that pressure.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
