There's been so much hype about Cooper Flagg joining the Dallas Mavericks this season. And for all the right reasons, especially after the organization traded Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis .
On paper, the Mavericks were still a good team after the blockbuster deal, but with Davis and Kyrie Irving getting hurt, they ended up missing the playoffs. However, instead of getting a late lottery pick, they shocked the world and won the Draft Lottery, earning the right to pick the Duke superstar.
Former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban is also excited about Cooper landing in Dallas. But he thinks head coach Jason Kidd will not feed him to the lions right away.
"Other than maybe improving his 3-point shooting, what can't he do?" said Cuban. "And when you have a jack-of-all-trades like that, that also has a motor and has toughness to them, and is a worker and is 18 years old, I mean, is he going to come in and score 30 a game? No, but I think J-Kidd will put the reins on him slowly. But having him be able to play point-forward all the time, as he gets the feel for the game, I think he's just going to get better and better."
Cuban is certain that Flagg is the real deal and more than worthy of being the top pick of the 2025 NBA Draft. But at 18, he doesn't have a lot of basketball mileage, and with the Mavericks having experienced superstars like Davis and Irving, he won't be in the situation most first-overall picks find themselves when first joining the NBA.
Players drafted first overall in any NBA Draft aren't just supposed to win Rookie of the Year honors. They are meant to be that team's franchise player. That includes putting up big numbers every night. But that might not be the case for Flagg in Dallas next season.
Davis and Irving are expected to do the heavy lifting on offense for the team. Meanwhile, because Flagg is a versatile all-around player with decent handles and good passing skills, Kidd could use him as a playmaker to create mismatches and catch defenses off guard.
We saw a glimpse of what Cuban was talking about during the Las Vegas Summer League, where, although Flagg had a 30-point game against the San Antonio Spurs , he played the point guard position. And even if he only averaged 2.5 assists per game, he looked very comfortable bringing up and distributing the ball as a 6'8" playmaker, even if that was outside his comfort zone as a player .
"He wanted me to test myself and do a lot of new things," said Flagg via SLAM of Kidd's game plan for him. "Be comfortable bringing the ball up and initiating offense in different actions. That was really the main thing. He wanted to test me and get me] comfortable handling the ball and handling the pressure."
Given Flagg's two-way ability, he undoubtedly has all the tools to become a good point forward for the Mavericks. Whether he will be a big-time scorer in the NBA or not, there's no question the future is bright for the 18-year-old.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 10, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
