The 2025–26 NBA season is set to get underway in less than a week, and the Mavericks are one of the most intriguing teams heading into the new campaign.
After parting ways with Luka Dončić in a mid-season blockbuster with the Lakers which saw Anthony Davis make the move to Dallas, and later drafting Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick after winning the draft lottery, the Mavs will be one of the most exciting teams in the NBA this year.
Flagg looks like a future star in the league and an instant impact-maker for his new team. With Kyrie Irving still on the mend from an ACL injury, Flagg has been playing point guard in the preseason despite being a forward by trade.
It seems coach Jason Kidd already has plenty of confidence in the Duke product, and Flagg could be in line for a dominant rookie season. So, let's make some bold predictions for the 18-year-old in his first campaign as a pro.
Cooper Flagg will become seventh unanimous NBA Rookie of the Year
Throughout NBA history, only six times has the Rookie of the Year been selected in a unanimous decision. Most recently, Spurs star Victor Wembanyama achieved the feat in 2023–24 and Karl-Anthony Towns did so for the Timberwolves in 2015–16. Flagg will have the chance to join the esteemed group––which also consists of Damian Lillard, Blake Griffin, David Robinson and Ralph Sampson––as a focal point of the Mavericks' game plan.
In his lone season at Duke, Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 blocks per game. He was a capable defender both on the perimeter and in the interior, and he shot at a 38.5% clip from three-point range. While there are other standout talents in his rookie class, Flagg has been the undisputed No. 1 pick since he was still in high school, and for good reason. I expect Flagg to run away with the Rookie of the Year award. He will put up big numbers for Dallas and cement himself as a force to be reckoned with in the league right out the gate.
Flagg leads the Mavericks to a top-three seed in the West
Flagg will immediately step into a Mavericks' roster that's loaded with talent. In addition to Davis and Irving, he'll be lined up alongside one of the best sharpshooters in NBA history in Klay Thompson, and will have excellent frontcourt members such as P.J. Washington and Dereck Lively going to work in the paint.
This is an all-around strong team, and their retooling after offloading Dončić to the Lakers doesn't appear that it will take long. Flagg is about as NBA ready as a rookie can get, especially given he was only in college for one season, and he figures to be handed the keys to the offense from the jump. An injury-depleted Mavs squad limped its way into the play-in tournament last season, but with Flagg added to the mix along with a healthy supporting cast, Dallas should cruise into the playoffs in 2025–26.
I'm predicting Flagg and the Mavericks will be among the top teams in a crowded Western Conference playoff race, and will finish the year no worse than the No. 3 seed.
Flagg will be first rookie since Blake Griffin to make the All-Star Game
There hasn't been a rookie in the NBA to make the All-Star Game since Blake Griffin did it in 2010–11. Flagg has the chance to become the first to do it in 15 years.
Griffin actually missed the season after he was drafted due to an injury, but he returned the following year and put up big numbers. As a rookie, Griffin averaged 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. While I don't anticipate Flagg to be as dominant on the boards, I think, for at least as long as Irving remains sidelined, he can post similar scoring numbers, while also playing high-quality defense and having superior playmaking abilities.
I'm predicting Flagg to average around 20 points, seven to eight rebounds and five to six assists per game as a rookie and earn a selection to the All-Star Game as a reserve.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cooper Flagg: Three Bold Predictions for Mavericks' Rookie in 2025–26 NBA Season.
