Cooper Flagg gives Mavericks the ultimate cheat code to finally end Thunder's reign

As the NBA Finals are on the precipice of beginning, the Dallas Mavericks will be sitting at home after being runners-up in last year's Finals versus the Boston Celtics. A lot can change for an NBA franchise in a year, as this year's Finals will feature two brand new opponents, as Celtics star Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles in the second round of the playoffs this season, and Dallas traded franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic, ultimately derailing their season.

The Mavericks have a long way to go if they want to climb the NBA's mountaintop once again, but receiving the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft Lottery and getting the ability to select a possible generational two-way talent in Cooper Flagg drastically helps their chances for next season. Flagg probably isn't ready to be Dallas' go-to bucket getter right off the bat, though, even with Kyrie Irving likely missing more than the first half of next season.

Dallas will need more guard help this offseason and will need to tinker around the edges to maximize their core of Flagg, Irving, and Anthony Davis next season, but it's undeniable that the Mavericks will once again project as a formidable Western Conference opponent, barring injuries next season. Funny enough, Dallas may actually be the worst matchup next season for the recent Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder, even though the Thunder have dominated these playoffs.

Mavericks' frontcourt could overwhelm Thunder again next season

Taking a look back at the 2024 NBA Playoffs, the Thunder played the Mavericks tight in a hard-fought Western Conference Semifinals matchup, but OKC's secondary shot creation didn't compare to Dallas' in that series, and the Mavericks were able to dominate on the glass as well as from a rim protection standpoint.

This was a big reason in Thunder GM Sam Presti's decision to sign big man Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year $87 million deal last summer, as the Thunder wanted to be more multifaceted in their attack, and Hartenstein has been able to mitigate some of the banging and bruising that was almost solely left up to Chet Holmgren in last year's playoffs.

Former All-Defensive player Alex Caruso has given the Thunder great versatility as well, even guarding Nikola Jokic in their second-round series versus the Denver Nuggets because of how strong Caruso's base is as an on-ball defender. Despite the Thunder's 68-win season, lauding Presti as NBA Executive of the Year this season, three of the Thunder's 14 losses in the regular season came to the Mavericks, as the Mavericks finished 3-1 against the NBA's best regular-season team this past season.

In those games, Dallas won the rebounding margin by an average of 5.8 boards per game, and the Mavericks held an electric OKC offense to just 112.5 points per game throughout those four contests. Doncic only played in the second of those games, too, going a pedestrian 5-15 from the field for 16 points. Clearly, the Mavericks have had OKC's number even with some of their new additions, as the Mavericks have the positional size in their frontcourt to dominate the Thunder down low.

While Hartenstein is a great rim protector, screener, and pick-and-roll finisher, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault uses him in a far more matchup-specific fashion compared to Holmgren, and the Mavericks could truly eat up the Thunder down low in future matchups next season, especially in the non-Hartenstein minutes.

Who knows what sort of starting five the Mavericks will roll out in game one next season, but even if they opt to play Davis at the five, that probably denotes some combination of Flagg and P.J. Washington as Dallas' two forwards. That's a ton of length, hustle, and rebounding from your three frontcourt slots, and while Dallas may struggle to create offense on the perimeter versus the Thunder's wiry and connected perimeter defense without Irving in the lineup, they'd probably have the advantage down low for a full 48 minutes.

If the Mavericks are fully healthy in these games next season, it's likely they could be bringing one of Daniel Gafford (if not traded) or Dereck Lively II off the bench, so Dallas would be able to throw fresh bodies at OKC down low all game long. The Thunder have proven to be able to counter teams with size in these playoffs, but arguably no team in the NBA next season will have a deeper frontcourt than Dallas considering how big Dallas' wings are as well as the fact they could sure-up their center rotation by bringing back someone like Kai Jones if Gafford is shipped away for a guard.

Washington and Flagg could form one of the most tantalizing duos on the wing from a defensive versatility perspective, and the Thunder would undoubtably have to rely heavy on their guards to try and exploit either Klay Thompson or whatever other guard is in Dallas' lineup, as the Mavericks will be able to close a ton of driving lanes and make weak side rotations that other teams wouldn't be able to make because of how athletic Dallas' frontcourt is. Of course, nothing is guaranteed when talking about facing off against the potential incumbent NBA Champions next season, but the Mavericks are easily one of the worst matchups for the Thunder on paper, and their track record has backed this up recently.