Mavericks have a shot at forming a Cooper Flagg-led duo that the entire NBA will fear

Some draft lottery luck could help gift Dallas the most tantalizing young wing duo in the entire league.

Will Miller

Dallas Mavericks, Cooper Flagg / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks currently have the eighth best odds at landing the No. 1 pick in this year's NBA Draft, which equates to a six percent chance as of right now, but if they were to land this pick, they'd have the ability to form one of the most dynamic duos in the NBA on the wing by pairing AJ Dybantsa next to Cooper Flagg.

Dybantsa is projected to go No. 1 or No. 2 in most mock drafts, as the 6-foot-9 freshman averaged the most points in all of NCAA Division I last season for the BYU Cougars, scoring 25.5 points per game, snagging 6.8 rebounds per game, and dishing out 3.7 assists per game. Dybantsa is a prolific athlete who plays both ends of the floor, similar to Flagg, but he's even more polished as a three-level scoring threat coming out of college compared to Flagg.

On the flip side, Flagg is a more dynamic defender compared to Dybantsa, and definitely a better playmaker, but the Mavericks would have to find a way to make this duo work if they lucked into the first or second pick in the draft this year.

Teams would fear a Dybantsa-Flagg duo for years to come

Sure, there may be a little positional overlap with two 6-foot-9 wings in the lineup, but with how much Flagg and Dybantsa can create their own shots, this probably wouldn't be an issue whatsoever, and would just make Dallas' wing defense that much more menacing. When adding a playmaker like Kyrie Irving back into the lineup as well, this would give Dallas a three-headed monster on the offensive end to pair with Dereck Lively II/Daniel Gafford and another shooter in the lineup.

Just like Flagg, Dybantsa is the type of rookie that can have an immediate impact from day one, and while adjusting to the NBA game and playing off-ball more would definitely be some challenges for the 19-year-old, it's definitely something he could accomplish with time. Dybantsa has been compared to Tracy McGrady by many draft experts, and for Mavericks fans who haven't kept up with college hoops this season, this shows the type of potential the young man has.

Dallas needs more lottery luck to make this duo a reality

Obviously, Dallas will need to get some lottery luck once again for this prophecy to come true, but it's certainly not an impossible proposition, especially if the Mavericks leapfrog the New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies in terms of who has a worse record in the last four games of the season. Flagg and Dybantsa could form a duo on the wing that has seldom been seen in the NBA throughout its history (i.e., Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, or Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady).

There really haven't been any duos in league history that are both 6-foot-9 with similar levels of athleticism and two-way prowess, though, as the thought of a fully developed Flagg and Dybantsa would be a nightmare for every opposing team on a given night. Again, this is far from a reality as of right now, but if lightning can strike twice for the Mavericks in terms of their lottery luck, they're almost guaranteed to have a duo of the future that will wreck the entire NBA.

Will Miller

Will Miller is a senior contributor and is in his second year with The Smoking Cuban. Will has been following the Dallas Mavericks for over a decade and is currently working on getting a Bachelors in Science in Sports Journalism from the University of North Texas, as he is also covering sports for the North Texas TV station. While Will is opening up his coverage to cover other sports for UNT, basketball and the Dallas Mavericks are his true passion and he hopes to continue writing and producing Mavericks related content as his career continues. Will has very solid in-game analysis and knowledge about the intricacies of the game, and has a very broad understanding about the NBA as a whole. Going forward Will is looking to be more expansive in his coverage of the Mavericks beyond writing as well. Outside of writing about the Mavericks, Will enjoys hanging with friends, going to the gym, and watching other sports and live events.