Mavericks nailed Cooper Flagg decision even with tight rookie race

The Dallas Mavericks have not had the season they hoped for, but one bright spot has been rookie phenom Cooper Flagg. If given the chance, would they draft Flagg again, or would they take another of the standout rookies from the 2025 draft class?

The answer is obvious: Cooper Flagg every time.

Cooper Flagg is having an awesome season

A handful of weeks remain until the end of the season. The Mavericks will not be competing in the postseason, so the end of the regular season will start their offseason. All that will remain is to see if Cooper Flagg wins Rookie of the Year.

It's an open question, still very much up in the air as the finish line nears. For those watching the Mavericks closely, that may seem ridiculous, as Flagg has been tremendous: 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.1 STOCKs (steals + blocks).

The list of players to put up those numbers is not long. 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists? That's only 13 players all-time, and most of them are NBA legends. Bob Pettit, Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama. Only a handful of players started that strongly and didn't become MVP candidates.

Kon Knueppel has been awesome too

And yes, Flagg is not running away with the Rookie of the Year award - in fact, he is arguably not the favorite. The reason is Kon Knueppel, who went fourth overall to the Charlotte Hornets, has been exceptional himself.

Flagg's roommate at Duke last year is averaging 19.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 43.8 percent from deep on eight attempts per game. The list of players who have done that in a season - not as rookies, but ever? 19-5-3 with three triples at 43 percent from deep? Two: Knueppel and Stephen Curry, the greatest shooter of all time.

Choosing between two all-time rookie seasons is a difficult task for Rookie of the Year voters. Knueppel has a strong argument as the best player on a probable playoff team in Charlotte as he puts up the greatest rookie shooting reason of all time. He has raised his trajectory into future stardom without a doubt.

Dallas picked the right guy

Should that cause the Mavericks any hesitation that they chose the wrong player? Absolutely not. If we were to re-draft the 2025 NBA Draft (and we did over on our sister site Hoops Habit), Cooper Flagg would go first overall again. And he would, whether it was the Mavericks or the Spurs or the Jazz or the Thunder drafting. He is the best of the bunch.

Cooper Flagg's combination of size, competitiveness, skill and athleticism creates a future superstar. His rookie season has only confirmed that. He has room to grow as a shooter and his defense has waned given his offensive load, but he has all the makings of a star.

A 10-foot-tall Frenchman may be poised to dominate the league down the road in San Antonio. The 2026 draft class looks loaded with talent. But any account of the next decade of NBA basketball will heavily feature the name of Cooper Flagg. He has checked every box as a rookie.

Would the Mavericks do it all over again? Absolutely they would. Plant the flagg, draft the star, every single time.