NBA writer finally admits what every Mavericks fan always knew about Cooper Flagg

It didn't take long for Dallas Mavericks fans to realize Cooper Flagg was going to be a special player despite starting his professional career slowly. Not only has Flagg absolutely taken over during the Mavericks' recent stretch of pivotal wins, but he has also sparked debate about whether or not the Mavericks need to opt into a rebuild as soon as possible to capitalize on Flagg's youth.

While it didn't take much convincing for fans who already knew Flagg was going to be one of the best rookies of his class, Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report's recent early redraft of the 2025 NBA Draft only confirmed that the Mavericks are headed down a path of making Flagg the franchise star. Despite not being the best rookie of his class based on statistics, Bleacher Report didn't hesitate to keep the 18-year-old phenom at the first overall pick and headline him as the best rookie of his class and a superstar in the making.

For the Mavericks, it would have been hard to mess up after being gifted the first overall pick, but Flagg's recent stretch has only made fans believe more in the Flagg hype train. Not only is Flagg headlining his rookie class in multiple categories, but he has already broken multiple rookie records, including being the youngest player since LeBron James to score 35 or more points.

National media finally realizes that Cooper Flagg is a one-of-one talent

In hindsight, the writing was on the wall for Flagg to be as special as he has been during his rookie campaign. Not only was it unrealistic to expect the Mavericks to stay healthy for a large portion of the regular season, but with the team's early-season struggles, it has only given Jason Kidd more of an opportunity to build the offense around Flagg, and it has stood out during the clutch moments of games.

To make matters even better for Flagg's case, the Mavericks have played in a league-leading 17 clutch games, so it has given him plenty of time to develop under pressure. As the season has progressed, the 18-year-old has only gotten better. By the time the regular season comes to a close, the Mavericks could very well have already committed their future to the former Duke prodigy. Still, there is plenty of reason to believe that Flagg could lead his rookie class in almost every category with how quickly he is progressing.

It's still way too early to put a ceiling on Flagg's potential, but with the national media finally catching on to just how great Flagg has been in a limited amount of time, the sky could truly be the limit in Dallas. There are still a few holes in the forward's game for him to figure out, but with him elevating his play over the last month, there is plenty of reason to believe that he could be a well-rounded star very soon.

The Mavericks may have been gifted Flagg when they never deserved him, but it truly hasn't taken long for the 18-year-old to begin ascending into the star that fans knew he could become. The early critics who tried to write him off are eating their words, and Swartz's redraft only further confirms that Flagg has been excellent this season.