The Dallas Mavericks have officially won the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery in the latest stunning turn of events for the franchise after trading superstar Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers just three months ago.
And the prize, of course, is Duke phenom Cooper Flagg. While the draft itself is still more than a month away, the No. 1 pick is a formality. Flagg is the top prospect in the draft and, barring something truly unpredictable, will be headed to the Mavericks after they had just a 1.8% chance of landing the top pick.
This is another wild twist for the franchise and embattled general manager Nico Harrison after he controversially sent Dončić, a five-time All-NBA selection, to Los Angeles for Anthony Davis and others in February. The move was wildly unpopular in Dallas, and the team — amid an array of injuries — finished as the West’s No. 10 seed at 39-43 and lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in the Play-In Tournament.
That came on the heels of Dončić, who arrived in Dallas in 2018 as an 18-year-old rookie from Slovenia, leading the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season.
Now, suddenly, the outlook in Dallas is significantly more positive with the prospect of selecting Flagg, the 18-year-old forward. So, what are the Mavericks getting in Flagg should they pick him as expected?
The 6-foot-9 Flagg is somewhat unusual where top prospects are concerned. Most No. 1 picks shine because of their scoring, but Flagg’s offense, while quite promising, is still pretty raw. He averaged 19.2 points per game at Duke and did so fairly efficiently. That he shot 38.5% on 3-pointers in college suggests he will immediately be able to space the floor and pull opposing big men out of the paint.
His 4.2 assists per game as a forward stand out. Flagg has strong playmaking instincts for his position that should only grow more valuable as he develops as a scorer. That’s where he’ll need to improve. Flagg is not yet an elite individual shot-creator, and his handle is going to need some work against NBA defenses. Still, he has the physical tools and basketball IQ he’ll need to grow into a major offensive contributor.
Where he really shines, though, is his defense. In an NBA increasingly obsessed with defensive versatility, Flagg can both protect the basket and hang with wing scorers on the perimeter. He averaged 1.4 blocks and steals per game last year as a finalist for National Defensive Player of the Year. He’ll immediately fit into whatever scheme Dallas wants to run, and in a playoff environment currently dominated by multi-positional defenders, he figures to be among the very best of his generation of prospects. Flagg is frequently compared to Scottie Pippen for a reason. He’s a defensive star.
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