NBA
Cooper Flagg Draws Unanimous Praise in Rookie of the Year Race
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated4 hours ago on September 23, 2025
Flagg Arrives With Historic Hype
Cooper Flagg has entered the NBA with enormous expectations. The Dallas Mavericks rookie was drafted first overall after a standout freshman year at Duke. He became only the fourth freshman in history to win the National Player of the Year award, cementing himself as the top prospect in the 2025 draft class.
The Mavericks were fortunate to land him. They had just a 1.8% chance at the No. 1 pick but managed to leapfrog into the top spot. That luck gave them a player who is already being viewed as the favorite for Rookie of the Year.
Coaches and Scouts Expect Big Things
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps recently polled 20 coaches, executives, and scouts. Nineteen of them selected Flagg as the favorite to win Rookie of the Year. The only other vote went to Flagg’s Duke teammate, Kon Knueppel, now with the Charlotte Hornets.
“Not surprisingly, Flagg ran away from the field as one of the most anticipated prospects to come into the NBA in recent memory, possibly trailing only Wembanyama in that category,” Bontemps wrote.
A Western Conference assistant coach explained his lone vote for Knueppel: “He’ll be on a bad team, will have the ball in his hands and put up numbers.”
Projected Best Player of His Class
Bontemps also asked which rookie will be the best player five years from now. Flagg again dominated the poll, earning 18 of 20 votes. Only Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper received one vote each.
“As a point guard landing with Victor, there’s a clear path to success,” a Western Conference scout said of Harper. “If Cooper went to a bad team, he’d be the obvious answer. But his landing spot could cause him to develop differently.”
Ready to Lead Early
Flagg’s role will be large from the start. With Kyrie Irving sidelined, Dallas needs playmaking, and Flagg will handle the ball often. He showed his potential in Summer League, scoring 31 points against the San Antonio Spurs in just his second game.
The Mavericks are built around veterans like Irving, Anthony Davis, and Klay Thompson, but their future clearly belongs to Flagg. As those stars age, the rookie forward is poised to grow into the franchise cornerstone Dallas has been seeking.
