Cooper Flagg’s rookie season already ended with hardware, and now the next question in Dallas is how quickly the climb continues. ESPN put that front and center in its preseason roundup, pointing to the reigning Rookie of the Year as a player whose growth has become impossible to miss.
“Flagg is literally and figuratively growing up before our eyes,” wrote ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “He got taller over the summer after his Rookie of the Year season, measuring at 6-foot-10 without his shoes. The fact that the 19-year-old Flagg is still growing serves as symbolism of his seemingly limitless ceiling.”
That ceiling is the big thing in Dallas now. The expectations come with it, too.
“Fair or not, Flagg will always be compared in Dallas to Luka Doncic, who was a first-team All-NBA selection in his second season,” MacMahon wrote. “Conventional wisdom is that Flagg is on the trajectory to ascend to that level of stardom.
How soon can he get there? “
In Denver, the conversation starts and ends with Nikola Jokic, but the real issue is whether the Nuggets can keep enough of the right pieces upright around him. Aaron Gordon sits at the center of that concern.
“In his six seasons with the Nuggets, Gordon has only improved as a player and elevated as a fit next to Nikola Jokic,” ESPN’s Anthony Slater wrote. “His importance has never been greater, but his availability has never been more in question.
Gordon sat out 31 games two seasons ago and 46 games last season. Both playoff runs also ended with a hobbled Gordon dealing with a hamstring strain and a calf strain that either had him significantly limited or sidelined.”
That’s the whole problem for Denver: Jokic can only do so much if the support around him keeps breaking down. Gordon remains one of the players who can change that equation.
“Denver’s depth has eroded around Jokic, but when Gordon is healthy and productive on the wing, they still have as complete and feared of a five-man starting unit as any team,” Slater wrote. “But how often will he be out there? Word is he is geared and ready for camp.”
Brooklyn’s situation is different, but the question is just as plain. The Nets don’t look built to be great right now. The bigger issue is whether they can at least show real signs of progress along the way.
“The Nets invested in a long-term rebuilding plan: think of those first-round picks Sean Marks held onto in the 2025 draft, rather than attempting to aggregate them for impact players. But then lottery reform happened, forcing the Nets to press the fast-forward button in July,” wrote ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill.
That shift changes the temperature around the rebuild. Tanking may no longer be the cleanest path forward.
“Trading for Julius Randle upgraded their talent, as did drafting another point guard in Mikel Brown Jr.,” Goodwill added. “Can this team look competent without the benefit of knowing another high draft pick is on the way?”
In Other News...
Nets Young Core Just Lost The Easy Part Of This Rebuild
The early stages of this rebuild were always going to be about sorting out who could handle more responsibility, and Brooklyn spent the preseason talking openly about that reality. General manager Sean Marks framed the roster as a place where development and accountability have to move together, while younger players like Noah Clowney and Josh Minott said they already expect their roles to shift as competition tightens. With veterans Julius Randle, Keon Ellis and Moritz Wagner now in the mix, the Nets have added a layer of experience that should make every rotation decision a little harder.
For a young group, that is the easy part gone. The opportunity is still there for Brooklyns prospects to grow, but the path is no longer about simply getting minutes and learning on the fly. It is about proving that improvement can translate into winning, and that the promising pieces on this roster can hold off the newcomers who were brought in to push them. [Read more 🡒]
Julius Randle Just Gave Nets Fans A Reason To Believe
Julius Randles arrival gives the Nets a different kind of offseason storyline, one built less on splash and more on possibility. After coming over from Minnesota, he used Media Day to reflect the sort of mindset Brooklyn needs as it heads into training camp, and that matters for a team still working through a rebuild. A proven producer who averaged 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists last season, Randle brings a level of experience the roster has been missing.
For Brooklyn, the bigger question is not whether Randle can play his part, but how far his presence can help push a young group that still has plenty to prove. The optimism he showed was notable because it came in a setting where the Nets are trying to define their identity as much as their rotation. If the early tone around camp holds, this could be one of the rare offseason additions that actually changes the temperature around the franchise. [Read more 🡒]
Dalton Knecht Would Test What The Nets Are Really Building
Dalton Knechts situation in Los Angeles has become one of those summer roster questions that can quietly shape the market around the league. The 25-year-old wing still has appeal as a young scorer, but after a shaky bid to carve out a steady role last season, and with the Lakers facing a crowded roster, his name has started to surface in trade chatter as teams weigh whether there is a path to more responsibility elsewhere.
For Brooklyn, that kind of player is exactly the sort of test case worth watching. The Nets have spent much of the conversation around their future focused on flexibility and the long view, and a speculative fit like Knecht would force them to decide whether they want to keep stockpiling chances or start betting on players who can help answer bigger questions sooner. Chicago has also been mentioned in the mix, but for the Nets the real intrigue is less about the rumor itself than what it says about the kind of roster they want to build. [Read more 🡒]