Cooper Flagg’s second NBA season is starting to look less like a leap and more like a takeover.
Through his first 10 games, Flagg is putting up 25.9 points, 6.9 assists and 6.9 rebounds a night, and that includes the first meeting with the Indiana Pacers, when he only got through the first half before leaving with an injury. He followed that up Monday with 43 points against the Pacers again, helping the Mavericks pick up their seventh win in 11 games.
The numbers are loud, but the bigger story is how fast his game has grown. Flagg already looks like an All-NBA caliber player and has the Mavericks playing like a legitimate playoff threat. For a No. 1 overall pick, this is the kind of rise that catches even his own locker room off guard.
“I’m not even going to lie: I didn’t think he was going to be this good,” Naji Marshall said to ESPN. “I knew he was good.
I didn’t think he was going to be this good. Every day, bro, he just breaks the standard for what I thought he was going to be.”
That reaction says plenty. Flagg is still only 19, and he’s already averaging 26/7/7, which is outrageous production for someone this young.
He’s doing it with room still left to grow, too. His three-point shot can still develop, and he can be even better around the rim, even though he’s already strong finishing with both hands.
Calling anyone a future MVP is always a risky game. Injuries happen.
Teams stall. Voter fatigue creeps in.
But with Flagg, it’s getting tougher to ignore that kind of ceiling.
He looks like a near-lock to make the All-Star team this season, and if he stays healthy, he also looks like a strong candidate for the USA Olympic team in 2028. The Mavericks, meanwhile, should keep climbing as long as he’s on the floor and available.
Dusty May has revitalized the on-court play, Kyrie Irving’s return has helped, and Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz appear determined to keep building the best possible roster around Flagg, even with limited assets ahead.
For now, the trajectory is clear: Flagg is already in the MVP conversation, and he may be there for years.
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Cooper Flagg has already given fans a reason to lean in, with his early play hinting at the kind of cornerstone the team has been searching for, and Kyrie Irvings return from injury adds another layer of intrigue to what this group can become. Add in the arrival of Morez Johnson Jr. and a new basketball operations setup under Mike Schmitz and Dusty May, and the Mavericks suddenly look like a team with a direction again, even if the real test is still ahead. [Read more 🡒]