Cooper Flagg is barely into his first stretch with the Mavericks, and already the MVP conversation is attached to him. That kind of talk usually comes with a lot of noise. In this case, the numbers are loud enough to make you listen.
The reason the idea has teeth is simple: NBA history has almost no precedent for a player this young winning the league’s top individual honor. The MVP has been awarded 71 times, and only Derrick Rose has won it before turning 23.
Rose got there in 2011 at 22 years and 191 days old. Wes Unseld, Wilt Chamberlain, Bob Pettit, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob McAdoo and Moses Malone all won at 23, but nobody has ever claimed the trophy at 21, much less 20.
Flagg won’t turn 20 until Dec. 21, which means he would still be 20 when the award is handed out next spring. And after four games, he has given the idea enough life to matter.
He’s putting up 25.3 points, 6.8 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, while hitting 52.2 percent from the field and 91.7 percent at the line. Dallas has won three straight, moved to 3-2 and is above .500 for the first time since he arrived.
That’s where the Derrick Rose comparison starts to become useful. Rose won Rookie of the Year in 2008-09 with 16.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists.
The next season, he made his first All-Star team and improved to 20.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists while shooting 48.9 percent. In his third year, he jumped to 25.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists on 44.5 percent shooting and won MVP.
Flagg is already ahead of that pace in several spots. His current production tops Rose’s sophomore numbers across the board, and it beats Rose’s MVP-season averages in points, rebounds and field-goal percentage. Rose still has the edge in assists, though Flagg is sitting within one assist per game of that mark.
The comparison gets even tighter when you look at Rose’s MVP season through the first four games. He was averaging 26.8 points, 10.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 46.5 percent. Flagg isn’t scoring quite as much or setting up quite as many baskets, but he’s doing it with better efficiency and adding defensive impact that Rose never brought to the same degree.
That defense is a major part of the story. Flagg has been one of the league’s most disruptive players early on, showing up near the top in steals and blocks.
Against Miami, he posted five steals, three blocks and 11 assists. When MVP cases are close offensively, voters have often leaned toward the player who affects the game on both ends, and Flagg is making that argument early.
Still, the path to a real candidacy runs through the team around him. Rose’s Bulls were 62-20 when he won, and that kind of record mattered as much as the individual numbers.
Dallas entered the season with expectations in the low 30s, so the Mavericks have to stay in the playoff picture for this to become more than a fun talking point. Three straight wins help, but 50 wins would change the tone completely.
There’s also the matter of staying on the floor. The 65-game minimum applies, and Flagg has already missed one game this month because of a shoulder sprain.
He also has to keep producing over an 82-game grind while carrying a usage rate that would wear out most veterans. Right now, he ranks 24th in the league in usage rate.
His 3-point shooting is another piece still needing work. He’s at 31.8 percent on 5.5 attempts per game, which is respectable but not the kind of number that consistently bends a defense.
Rose shot 33.2 percent during his MVP season, so there’s a clear precedent for winning without elite range. Even so, any improvement there would only strengthen Flagg’s case.
And that’s why the early buzz is worth tracking. Only one player has ever won MVP in his second NBA season, and that was Bob Pettit in 1955-56, 70 years ago. If Flagg were to pull this off at 20, he’d be breaking ground the league has never seen.
Four games are nowhere near enough to crown anybody. But Flagg has done enough already to make the possibility real.
In Other News...
Kyrie Irving Just Got The Kind Of Praise Mavericks Fans Love
Kyrie Irving picked up a little extra shine from an unexpected source this week, and Mavericks fans will probably appreciate the company. Golden State rookie Yaxel Lendeborg spoke highly of Irving, praising the Dallas guards skill and making clear how difficult he is to contain, a notable compliment for a player who is still working back into form after the torn ACL he suffered in March 2025.
Irvings numbers this season suggest he is finding his rhythm again, as he continues to steady Dallas with 18.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. The timing of Lendeborgs praise is interesting, too, with the Warriors and Mavericks slated to see each other on Nov. 18 and the rookie likely focused on a different Dallas threat in Cooper Flagg, the clubs leading scorer this season. [Read more 🡒]
P.J. Washington Is Changing A Big Mavericks Debate Around Cooper Flagg
P.J. Washington has quickly become part of the answer to one of the bigger early-season Mavericks questions around Cooper Flagg, and not just because of the shooting. Through the opening stretch, Washington has given Dallas a steady blend of finishing, rebounding and defensive versatility, the kind of all-around production that makes lineups with Flagg and Kyrie Irving look far more natural than they did on paper.
What has changed the conversation most is how comfortably Washington is fitting into a role that once felt easy to overthink in Dallas. The early trade speculation around him has cooled as he keeps doing the little things that matter in a rotation built around star talent, and that is where the Mavericks are finding real value. Whether the outside shot holds or not, Washington has already shown enough to remain a significant part of the lineup picture. [Read more 🡒]
Mavs Finally Near A Frontcourt Boost They Desperately Need
The Mavericks are finally getting a little closer to adding a frontcourt piece they have been waiting on all fall. Santi Aldama has been recalled from a rehab stint with the Texas Legends, a notable step for a player who had knee surgery last season and then sat out the preseason and Dallas first five regular-season games after arriving in a summer trade.
Aldama is now preparing for his first appearance in a Mavericks uniform, with his next possible chance coming Friday against the Houston Rockets. Even with that help trending in the right direction, Dallas is still sorting through its frontcourt depth, and Dereck Lively II remains sidelined after foot surgery, leaving the team with one more important question to answer before the rotation feels settled. [Read more 🡒]