Cooper Flagg is only in Year 2, but he’s already putting himself in position to chase one of the NBA’s most exclusive marks: Derrick Rose’s record as the youngest MVP in league history.
Rose set that standard during the 2010-11 season, when he took home the award at 22 years and 7 months old. Flagg, the former Duke standout now with the Dallas Mavericks, is building a case that’s impossible to ignore. He’s averaging 25.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game this season and looks every bit like a star in the making.
That rise has been fast, but it didn’t come out of nowhere. Flagg was productive in his lone season at Duke, posting 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. His biggest night in college came against Notre Dame on January 11, 2025, when he piled up 42 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
The Mavericks made him the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and he wasted little time making his presence felt. In 70 games during his rookie year, Flagg averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 46.8% from the field, 29.5% from 3-point range and 82.7% from the free-throw line. He also collected 13 double-doubles.
His biggest explosion came against the Orlando Magic on April 3, when he dropped 51 points in 33 minutes. That performance made him the first teenager and the youngest player in NBA history to score at least 50 points in a game.
Dallas has a heavy Duke flavor running through the roster, too. Flagg shares the locker room with Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II, giving the Mavericks three former Blue Devils. Mike Krzyzewski likely watches a lot of Dallas games in his free time.
Irving’s Duke run was brief but memorable. He played in just 11 games during the 2010-11 season, averaging 17.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting 52.9% from the field, 46.2% from deep and 90.1% at the line. Duke finished 32-5 that year before falling to Arizona in the West Regional Semifinal.
In the NCAA Tournament, Irving averaged 17.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, further showing the scoring touch that made him a sure bet for the NBA. The Cleveland Cavaliers selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.
Since then, Irving has suited up for the Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets and Mavericks. He won the 2016 NBA championship alongside LeBron James in Cleveland and has established himself as one of the top players in NBA history who went to Duke.
Flagg had plenty to say about playing next to him.
"He just makes it easy to play with him," Flagg said. "Obviously, he's one of the greats of our game. He's an incredible talent, but I think that combined with his personality makes it easy to fit next to and play with him."
Irving came into this season with career averages of 23.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists in the regular season and 23.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists in the playoffs. Before tearing his ACL, he averaged 24.7 points and 4.6 assists per game in the 2024-25 season.
Through this season so far, Irving has averaged 18.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists for Dallas while shooting 49.1% from the floor, 33.3% from 3 and 100.0% from the free-throw line.
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Manny Diaz Just Put Dukes Roster Uncertainty In The Spotlight
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Diaz pointed to the confusion created by recent player transfers and the absence of clear direction for the 2027 recruiting cycle, all while the sport waits on unresolved NCAA rule disputes. The lingering tampering case involving Clemson and Ole Miss is part of that larger cloud, and for the Blue Devils, the bigger concern is simple enough: without structural clarity, it is hard to know what the next roster looks like, or even how to properly prepare for it. [Read more 🡒]