Uncover the Shocking Truth Behind [Article Topic] That Everyone’s Been Missing

Cooper Flagg’s arrival in Dallas is headline-grabbing, no doubt—the crown jewel of the 2025 NBA Draft finally signed, sealed, and delivered to the Mavericks. But here’s a kicker: does his game really jive with Dallas’s existing puzzle? Flagg’s a rare gem, lauded as one of the top NCAA prospects since 2013, yet the Mavericks’ roster isn’t the most malleable canvas. Could this be a case of sheer talent meeting a fit that’s more puzzle piece than perfect snap? There’s a fascinating tension at play—how will a young phenom, who thrives in creative offensive roles, carve out space amidst constraints? As the Mavericks wrestle with utilizing their prized rookie to the fullest, the real question lingers: will this partnership bloom immediately, or is patience the silent star here? Let’s peel back the layers on Flagg’s bold leap into the NBA spotlight—and the strategic chess Dallas must play to make it work. LEARN MORE

Cooper Flagg, the best prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft, is officially a member of the Dallas Mavericks. But questions remain about his fit with their roster.

There was a lot of uncertainty entering the 2025 NBA Draft. But none of it started at the top.

From the moment the Dallas Mavericks won the draft lottery, they were destined to select Cooper Flagg with the first overall pick. That formality is now official.

Flagg is an incredible prospect who lived up to lofty expectations coming into Duke as the No. 1 recruit out of his high school class.

According to our draft model, Flagg is the sixth-best NCAA prospect since 2013, ranking behind only Karl-Anthony Towns, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Haliburton (NBA GMs should’ve called us before letting him drop to the 12th selection in 2020), Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren.

Models aren’t perfect, but the AP men’s college basketball player of the year is the consensus top player in the draft by scouts as well. He’s a rare talent that the Mavericks are lucky to welcome into their organization.

That being said, the former Duke forward isn’t a perfect fit with the Mavericks. He’s a great prospect, but the shape of his production is going to be different than a lot of No. 1 picks.

If Flagg reaches his ceiling, he’s probably not going to have the ball in his hands every time down the floor and will be best utilized in creative ways on the offensive end. The Mavericks don’t have the most flexible roster and may not be able to allow Flagg to do everything he’s capable of doing right away.

Even if they’re good problems to have, the Mavericks are going to have to make some tough decisions regarding Flagg’s usage and their roster in his rookie season.

The Challenges

It’s pretty clear the Mavericks will utilize Flagg primarily as a small forward. They reportedly will re-sign Daniel Gafford to a three-year deal worth $60 million, pairing him at center with Dereck Lively II.  

Anthony Davis will slot in at power forward and prefers to play next to one of those two centers. But that doesn’t leave a ton of time for Flagg to play power forward, where he likely would’ve spent most of his time if certain other teams had won the lottery.

On both sides of the ball, there are advantages to Flagg playing power forward as a rookie. Defensively, Flagg’s biggest impact at Duke was near the rim. He was a great shot blocker both on and off the ball.

He still has great hands, uses his length, and has enough foot speed to be effective as a perimeter defender. But the ideal situation would have Flagg vacillate between guarding wings and guarding big men depending on the matchup. It will be hard for the Mavericks to do that for large portions of the game due to their roster construction.

Offensively, the issue isn’t that Flagg will have to play small forward – he has the skills for it. It’s the fact that the Mavericks’ three big men aren’t shooters. Gafford and Lively II don’t shoot 3s and Davis hasn’t been above 30% on 3-point attempts since 2019-20.

The Mavericks as a team shot the fifth-fewest 3-point attempts last season. Flagg is going to do a lot of initiating, and he was at his deadliest getting downhill when the floor was spaced around him.

There are good shooters on the team. Klay Thompson and P.J. Washington are both great behind the arc and several bench players can drill open shots as well. But when Davis shares the floor with one of the centers, the floor will always be a little cramped.

Kyrie Irving is a lethal shooter when healthy and he just reportedly agreed to a new three-year deal to stay in Dallas. But he will miss several months to start next year as he recovers from ACL surgery. While the Mavericks will miss his shooting, it’s his ability as a lead ball handler that will impact the team the most.

Irving could be an offense unto himself when the Mavericks needed it and, even though he’s known primarily as a scorer, was the best playmaker left on the team after Luka Doncic was traded. Of the perimeter players currently under contract for the Mavericks next season, Naji Marshall had the most assists per game at 3.0.

Flagg will get his opportunities to facilitate the offense, but it would be nice if there was a guard on the roster who could get him the ball in advantageous positions to get him going when he is struggling. That isn’t the case. The rookie will have to create most of the advantages for himself, which is a heavy burden for any player in his first year.

The Opportunity

Fortunately for Flagg, his versatility allows him to fit any roster he joins, and Dallas will be no different.

Even if he ends up more suited defending power forwards in the long run, playing him on the perimeter as a rookie will allow him to develop important skills. He has to learn how to use his length to combat quicker players and navigate screens better. In Dallas, he gets the opportunity to learn this with shot blockers covering behind him.

The same is true on the offensive end. Jason Kidd understands the importance of playmaking for a star’s development as much as any coach in the league. In addition to being one of the game’s great table setters when he was a player, Kidd also played Giannis Antetokounmpo at point guard early in his career to get him on-ball reps.

Flagg’s much more suited for that role than Antetokounmpo was, and he’ll likely get as many reps as he needs to develop as a go-to playmaker. These reps will be important for his development as a processor, but also as a shooting threat off the dribble.

Flagg struggled as a shooter early in the season but improved dramatically by the time the season concluded. He got more accurate and sped up his shot, particularly off the dribble, and no longer needs much separation to get off a shot.

Maybe the best path of development for Flagg is by giving him all the looks as a lead ball handler early and sprinkling in post touches, dives to the rim and off-the-ball movement when possible. Davis isn’t likely to be healthy for all 82 games, and Flagg will get some reps at power forward when he’s not playing.

The spacing will be an issue at times, but Flagg was one of the best big-to-big passers in the NCAA. He was great at throwing lobs and getting the ball to his centers when they had their defenders sealed.

It’ll be different sharing the floor with two big men, but, between his passing and his strength on drives, Flagg should be able to make it work.

Some players may develop better on teams at the start of their rebuilds, but Flagg’s incredible toolbox of skills will be best honed on a team trying to compete. The Mavericks likely won’t be title contenders next year, particularly with Irving’s injury, but they are a team of veterans with playoff experience.

Thompson is one of the best shooters ever. Ditto for Irving and ball handling. If Flagg wants to round out his perimeter skills, they will be excellent resources. Davis is there as a big man who can show Flagg the nuances of taking up space. All three of those players have been core pieces of a championship team. That has to ease the transition of a No. 1 pick trying to live up to lofty expectations.

Flagg’s a unique prospect, and the Mavericks will have to adjust their plans for him based on which parts of his game develop the quickest. While there might be some clunky moments as the team figures out the best way to utilize him, Flagg will be on a team that is trying to be competitive but will also give him space to develop.

Ultimately, that is more important than fit issues in his rookie season.

For more coverage, follow along on social media on Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook and X.

The post Captured the Flagg: How No. 1 Pick Cooper Flagg Fits With the Mavericks appeared first on Opta Analyst.