Under 5-minute Scouting Report on Cooper Flagg
The Dallas Mavericks have the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
They moved up in the draft lottery for the first time in franchise history.
There is only one choice for the Mavericks at first overall.
Selecting Cooper Flagg and not trading the pick.
This is the under 5-minute scouting report on the Duke forward.
There will be a more comprehensive scouting report later in the draft cycle.
Let’s get to it.
Cooper Flagg
Position: Wing/ Small Ball 5 in pinches
Age/Birthday: 18 years old/ December 21st, 2006
College: Duke
Class: Freshman
Measurements
Height without shoes: 6’ 7.75
Height with shoes/listed height: 6’9
Weight: 221 pounds
Wingspan: 7 feet
Player Comparison: Kevin Garnett/ Jayson Tatum hybrid with better playmaking chops
Stats at Duke: 19.4 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game, 4.2 assists per game, 1.4 steals per game and 1.3 blocks per game.
48.5 FG %, 38.5 3P% (3.7 3PA per game), and 84 FT%
Strengths:
As complete of a prospect as I have ever seen- there are no glaring holes in his game. He can literally do it all.
Motor/Hustle/Heart- the skill he shares most with KG. He does not stop moving on the court, a rare trait for a star caliber player.
Defensive Cornerstone- He can wreck a game on that end. I think he will win a DPOY one day. He is not a traditional Rudy Gobert like rim anchor center or Herb Jones like wing perimeter stopper, but he will wreck the game in his own way.
Win-now: For as young as he is, I have never seen a draft prospect that was this ready to contribute to winning basketball. He can affect a playoff game in many ways today. All because of the little things he does on both ends of the court, particularly on defense.
IQ/ Feel for the game- As smart of a draft prospect as you will find and it shows up in all areas of the game, not just with the ball in his hands. This is a big reason why I am more optimistic than some on Flagg’s ability to be an offensive #1 for a team one day. He makes the right decision with the ball in his hands nearly every time.
Intangibles: You’ll hear more and more about his competitive spirit. He’s a team player when you turn on the game tape. He was a 4.0 student in his time at Duke. We play basketball not school in the NBA, but this is a bonus to me in the profile of someone’s intangibles. He showed fast improvement during his freshman year at Duke, a sign he listens to coaching and works hard.
Weaknesses
Can play too passive at times
Ball handling needs to be a little tightened- hours with *checks notes* Kyrie Irving and God Shammgod should help him here
Shot diet/efficiency: (More 3’s and paint shots, less mid rangers). I want to see more attempts than the 3.7 3PA he had in his lone college season. I would like to see some tricks added to his game in terms of shots around the basket. Floaters, etc. He has the touch for it and has even shown some floaters in games. He should be more efficient in the paint than he is.
My issue with the Kawhi/ Pippen comparison: I do not see Flagg being those level of defenders (maybe the two best perimeter defenders ever) guarding players on the perimeter. I think he is best as a help defense game wrecker type, similar to AD/KG etc. Can he guard on the perimeter? 100%, just not to that Kawhi/Pippen (again insanely high bar) level.
Can he be an offensive #1? I personally think he can, but I understand why people have this concern. For me, his feel for the game is too good, and I honestly think he could have handled many more on ball reps than he did at Duke. He can make any pass in the world, not to 77’s level, but he really can. The shot creation ability is where people have that concern. I personally think he will be able to create his own shot consistently at the NBA level. But to go back to my first weakness… he can play too passive at times. But I’ll go on the record. Cooper Flagg will be the first offensive option on a title winning team.
Play Strength: This will get sorted out as he gets into his 20’s and is under an NBA program. Sometimes he will get knocked off balance on drives. I am not worried about this long term.
Bottom Line:
I cannot stress how lucky the Mavericks got last Monday.
IF it was rigged (I don’t think it was. but I’m naive) thank you Adam Silver for finally rigging it for the Dallas Mavericks.
I mean 40 years and a lot of bad basketball teams and never moving up in the lottery is absurd. Like, I don’t care if non-Mavs fans think it was rigged, we were due…
I personally will thank Rolando Blackman.
Choosing him as the lottery representative was the rare time the organization chose something that embodied the Dallas Mavericks this year.
Back to Cooper Flagg…
This is a special prospect who can accomplish basically anything he wants to in the sport.
Don’t compare him to Luka, it’s a useless endeavor
He will dominate the game in his own ways.
Wemby is still the best draft prospect that I have ever seen, but Flagg is entering the NBA with more polish on both ends than Wemby did.
Flagg has an argument for the best prospect in the last 10-15 years besides Wemby.
Kyrie, AD, Zion, Cade, Luka, Ben Simmons, and Fultz all are in this realm of draft prospects for me, but Flagg will enter the NBA with less holes in his game than any of those guys.
Of all of these players, Flagg is the best prepared to make an impact to winning basketball on day 1.
This statement was true to me before he joins this playoff ready (on paper) Mavs group. It’s because of Flagg’s ability to impact so many areas of the game.
Number 1 picks don’t join rosters this talented… this is a special opportunity for Flagg and the Mavericks.
The Mavericks made a horrific, soulless, and brainless sports and business transaction in February, and falling ass backwards into Flagg doesn’t take away that transaction, but Cooper Flagg does serve as a get out of purgatory card for the Mavericks.
Not even 2025 Nico Harrison can mess this up.
