The Dallas Mavericks are officially trying to turn a corner. After a brutal start to the season that has them near the bottom of the Western Conference, the organization chose to end the Nico Harrison tenure. In a lot of ways, that could signal the official arrival of the Cooper Flagg era for the team.
The consensus first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the rookie has been as good as advertised, if not better. His ascension is significantly aided by the presence of proven veterans on the Mavericks’ roster, with Klay Thompson being one of them.
Klay Thompson’s Words for Cooper Flagg on Rookie Season Expectations
Through 15 games, the Mavericks have compiled a 4-11 record, which is ahead of only the Sacramento Kings and the New Orleans Pelicans. However, even through that rough start, Flagg has been excellent individually.
Averaging 15.5 points and 6.3 rebounds, he’s also adding 3.1 assists and 2.0 stocks per game as well. In the short timespan that he’s been in the league, he’s already put together some strong performances.
The youngest player to record 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in a game without a turnover, he has been a key reason for the Mavericks being tied for the fourth-best defensive rating in the NBA.
However, with the team failing to emerge as a playoff threat, let alone as a contender as many people predicted, there has been an air of disappointment surrounding his individual numbers. At this point, Flagg might look up to the advice he received from four-time NBA Champion Klay Thompson just a few days back.
“Usually with a lot of No. 1 picks, you go and you got to save a franchise,” Thompson told ESPN. “I just told him, ‘Your rookie year is like a free shot. You don’t need to have any expectations.'”
Anthony Davis took it one step further, stating that there were veterans on the squad to take the pressure off him.
“We want him to be confident but don’t worry about the pressure,” Davis had added. “I’ll handle the pressure. J. Kidd will handle the pressure. When Kyrie comes back, he’ll handle the pressure. We want him to go out here and just play basketball. He’ll have pressure three, four, or five years from now when we all probably going to be out [of] the league.”
Unfortunately, that is a standard that is easier said than done. Whether unfairly or not, Flagg is going to be put in comparison with Luka Dončić in due course. With the highs that Dončić was able to climb with the Mavericks, the Duke product is going to be held to those standards. However, it appears that Dallas’ veteran core may significantly ease the transition for the rookie.
