Cooper Flagg is already viewed as one of the NBA’s top young players, but his climb from promising rookie to All-Star depends on how quickly Dallas builds around him.
The Ringer released its updated Top 100 NBA Player Rankings on June 16 and Cooper Flagg checks in at 41st overall heading into his second season, the only Dallas Mavericks player to make the list. Rob Mahoney describes him as a five-tool prospect pushing the limits of what a rookie can do.
The Ringer assigned him four badges heading into Year 2: Ridiculous Upside, Feel for the Game, Finisher and Got That Dog in Him. The first two speak to his ceiling and basketball intelligence. The third reflects his ability to convert at the rim against NBA-level resistance. The fourth is about something harder to quantify: the competitive edge that shows up in the moments that separate good players from great ones.
The question Mahoney poses is straightforward. It is not whether Flagg makes the leap, but how quickly.
The case for a significant jump is already built into his rookie numbers. Flagg averaged 21 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks per game on a 26-56 team that lacked a second star, a healthy supporting cast and a permanent head coach for the first two months of the season. He won Rookie of the Year, became the youngest player in NBA history to score 50 points in a game and led Dallas in all four major statistical categories. The foundation is not the concern.
Getting from 41st to All-Star and All-NBA territory in Year 2 depends on what happens around him as much as what happens with him. Mahoney addresses this directly in his write-up, noting that for the new front office, it is a matter of building out a supporting cast that actually makes life easier for Flagg. Three things need to happen for him to leap into stardom.
The first is efficiency: Flagg shot 29.5% from 3-point range this season on 3.5 attempts per game. That number has to improve. The best wings in the league at his position shoot 36% to 38% from deep and use that threat to create advantages on and off the ball. Flagg has the mechanics and the shot-making instincts. The volume and consistency need to follow.
The second is help: a healthy Kyrie Irving changes every calculation. A point guard who can share the offensive creation burden gives Flagg more opportunities to operate in the spaces where he is already elite rather than forcing him to carry everything. The draft on June 23 is the first concrete step toward building that cast.
The third is coaching: Flagg needs a head coach who understands how to build a system around a dominant two-way wing while also protecting his development from the pressure of carrying a rebuilding franchise alone. Marc Stein reported Tuesday that the search is progressing with interviews ongoing. The known candidates include Minnesota’s Micah Nori, Houston’s Royal Ivey and former Trail Blazers, Hawks and Bucks head coach Terry Stotts. That hire, still pending, will be the single most important decision of the offseason.
Mahoney writes that Masai Ujiri has said all the right things in terms of prioritizing Flagg’s timeline. Now comes the harder work of following through. Going from 41st to All-NBA is not just about what Flagg does. It is about whether everyone around him does their part.
