As the Dallas Mavericks prepare to open the 2025-26 NBA season next Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs, projected 2026 No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa offered his scouting report on rookie forward Cooper Flagg — a player he has known and competed against since their early basketball days in New England.
Dybantsa, who will attend BYU next year for what is expected to be his lone collegiate season before declaring for the 2026 NBA Draft, shared his insight on Boardroom Talks. The 18-year-old from Brockton, Massachusetts, grew up playing against Flagg, a fellow New England native from Newport, Maine. The two have faced off since eighth grade, and Dybantsa noted how surreal it feels to now see Flagg in the NBA.
“You know it’s crazy because like Cooper like, I’m a month younger than Coop. He was in our class. And I’ve been playing against Coop since like 8th grade so like watching him go number one. It’s like, we were just playing with/against each other. So it’s crazy.”
He reminded that they were originally in the same graduating class before Flagg reclassified, moving ahead and eventually becoming the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Dybantsa praised Flagg’s defensive instincts and emphasized how his length and timing make him a difficult matchup on both ends of the floor.
“He’s tough to go by. He’s tough. I haven’t seen him in a while, but last time I’ve seen him he was like 6’9 and his feet probably move way better now. But like weak side, if you say you have an initial defender, you got to watch out for him weak side because he’s coming to punch it.”
AJ Dybantsa supports Mavericks coach Jason Kidd’s plan to test Cooper Flagg’s versatility at point guard
Dybantsa also responded to Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd’s remarks from June about experimenting with Flagg as a point guard. Kidd said he wanted to challenge the rookie’s playmaking abilities early in his development.
“I want to put him at point guard,” Kidd said in June. “I want to make him uncomfortable and see how he reacts being able to run the show. Being able to play the 2, play the 3, he’s comfortable playing that. But we want to push, and I think he’s going to respond in a positive way.”
Reacting to that idea, Dybantsa supported the trend of positionless basketball and praised the rise of taller playmakers.
“I’m not mad at it. I mean point forward is kind of overtaking the NBA, like the Cade Cunningham types. So if you’re like 6’8 plus, being able to handle the ball, you can see over defenses, so I’m not mad at it.”
Flagg, who averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game in his lone season at Duke, has already shown glimpses of his versatility in preseason play. In the Mavericks’ 114-101 win over the Utah Jazz, he posted 11 points, seven rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and an assist while shooting 3-for-13 from the field, 1-for-6 from three, and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in 21 minutes. Through three preseason contests, he’s averaging 10.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.7 steals, and a block per game while shooting 41% from the field and 44.5% from three.
The Mavericks will close their preseason against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday in Las Vegas before hosting the Spurs to begin the regular season Oct. 22 on ESPN.
