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Fans of the Dallas Mavericks recently got their first glimpse of number one overall draft pick Cooper Flagg at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. While he had a rough shooting night in his first game with the team, Flagg bounced back to the tune of 32 points in the Mavericks' most recent contest against the San Antonio Spurs.
Recently, NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal spoke on why he thinks Dallas was the perfect landing spot for Flagg while at a charity event for his foundation.
“Great young man. I know both his parents very, very well,” O’Neal said, per Austin Veazey of Sports Illustrated. “Everything about this city, this organization, it’s going to be the right place. And then we’ll give him time to develop. We all remember Dirk [Nowitzki] wasn’t Dirk when he first got here. I think this is a great organization, a great town for him to start off his NBA career.”
It's not often that a first overall pick gets to play alongside future Hall of Famers like Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and Klay Thompson, but that's exactly the situation Flagg finds himself in as he prepares for his rookie season.
A roller coaster for the Mavericks
Less than six months ago, the Mavericks etched their name in NBA infamy by trading away superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package centered around Anthony Davis.
While fans are still understandably irate about that puzzling decision, the fact that they won the draft lottery and were able to select Flagg certainly helped to soften the blow.
The Mavericks will be without Kyrie Irving for a significant chunk of the upcoming 2025-26 season as he recovers from a torn ACL he suffered in March; however, Flagg and Anthony Davis figure to make for a formidable duo, surrounded by solid role player talent as well, including Thompson.
Rookies typically aren't stars coming out of the gates in the NBA, but if Flagg is able to produce at the level many pundits expect from him, the Mavericks could be a legit contender in the Western Conference.
