The Dallas Mavericks are in the driver's seat to land Cooper Flagg

 On Monday, the NBA had their Draft Lottery, which figures out the order that teams will draft. Picks 1-4 are determined by the lottery and then picks 5-14 are determined by record once the top four teams have been figured out. As you can see from the graphic above, the Dallas Mavericks won the top pick despite having 1.8% odds of doing so. The Spurs, 76ers, Hornets, Jazz, Wizards, Pelicans, Nets, Raptors, Rockets, Trail Blazers, Bulls, Hawks, and Spurs follow in that order. 

Of course, the Utah Jazz are the big losers in this given they came in with the league's worst record and had 14% odds of winning the top pick. Their strategy of tanking to get the top pick hasn't been going so good, but hey, getting the 5th overall pick still isn't a bad place to be picking all things considered. 

Going back to the Mavericks, by securing the top pick, this means they are now in the driver's seat to select Duke phenom Cooper Flagg, who is has been the consensus top pick in the draft for quite a while. Flagg had a fabulous freshman season in Durham, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game on 48.1% shooting from the field, 38.5% shooting from 3-point range, and 84.0% shooting from the foul line. Duke reached the Final Four, losing to Houston 70-67 in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament. Flagg was obviously a major reason why they went so deep. 

Assuming they do indeed select Flagg, the Mavericks will be getting a new super star talent to replace Luka Doncic, who they traded to the Lakers for Anthony Davis earlier this season. Given his skills and gifts at 6'9", 205 pounds, Flagg certainly has the potential to make Mavericks fans forget about Doncic rather quickly. 

Still, there will be a lot of pressure on Flagg to deliver the goods and be the new face of the franchise. While that pressure would be there no matter where he goes, he'll be under an even bigger magnifying glass in Dallas given the recent Doncic trade. He'll immediately get compared to Doncic and given how good Doncic is, those aren't easy shoes to fill. 

It certainly will be interesting to see how Flagg does in Dallas (assuming he goes there) and where the Mavericks are five years out. One thing is certainly true: By winning the lottery, the Mavericks have an opportunity to look really smart for trading Doncic even though everybody has to know they had no crystal ball. 

NBALord.com on X (Twitter): @nba_lord 

NBALord.com on Facebook: @NBALordNation 

Ben Parker on Facebook, IG, Threads, YouTube, X (Twitter), & Blue Sky: @slamdunk406 

Is Duke freshman Cooper Flagg worth tanking for?

 

                                           (Credit: Rob Kinnan) 

One of the most talented prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft is Duke freshman forward Cooper Flagg, who is averaging 19.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. Listed at 6'9", 205 pounds, Flagg has a great blend of size, skill, and athleticism. He's really the whole package out there, which is why many mock drafts have him going number one overall. 

Having watched Flagg play a bit since I cover Stanford for Rivals.com and thus am tuned into ACC hoops, I have to say he looks like the real deal to me. The most impressive aspect of his game is what I said at the beginning, namely his combination of size, skill, and athleticism. He is capable of playing multiple positions on the floor and with the NBA really valuing guys who can play a variety of spots on the floor, that makes Flagg especially exciting. 

The other thing about Flagg that shouldn't go unnoticed is the fact that he's the go to guy on a national championship contending team. Duke is on pace to get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and in my opinion should be favored to win the NCAA tournament. The fact that Flagg is doing all that he's doing while playing winning basketball makes him all the more impressive. It's one thing to put up big numbers on a bad team. But to produce like he's doing while having your team in the national championship conversation? That's a whole different matter. 

The final thing that stands out about Flagg is his efficiency. He's 49.1% from the field, 37.5% from 3-point range, and 82.1% from the foul line. Those are very solid shooting percentages. He is averaging 2.9 turnovers per game, so that's something he can improve, but aside from that he's playing clean basketball on both ends of the floor, averaging just 2.6 fouls per game. 

If you are the Utah Jazz, New Orleans Pelicans, Washington Wizards, and Charlotte Hornets, you should absolutely feel vindicated in stinking it up this season if it means you end up with Cooper Flagg. He's undoubtedly a player worth tanking for. It'll be fun to see who wins the sweepstakes for the Duke superstar and how deep he'll guide the Blue Devils in the NCAA tournament. 

NBALord.com on X (Twitter): @nba_lord 

NBALord.com on Facebook: @NBALordNation 

Ben Parker on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X (Twitter), & Blue Sky: @slamdunk406