Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg dominating offseason NBA polls

Cooper Flagg is expected to be the best player from his class for a long time.

Jul 10, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) subs out against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second quarter of their game at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images | Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg enters the NBA as one of the most highly anticipated rookies in recent memory after a sensation freshman season at Duke, becoming one of just four freshmen to ever win the National Player of the Year award.

That led Flagg to be selected first overall by the Mavericks, who magically jumped up to the first pick on a 1.8% chance. And, to no one's surprise, he's expected to run away with the Rookie of the Year award.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps polled 20 coaches, executives, and scouts around the NBA, and 19 of them picked Flagg to win Rookie of the Year, with one vote going to his Duke teammate Kon Knueppel.

Jul 10, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) looks on in the first quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images | Candice Ward-Imagn Images

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"Not surprisingly, Flagg ran away from the field as one of the most anticipated prospects to come into the NBA in recent memory, possibly trailing only Wembanyama in that category," Bontemps started.

"The only reason this vote wasn't unanimous was because of a Western Conference assistant coach instead giving the nod to Flagg's former Duke teammate, Knuppel, to have a strong debut season with the Charlotte Hornets.

"'He'll be on a bad team, will have the ball in his hands and put up numbers,' the coach said."

Cooper Flagg Also Expected to be the Best Player Long Term

Bontemps also asked who will be the best player from the 2025 draft class five years from now, and Flaff was also the runaway favorite for that. He received 18 votes while Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper each received one.

"Flagg again dominated this question, though former Rutgers teammates Harper and Bailey each received a single vote.

"'As a point guard landing with Victor,' a Western Conference scout said of Harper, 'there's a clear path to success. If Cooper went to a bad team, he'd be the obvious answer. But his landing spot could cause him to develop differently.'"

Flagg will still have the ball in his hands a lot early because of the injury to Kyrie Irving and the lack of other playmakers on the team. The Mavericks tested it out in the Summer League, and Flagg seemed to take to it well, scoring 31 points in the second game against the San Antonio Spurs.

It's also an older team. Irving, Anthony Davis, and Klay Thompson will start to fade eventually as Flagg blossoms on his own, so this will be his team before too long.

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