Mavericks' Cooper Flagg ahead of Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren in surprising ranking

Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg has had a tremendous start to his career, already winning the October/November Rookie of the Month award, and he's been playing even better lately. Over his last six games, he's averaging an impressive 23.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 3.2 APG, and he's becoming more efficient around the basket and in the mid-range. He may be the first overall pick, but he's still exceeding expectations for an 18-year-old.

Flagg is already a really good NBA player, but how does he stack up compared to his peers? ESPN ranked the top 25 players under 25 years old based on long-term potential, and had Cooper Flagg 8th, only behind Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Edwards, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Williams, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Evan Mobley.

"After some early-season handwringing about Flagg's initial performances -- he was playing out of position at point guard on a team with hardly any shooting around him and with plenty of drama -- things have looked far different once Flagg switched back to his combo forward role. He's putting up stat lines that are only comparable to LeBron James among 18-year-olds in NBA history. Dallas is going to be just fine as the Flagg era takes hold in the Metroplex," Tim Bontemps wrote.

This is more impressive when you take a look at some of the players behind him, such as Chet Holmgren (9th), Scottie Barnes (11th), Paolo Banchero (13th), and fellow rookie Kon Knueppel (17th). Injuries are holding some of those players back, such as Holmgren, as it's hard to project what he'll look like.

There were some people trying to speculate that Cooper Flagg would be the 6th best prospect if he stayed in the 2026 draft class, but with the way he's playing in the NBA before he even turns 19, it's hard not to think he could be an MVP candidate in the near future.

Dec 12, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) looks on during the game between the Mavericks and the Nets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Cooper Flagg is Great, But There's One Thing He Needs to Improve

It may be due to the thumb splint that Cooper Flagg has been wearing on his shooting hand for the last month or so, but his three-point shooting has not been good this year. It was arguably his biggest question mark entering his NBA career, and even though he shot well in college, he hasn't gained confidence in the NBA three yet. And Tim Bontemps agrees.

"Has to continue to develop his body and offensive game. The thing that's so impressive about him is that he still very much looks like a teenager playing against grown men -- and he still puts up big numbers. That said, Flagg is shooting 25% from 3, and to become a complete offensive force in today's league, especially as a wing player, he has to get into the mid-to-high 30s in the future."

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