Kyrie Irving Compares Rockets Star Kevin Durant and Cooper Flagg

The Mavericks guard played with Durant, and now plays with Flagg

Jan 31, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) controls the ball as Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) defends during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As the next generation of talent looks to make its impact on the NBA, Cooper Flagg stands at the forefront of his draft class. Flagg averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game last season, earning Rookie of the Year honors.

Entering his sophomore year, Flagg gave a glimpse of what is to come when playing alongside his Dallas Mavericks teammate Kyrie Irving. Flagg totaled 14 points, four rebounds, and seven assists during Sunday’s preseason victory over the Houston Rockets.

During postgame media availability, Irving expressed that Flagg has shown some of the same leadership capabilities that Durant had during the beginning of his NBA career.

"I give my respect to KD and Bron, they are in their own separate categories and trajectories in their careers. But I would say this: I think Coop falls in line in terms of having that competitive nature at a very young age to be able to lead a team, be a complementary piece, but also lead the team, statistical categories, and I love that he is a two-way player".

Kyrie Irving was asked to compare Cooper Flagg to Kevin Durant and LeBron James and here’s how he responded: pic.twitter.com/ecFIymX3Bw

— Ron Harrod Jr. (@RonKnowsSports) October 11, 2026

A Strong Rookie Year

Kevin Durant was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics, who would soon be rebranded as the Oklahoma City Thunder, with the second overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. He averaged 20.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists over 80 games in his rookie year.

Seattle finished with a 20-62 record after adding Durant to the team, though he was named the league’s Rookie of the Year. Flagg follows a similar trajectory to Durant’s in this regard, showing promising signs of superstardom despite missing the playoffs.

Flagg’s performance over a relatively small sample is promising, but he will need to continue to elevate his ceiling in the coming years before a firm opinion can be made about his place in the league. As alluded to by Irving in his recent comments, it’s hard to make a comparison to Durant due to the 16-time All-Star’s exceptional longevity.

At 38 years old, Durant is widely considered to be the Rockets’ top player at the moment. He is coming off an All-NBA Second Team selection and finished with the fourth-most total points scored in the NBA last season.

After averaging 26.0 points over 78 regular-season games, there are no indications that retirement is on the horizon for the two-time NBA champion. He will have the opportunity to face off against Flagg and the Mavericks multiple times in the coming months.