Here’s Dallas Mavericks assistant GM Matt Riccardi on the winning background he envisions projected 2025 #1 pick Cooper Flagg bringing to the team (averaged 19.2 PPG/7.5 RPG/4.2 APG/1.4 SPG/1.4 BPG/48.1% FG/51.7% 2-PT/38.5% 3-PT/84.0% FT in 37 games played last season at Duke).
(via Take Dat Wit You):
“I would say more than anything, it makes the window 20 years instead of 3. You know what I mean? It’s not a, ‘We’ve got to go win it all.’ We’re trying to win it every single year, and the guys that we have — we felt like before this draft lottery — that we had a good enough team to win the championship. And now we get the chance to add the number 1 pick to this? So we’re ecstatic for that, but it’s business as usual for us. And whoever we get, the kid from Duke — you’re bringing in someone that’s won everywhere he’s been, who’s played above his age everywhere he’s been, who’s going to walk in and be ready to go.
“And whatever that role will be — we see it as more of another thing: we get to bring these guys, the 21-year-olds, the 22-year-olds that we have on this roster around slowly through the veterans that we have on this team. So when those guys are done playing, I think it’ll be way more than 3 years. I’m hoping it’s 5, 6, 7 years when they decide to hang it up — some of our older veterans. But when they’re done: they’re passing the torch and showing these guys how to become NBA champions, how to win. And then that window is extended for like I said, hopefully 20 years.”
