Cooper Flagg’s rookie season with the Dallas Mavericks gave ESPN’s Brian Windhorst flashbacks to LeBron James’ first year in the NBA.
“Cooper Flagg kept giving me flashbacks to LeBron James as a rookie,” Windhorst said. “By LeBron’s second season, he was a top-five player, and I feel strongly that this is Flagg’s destiny too.”
Flagg entered the NBA as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and quickly became the centerpiece of a Mavericks team undergoing a major transition. The 19-year-old forward appeared in 70 games during the 2025-26 season, starting all of them, while averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks in 33.5 minutes per game.
He shot 46.8% from the field and 82.7% from the free-throw line, while connecting on 29.5% of his three-point attempts.
Flagg also earned significant responsibility despite being one of the youngest players in the league. He led Dallas in scoring, while ranking second on the team in assists and first in both steals and blocks among the Mavericks’ regular rotation.
His production came on a Dallas team that finished 26-56, the franchise’s worst record since the 2005-06 season. The Mavericks subsequently made sweeping changes to their basketball operations, hiring Masai Ujiri as team president, Mike Schmitz as general manager and Dusty May as head coach.
The offseason has centered on building around Flagg, with Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II remaining among the team’s key pieces. Dallas also acquired Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and added Santi Aldama, Marcus Sasser and several young players through trades and the draft.
Windhorst’s comparison to James points to the trajectory rather than suggesting the two players had identical rookie seasons. James averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists as a rookie for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003-04 before making a major leap in his second season.
In 2004-05, James averaged 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists and earned his first All-Star selection. He finished sixth in MVP voting that season.
