Cooper Flagg’s rookie season has already convinced Brian Windhorst that the Dallas Mavericks forward is on track to become one of the NBA’s top players in the near future.
Speaking on NBA Today, Windhorst compared Flagg’s impact during his first season to LeBron James’ rookie campaign and projected a rapid rise for the 19-year-old.
“In all honesty, I feel like there’s not enough hype around Cooper Flagg,” Windhorst said. “I don’t think people realized how breathtaking Cooper Flagg’s performance was last season.”
“He absolutely reminded me on an almost nightly basis of LeBron as a rookie,” he added. “I really believe that he is going to enter the top 10 of best players in the league sooner rather than later.”
Windhorst also placed Flagg’s long-term trajectory alongside Victor Wembanyama’s when discussing the young players who could shape the future of the NBA.
“And that his trajectory is really right there alongside Victor Wembanyama’s in terms of the future of the NBA,” Windhorst said.
Flagg averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 70 games during his rookie season, starting every game. He shot 46.8% from the field and 82.7% from the free-throw line, although his three-point shooting stood at 29.5%.
The No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft was named Rookie of the Year after carrying a significant offensive role for a Dallas team that finished 26-56.
Flagg enters his second season with additional physical development. He measured 6-foot-10 without shoes at Dallas’ physical ahead of the 2026-27 season, confirming that he had grown from his previous 6-foot-9 measurement.
“Rookie season is done, so now I’m just improving for the rest of my career,” Flagg said at Mavericks media day. “Just trying to get better every single day, and that’s what this offseason was about for me.”
The teenager also believes his shooting can improve after acknowledging that hesitation affected him during his rookie campaign.
“I just felt like I was indecisive, I think, a lot of the year. I wasn’t confident shooting shots that I normally should,” Flagg said.
“I have a lot of confidence right now in everything, my handle, my shot, my finishing,” he added. “Taking that confidence from the summer into the season and staying in that confident, aggressive mind frame is going to help me to get off to a good start.”
Flagg will also have Kyrie Irving alongside him as Dallas looks to rebound from last season. He described playing with Irving as something that makes the game easier.
“Kai is one of those guys, playing alongside that I feel like he just makes it easy to play with him,” Flagg said.
