Longtime analyst gives high praise to Mavericks' newest cornerstone player

Just a few months after they traded away Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks have already moved on to the next phase of the franchise. Following some historic luck in the draft lottery, they secured the No. 1 pick and landed touted prospect Cooper Flagg. 

Flagg has long been viewed as a forward with superstar potential in the NBA and now will attempt to fill the void left by Luka Doncic. He also enters his rookie campaign with big expectations all around, as he is on a team that is aiming to compete right away. 

Following round one of the NBA Draft, Jay Bilas joined The Pat McAfee show to give his insights on the incoming class. While talking about Flagg, he had nothing but praise for his abilities on and off the basketball court.

"Cooper Flagg, he's the real deal," Bilas said. "People ask what's so special about him and I'm like dude just watch. He does everything and he's got a level of competitiveness that is on the upper tier of players that I've watched over the last 30 years...As long as he stays healthy he's gonna be a great NBA player." 

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 26, 2025

Flagg's star-level trajectory has been on display since he shined during Team USA camp last summer. He carried that momentum into Duke, where he was arguably the top player in college basketball. Flagg finished his freshman campaign with averages of 19.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.4 SPG, and 1.4 BPG. 

It's rare that a franchise gets a do-over of this degree in such a short time, and the Mavericks have to make the most of it. They now have a dynamic talent who should help Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving contend in the West. On top of this, Flagg has the potential to be a future face of the league and someone Dallas can build around for the next decade. 

Looking ahead, Flagg will have his first chance to meet the high bar set for him in a few weeks during Summer League.