Cooper Flagg joins LeBron James in NBA history
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Cooper Flagg added another rare accomplishment to his early NBA resume on Friday night, producing a stat line that continues to separate him from every other 18-year-old who has played in the league.
Is it too early for me to assume the 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year race has already been narrowed down to two players? Probably, but with the way Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel have been playing, it feels difficult to see another player crashing the party.
Cooper Flagg takes over the No. 1 spot in NBA Rookie Power Rankings as Derik Queen surges, highlighting a standout class on Dec. 11.
Lately, Cooper Flagg has gone above and beyond the call of duty. The rookie sensation for the Dallas Mavericks has been entrusted with the of starting point guard role. With that will come a certain amount of criticism as to whether the No.1 pick coming off one year at Duke has what it takes.
When the Dallas Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg out of Duke with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, many had him labeled as a dynamic two-way point forward who should make an instant impact in the league.
Here's every player who gained or lost points in the latest NBA 2K26 ratings update.
DALLAS — Early in the 2025-26 season, Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd surprised many by playing 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg at the point guard position. The results were far from ideal, as Flagg — who had primarily played forward previously — did not look especially comfortable at point guard.
Flagg went viral for a turn-around fadeaway midrange shot in that game, as the mid-range has been dialed in for him recently. He's more comfortable living in the area of the floor, and once the three-point shot develops, he's going to be a really hard player to guard.