2025 No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick Cooper Flagg dealt with some heavy criticism through the early part of his first season with the Dallas Mavericks, and understandably so. Flagg came out of Duke as a can't-miss prospect, regarded as one of the most talented incoming rookies the NBA has seen in recent memory. To begin the season, Flagg struggled with efficiency and turnover issues, which caused the former AP National Player of the Year to receive some heavy backlash, with some fans already prepared to deem Flagg a bust. Obviously, it's impossible to call a rookie a bust with such a small sample size, but that's what comes with being such a hyped up recruit.
However, one small change has completely changed the trajectory of Flagg's season, and he now looks like a future superstar. Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd elected to play Flagg at the point guard position regularly to begin his career, something he seldom did while with the Blue Devils. Then, Kidd switched Flagg to more of a frontcourt role, which he thrives in, and his numbers have absolutely skyrocketed.
Jason Kidd switching Cooper Flagg out of point guard position has completely transformed the star rookie's play
Flagg was moved to more of a forward role in early November, and his stats have jumped to a whole new level.
Cooper Flagg game averages through first 10 games of NBA career:
13.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.6 blocks, 1.2 steals, 2.3 turnovers, 40.3% shooting, 27% from three
Cooper Flagg game averages after November 8th (12 games):
20.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.6 blocks, 1.5 steals, 2.1 turnovers, 52.7% shooting, 24.4% shooting from three
Now, the outside shooting hasn't caught up with everything else, but Flagg's scoring numbers and efficiency from the field have vastly improved since he was put in a more comfortable role. The wing can thrive with the ball in his hands, but doesn't need to create his own shot at all times. He's a great cutter, fantastic in the fast break, and can score in so many different ways.
Dallas is still waiting to get star point guard Kyrie Irving back from injury, but the emergence of undrafted rookie Ryan Nembhard has given Flagg and the rest of the team a massive boost. Nembhard was a fantastic passer and facilitator in college, but was overlooked come draft time since he was undersized. He looks like a genius pickup for Dallas so far, and with an excellent passer at the point guard spot, Flagg's numbers should only continue to rise.
The Maine native is back to being the betting favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award after former teammate Kon Knueppel briefly took that honor away. Flagg is currently -150 to win the award according to FanDuel.