Every few seasons, the basketball world is graced with a truly generational talent in the NBA Draft. Since LeBron James, superstars like Blake Griffin, Anthony Davis, Zion Williamson, and Victor Wembanyama have all wowed the entire league as a whole.
This year, it was back to the American roots of the draft as Cooper Flagg earned his spot as the consensus best player in the draft. Going to the Dallas Mavericks, Flagg already has the respect of some of his greatest peers, including two-time MVP Stephen Curry.
Stephen Curry Excited for the Cooper Flagg Journey
Since his days at Montverde Academy, it has been clear that Flagg is on a superstar trajectory to the NBA. One of the youngest rookies ever (he is yet to turn 19), Flagg has already given fans enough to be ecstatic about.
During his single year at Duke, he led the program in every statistical category as a freshman, leading them to a Final Four finish, while averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.4 blocks and steals apiece.
A two-way demon, he has worked on every facet of his game, including his 3-point shooting, where he shot over 38% from distance in his lone season with the Blue Devils. But speaking of 3-point shooting, his preparation for the NBA wasn’t just a direct line.
Instead, the youngster was trying to gain experience through every possible avenue, including attending multiple player camps. A famous one was the Curry Camp organized by the Golden State Warriors superstar.
As Flagg finally entered the NBA as a part of the Dallas Mavericks organization, the four-time NBA Champion shared a picture of the two from the camp on his Instagram story. Alongside, he added a caption, “Curry Camp -> NBA. Let’s get it! @cooper_flagg”
Missed this earlier, but Steph Curry shouted out Cooper Flagg, a Curry Camp alum on his Instagram story today: pic.twitter.com/ENZTpMSFO2
— Mavs Film Room 🐴🎥 (@MavsFilmRoom) June 28, 2025
For Flagg, it has been an interesting few days since officially becoming a member of the NBA. His coach, Jason Kidd, has already drawn comparisons to a Giannis Antetokounmpo-like workload for the rookie, while his side-eye to general manager Nico Harrison went viral on social media.
He’s also made an appearance at the American Airlines Center, albeit as a member of the crowd catching the action in the Dallas Wings vs. Indiana Fever game. But, individually, the goal is already extremely high for the incoming rookie.
On a team with three future Hall of Famers in Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, and Anthony Davis, Flagg is going to be expected to compete on a contender as soon as his career begins.
His competition in the Western Conference is going to be fierce and is going to include a familiar face in Curry. After trading for Jimmy Butler and still possessing veterans like Draymond Green, the Warriors will try to make one more push towards a championship.
If we’re lucky, we might potentially get a mentor vs. mentee matchup in the 2025-26 playoffs, if Flagg is as good as advertised.