The 2025-26 NBA season will feature the first professional season of Cooper Flagg after he was drafted with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft. Flagg is under a lot of pressure, but because this is his first season, the Dallas Mavericks veterans are giving him a lot of advice. He has Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving to guide him early in his career.
Flagg has shown in the Summer League that he can play a significant role in the Mavericks. He’s ready to take his game to the next level, even though he’s just 18 years old. At the start of the team’s training camp, the rookie forward went viral for having a composed and mature style of game.
Flagg’s experienced teammates have been confident in what he can do on the floor and how he’d play an important role for the team.
Klay Thompson spoke highly of the work that Flagg has shown when their training camp started. The four-time champion was impressed by his work ethic, not skipping on any drill.
“The thing I’m most impressed by with Cooper is he did not sit out one drill,” Thompson said. “He is in incredible shape, he’s got great stamina, and when he is in his mid-20s and fills out his physique, I mean, it’s going to be scary how great he can be.”
“He’s only 18 years old, making a huge impact,” he added. “I’m just excited for his future, but he can also help us so much right now.”
"The thing I'm most impressed by with Cooper… he did not sit out 1 drill."@KlayThompson on his rookie teammate's work ethic 💯
Coop, Klay and the Mavs play OKC at 8:30pm/et on NBA TV! pic.twitter.com/QubasD0qJP
— NBA (@NBA) October 6, 2025
Even Davis had high praise for the young forward. AD believes the forward has what it takes to defend stars like Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler.
“We’re going to put him in situations where you have to guard maybe the best wing, to have to guard Kevin Durant or Jimmy Butler or these guys. We have enough confidence in him to go out, send him out there and be able to guard those guys,” AD said.
Klay Thompson believes in the Mavericks’ defensive capabilities
Even though the Mavericks are waiting on Irving to return from his ACL tear, there’s a lot of belief that they can contend for a championship. Klay Thompson is one of the believers in what the team can do. According to him, the team’s ability to defend at a high level is what separates them from the 29 other teams.
“There’s no reason we can’t be the highest rated defensive team in the NBA,” the five-time All-Star said. “In my experience, what helps to win is having a roster full of two-way players. We have that.”
Thompson is a former All-NBA defender and Davis is one of the best rim protectors in the league. Other than that, the Mavericks also have Dereck Lively II, Dante Exum, Max Christie and Caleb Martin, who are all great defenders.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
