Windhorst: Why Cooper Flagg's ascension is starting to feel inevitable

MACAO, China -- A few Dallas Mavericks veterans have been keeping up the ruse that Cooper Flagg is still wearing some sort of "trainee" name tag. That the 2025 No. 1 pick is technically a rookie until he plays the first game of his second season. This played out with various menial duties for the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year -- bag-carrying and the like -- during the team's week in China for two preseason games against the Houston Rockets. "I can sometimes sneak by without them remembering that they want me to be a rookie still. But yeah, they definitely try," Flagg said. This notion, of course, is ridiculous on its face. Flagg played just 45 minutes in two games in Macao but scored 33 points with 10 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals and two blocks. He hunted for his shot and looked to set up his teammates with the kind of assurance that obliterates the concept that he's a rookie. But it's not just what you can count or see. Flagg's voice echoed through the arena inside The Venetian Macao, and he's vocally involved in the game, showing how quickly he is graduating from worrying about his own game to broadening his scope by including everyone else's. He's barreling down the runway toward superstardom like the many fully loaded cargo jets taking off from the adjacent Hong Kong International Airport. This kind of growth creates goosebumps. "I'm just finding my voice," Flagg said. "Being so young and a little bit inexperienced is tough sometimes, but I think up to this point, I've earned the respect of my teammates, and I've gotten that sense that they really respect me and my opinion." For a player who has been on the basketball world's radar since he was 16, was a star at Duke and then won the NBA's top rookie honor, it feels possible that Flagg's quickening maturation might be a tad underrated at the moment. It doesn't help that the Mavericks, mired in a deep Western Conference, aren't exactly demanding attention. But everything about Flagg is starting to feel inevitable. There's a lot going on in the NBA: LeBron James is in Philadelphia. Giannis Antetokounmpo is in Miami. Victor Wembanyama has claimed the unofficial "future face of the league" designation and is looking for revenge after Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks, the big-market darlings, grabbed rightful attention by ending their 52-year title drought. But for a week in Macao for the NBA's China Games, Flagg was the headliner. His image was plastered on the side of buildings and the focus of a big shoe event. Inside one of Macao's glittering high-end, marble-wrapped malls, he unveiled his personal New Balance logo (his initials combined with the silhouette of a pine tree, a nod to his home state of Maine). This event is more about the business of basketball and branding than the games. NBA commissioner Adam Silver was in town attending meetings with Chinese partners. Flagg's boss, Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont, was the week's host as the CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp., operator of five resorts in the area with 10,000 combined hotel rooms plus the Venetian Arena, an opulent building that feels like a five-star resort with two hoops. It's easy to lose focus on the game, but it is still impossible to miss how Flagg appears to be blossoming. He's just 19, still a teenager until Dec. 21, if you can believe it. Actually, taking into account the more polished jumper, the improved footwork and the unmistakable leadership he shows on the court, it's impossible to believe. "He's going to lead this franchise into the future. You can definitely bank on that," teammate Kyrie Irving said. "He deserves a lot of the praise he's gotten because he's carried a lot. ... He's wise beyond his years." Flagg, during a 30-second span on Friday, maneuvered through the Rockets defense with a slick sideways jump stop to drill a midrange jumper, blocked Amen Thompson's shot, gathered the rebound and led a fast break that resulted in him throwing down a lob dunk. A few possessions later, Thompson, playing by the book, went under on a screen while defending Flagg, who he drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key with ease. "He's such a versatile player, someone that literally can score three levels," Mavericks first-year coach Dusty May said. "He can make defensive plays on and off the ball." Here's a refresher of what Flagg accomplished last season: He became the first rookie to lead his team in total points, rebounds, assists and steals since Michael Jordan in 1984-85. He became the fourth rookie since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976-77 to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and four assists. The others: Luka Doncic, Larry Bird and Jordan. He became the first teenager with four 40-point games; the first teenager with consecutive 40-point games; and the first teenager with a 50-point game. He was sixth in the league on baskets off drives and, per GeniusIQ tracking, brought the ball up fifth most among all frontcourt players. Basically, Flagg carried the load of a mid-career All-Star, not that of a rookie on a 26-win team. "I felt at points last year I was going in blind a little bit," Flagg said. "Obviously, I hadn't been through a lot of those experiences before. So, I think just having that this year is a big help. Just feeling prepared, feeling ready. There's a lot less to worry about." Flagg shot 29.5% from 3-point range last season, a hole in his game that is getting addressed. He worked hard over the summer, with much of that time flanked by Irving, who is returning after missing 19 months because of a torn left ACL. People around the team talk about Flagg's work ethic and competitive nature. "Your talent only gets you so far; being remembered for your work ethic and how you treated people and also that championship mindset you came in with every day, that's what people hold on to," Irving said. "For me as a peer, but also as a brother, I look at him as someone that has a world of potential, but also still needs a lot of guidance just like we all do in basketball, a lot of teaching, a lot of knowledge being passed." Much of that will happen under the spotlight. The Mavericks have 21 scheduled national television games this season, and it's not because they're expected to contend. Irving's return should boost them, but they're still climbing out of the hole that was created with the disaster of the Doncic trade and the failure of Anthony Davis' tenure. There's a reason there's a new coach and a new front office, led by highly regarded president Masai Ujiri. Ujiri has made it clear that the franchise is committed to keeping Irving with Flagg, who is 15 years younger than the star point guard. Rival front offices question whether Dallas can stick to that plan with roster holes elsewhere and the two stars on different career timelines. That is certainly a backdrop. But Flagg is now on stage, and he is giving off the vibes that he's ready. As they watch him do it every day, the rest of the Mavs feel it. "This is a big responsibility to help him in his evolution to being one of the best," May said. "A great player's success is determined by everyone around them. So all of us [being] better teammates, better players, better coaches will contribute to him maximizing his potential. "We don't take it for granted."