The Dallas Mavericks are exactly one month away from kicking off their 2025-26 season with a home game against the San Antonio Spurs. It’s been a busy offseason for the Mavericks, headlined by the drafting of Cooper Flagg at number one overall after their shocking NBA Draft Lottery win.
Recently, ESPN conducted a poll of various league executives heading into the season, and one of the questions asked was who will be the best American player in the league in five years.
While Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards got the majority of the votes, Flagg was in second place in the survey.
“…It’s unfair to Cooper to put that on him before playing in one NBA game. So, it’s Ant until proven otherwise,” said one Western Conference scout, per Tim Bontemps.
However, some were more sold on Flagg’s ability.
“He can do everything,” said an Eastern Conference executive.
Flagg was also nearly the unanimous prediction for Rookie of the Year this year, garnering 19 of a possible 20 votes, with the lone other selection being his former Duke teammate and current Charlotte Hornets wing Kon Knueppel.
“He’ll be on a bad team, will have the ball in his hands and put up numbers,” one coach said as his reasoning for selecting Knueppel.
Flagg was also widely projected to be the best player from the 2025 Draft Class in five years.