Cooper Flagg Year 2 Preparation: Mavs Rookie Loading Up on Muscle for Second NBA Season
Cooper Flagg is already looking bigger, and Mavericks fans are already excited.
The 2025 No. 1 overall pick, coming off a promising rookie season with Dallas, is deep into offseason training focused on building his frame and developing his handle. Photos from his workouts have started making the rounds, and the visible muscle gain has fans buzzing about what his second NBA season looks like.
Flagg’s trainer detailed the offseason plan, which mixes individual skill work with small-sided games designed to force him to read defenses, find cutters, and operate in different offensive actions. The first priority, according to those around him, is durability. Making sure his body can handle 82 games plus a deep playoff run.
Rookie Year Set the Table
Flagg’s rookie year was every bit as productive as the hype suggested. He averaged legit numbers for a first-year player, showed versatility as a positionless wing, and gave Dallas exactly what it needed as it rebuilt around him. Jason Kidd used him in a variety of roles, including as a jumbo-sized point guard in select lineups.
The Mavericks are going to be Flagg’s team for the next decade-plus. He is 19, still growing into his frame, and already looking like a legitimate franchise cornerstone. Dallas is set up to be a fixture in the Western Conference for years, and Flagg is the reason.
Where the Offseason Gains Matter
Two areas of Flagg’s game get a boost from more physical strength. First, his ability to finish through contact in the paint. He has the size, the touch, and the length. Adding upper-body strength lets him play through smaller defenders instead of getting bumped off his spots.
Second, his defense. Flagg was already a plus defender as a rookie. With more muscle, he can guard bigger fours and even switch onto centers in small-ball lineups. That defensive versatility is what elevates him from “very good young player” to “franchise-level star.”
What Dallas Is Building Around Him
The Mavericks have a real roster coming together. Kyrie Irving remains the veteran alpha in the backcourt. Anthony Davis, if healthy, gives Dallas an interior presence. And Klay Thompson brings championship experience and spacing on the wing. Layer Flagg into that group, and the Mavs have a starting five that can compete with anyone.
The question, as it has been for a couple years now, is health. AD has to play games. Kyrie has to stay on the floor. Klay’s shooting has to hold up as he ages. If all of those things happen, this is a top-four seed in the West with Flagg as the future of the franchise.
Rookie of the Year Aftermath
Flagg had strong Rookie of the Year vibes coming out of last year. His development curve is now the storyline. Sophomore leaps happen. Regressions happen too. What separates a good young player from a great one is what they do in year two.
The signs are all positive. He is putting in the work. He is playing on a good team. He is being coached by a system that fits his skills. If the muscle-up rounds out his game the way the coaching staff hopes, Cooper Flagg is going to be an All-Star before he turns 22.
Dallas fans have earned the right to be excited. This kid is the real thing.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
