Cooper Flagg has been in the NBA for one season. He just won Rookie of the Year. He is already getting All-Star Year 2 buzz from people who watch him every night.
The 19-year-old Duke product produced consistently against the league’s best wings throughout his rookie season. He got better as the year went on. Now front offices and analysts are openly suggesting he could make the All-Star team in his second season.
That timeline is fast. It is also not unreasonable.
Flagg averaged 17.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game last year on the Dallas Mavericks. He shot 47 percent from the field and 36 percent from three. He defended four positions. He took the same hard schedule of road games every other rookie takes, and he produced through it. Rookies do not usually do that.
The one area of obvious improvement is the catch-and-shoot jumper. Flagg’s shot off the dribble is better than his shot off the catch, which is backwards for most players. He has spent the early offseason working on his footwork and base on spot-up looks. The expectation is that the percentage climbs into the high 30s in Year 2.
If Flagg shoots 38 percent from three on six attempts per game, he is going to be an All-Star. The Western Conference frontcourt is loaded with talent. The reality is that the Mavericks have to produce wins for Flagg to actually get the nod. That is the part that gets complicated.
Dallas finished with the worst record in the West last year. The team officially landed the 9th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft after the lottery. They are building around Flagg under a new front office, and they do not even have a head coach yet. That coaching search is the most important decision the franchise will make this summer.
The Mavericks have leaned into specific prospects in their pre-draft work. They reportedly have trade-up interest in Darius Acuff, a versatile guard who could fit alongside Flagg long term. They are also doing extensive work on AJ Dybantsa from BYU, Cam Boozer from Duke, and Darryn Peterson from Kansas. The 2026 draft is historically deep, and the Mavericks have to come out of it with at least one foundational piece next to Flagg.
The thing about Flagg is that he is wired for this. The kid grew up obsessed with film. He led Duke to a Final Four as a teenager. He took the league on as a rookie and never blinked. The makeup is rare even for a No. 1 overall pick.
The Mavericks need to give him a real point guard. They need to figure out a coach. They need to hit on the 9th pick or trade up if Acuff is the target. That is a lot of moves for a front office in transition. The pressure is real.
Flagg is what every franchise wants. He is a two-way star on a rookie contract for three more years. He is marketable. He is committed. He plays the right way. The Mavericks have to build around him without wasting his prime, which is the trap a lot of teams have fallen into when they get a generational rookie.
The All-Star Year 2 talk is not crazy. The Mavericks giving him an All-Star supporting cast is the actual question.
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.
