Cooper Flagg is the consensus No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, though not everyone is convinced the All-American can be a franchise-changing player.

The Dallas Mavericks, who recently won the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery with just a 1.8 percent chance, are widely expected to select Flagg with the first overall pick. And they surely hope Flagg is more Durant than Kirilenko, especially after receiving a life raft for the much-scrutinized trade of Luka Doncic and amid efforts to reshape their roster.

NBA Draft class has long been headlined Duke superstar Cooper Flagg, and for good reason. Most simply, he amassed one of the best one-and-done collegiate resumes we’ve ever seen. He led the Blue Devils to the Final Four,