The Dallas Mavericks would have never imagined landing the #1 pick in the 2025 Draft. Now they have the services of SF Cooper Flagg. They were able to replace generational talent, PG Luka Doncic, with another transcendental player. The expectations are high for the rookie.
His life will be easy alongside PG Kyrie Irving, SG Klay Thompson, and PF Anthony Davis. At the same time, there will be occasions when he will have to act as the #1 option. How will it bode for his rookie year? Here is a look at the way-too-early points and rebounds season averages.
The Mavs’ SF sizzled during his lone season with Duke. He put up 19.2 points per game. The SF shot an excellent 48.1% from the field and made an impressive 1.4 triples per game on an above-average 38.5% clip.
During the NCAA postseason, he accumulated an impressive 21 PPG on a strong 44.2% shooting. He nailed 1.8 triples on a praiseworthy 50% percent clip. His tournament high was 30 points, while his regular season high was 42. Thus, Flagg showed his chops as a first-option type of player.
Summer League was a mixed bag, but hey, it isn’t the metric about a player’s potential most of the time. In his debut SL game, Flagg put up just 10 points on a horrendous 5/21 shooting. He made none of his 5 long-range attempts.
But what a bounceback it was in his second match-up. Flagg rose for 31 points, making 10/20 shots and 3 of 8 from the three-point line. The overall shooting splits may not look impressive, but the forward showed flare as a shot-creator and long-range shooter.
How much of it will translate to the NBA? The forward is in an injury-prone lineup with Irving and Davis. He will be asked to create offense a lot of times and can struggle. However, it can also aid his learning curve.
Still, I think he’d average somewhere around 15-16 PPG here. Just falling under the projected mark of 16.9 PPG.
Cooper Flagg Points Per Game Prediction: Under 16.9 for -115 at BetMGM
Here are my picks:
| Category | BetMGM Odds |
| Points Under 16.9 | -115 |
| Rebounds Over 6.1 | -115 |
Flagg emerged as a strong rebounding Wing option for Duke. He averaged 7.5 rebounds per game in the regular season. He collected 1.3 offensive rebounds a game while clinching 6.2 defensive rebounds per game. The forward pulled down 7.6 RPG during the postseason.
His season high rebounds were 14, while the postseason high was 9. During the Summer League, Flagg averaged 5 RPG. He had 6 in the first game and 4 in the second. I think Flagg will improve as a rebounder as the season progresses. Thus, I’ll go for “over” in this regard.
Cooper Flagg Rebounds Per Game Prediction: Over 6.1 for -115 at BetMGM
Photo Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images
nba 
