There were a number of standout rookies in the NBA season, starting with Cooper Flagg and including Kon Knueppel, Dylan Harper and VJ Edgecombe. Flagg won the Rookie of the Year award, but Knueppel is already one of the most dangerous shooters in the league, Harper has bona fide star potential and Edgecombe has shown some flashes of impressive play.
On this week’s episode of the “Mind the Game” podcast, co-hosts LeBron James and Steve Nash talked about the league’s 2025-26 rookie class, and James praised Flagg for what he displayed. While Flagg’s Dallas Mavericks didn’t make the play-in tournament and have a murky future, there could be a glimmer of hope for them because of the Duke University product.
James also mentioned one of Flagg’s big games this season and the impact the forward had overall.
“Obviously Cooper, like we talked about, the biggest upside I believe of all of them,” James said. “And he’s had some unbelievable moments this year. Obviously the team is not up to par of what he is expecting of himself, expecting of the team, but that doesn’t take away from what he’s doing.
“You look at this, he had 49 vs. Charlotte, youngest player to score 46 in a game. More than any younger player since Brandon Jennings. Broke my record for most points scored by an 18-year old. I think that might be a misprint [laughs]. And then in December and January averaged 22.5 and was a plus-four on the court for a team that’s not in the playoffs. You look at the plus-four while he’s on the court for a two month period, that’s just good ball.”
On the season, Flagg averaged 21 points on 46.8% shooting, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists a game. His highest-scoring outburst this year was a 51-point performance on April 3 versus the Orlando Magic, and just two days later, he dropped 45 points against the Los Angeles Clippers.
He may not turn out to be as good as Luka Doncic, the former Mavericks franchise player who joined James on the Los Angeles Lakers last February. But Flagg could end up being truly special, especially if he becomes a volume scorer rather than a player who simply fills up the stat sheet across the board.
The NBA is in great hands, as it has many stars and superstars of different ages, and its ratings have jumped considerably this season.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: LeBron James: Cooper Flagg had ‘some unbelievable moments this year’
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire | USA TODAY Network
