What impact will Cooper Flagg have as a rookie?

The Cooper Flagg epoch successful the NBA is officially underway. As expected, the highly touted rookie guardant retired of Duke was drafted No. 1 by the Dallas Mavericks connected Wednesday night, and is considered by galore to beryllium among the champion prospects of this millennium.

So what benignant of accumulation tin we expect from him arsenic a rookie?

First, we'll look astatine however helium fits with the Mavs' roster arsenic it is presently constructed. Then, we'll bash a speedy humanities dive into players with immoderate similarities successful presumption of accomplishment set. Finally, we'll spell implicit wherever Flagg should beryllium taken successful phantasy drafts this fall.

How Flagg fits with the Mavs

The Mavericks person a larger accidental for a rookie guardant than typically expected for a squad with a winning culture. With Luka Doncic traded and Kyrie Irving injured (torn ACL), the Mavs person a squad afloat of prime large men (Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, P.J. Washington) and shooters (Klay Thompson, Spencer Dinwiddie, Max Christie) that lacks discourtesy creators and scoring from the wing.

Flagg could truthful beryllium called upon arsenic a cardinal portion of the Mavs' discourtesy from time one, and should person the accidental to gain arsenic galore minutes and grip the shot arsenic overmuch arsenic helium tin from the opening tip. Match that accidental with Flagg's talent, which ESPN NBA expert Bobby Marks says would person allowed him to beryllium productive successful the NBA arsenic a 16-year-old, and Flagg has a large accidental to nutrient interaction numbers immediately.

We volition larn much astir Flagg arsenic the summertime progresses, astir notably what the Mavs roster volition look similar astir him aft escaped agency. And we astir apt volition get to spot Flagg play his archetypal nonrecreational contention successful the NBA summertime league successful Las Vegas.

All of this accusation volition assistance signifier our authoritative projections for Flagg's rookie season, which volition spell unrecorded successful a fewer months.

But based connected what Flagg showed america successful college, we already person a beauteous bully thought of what mightiness beryllium expected of Flagg. They're the expectations of an instant interaction subordinate successful phantasy hoops.

Comparisons to different Duke greats

Similarities to Grant Hill

Like Hill, Flagg enters the NBA arsenic a large helping with fantabulous size and the versatile accomplishment acceptable to lend crossed the committee connected some discourtesy and defense. Hill was a much mature imaginable than Flagg, having played 4 years astatine Duke and entering the league arsenic a 22-year-old rookie. But Flagg's numbers from his freshman play astatine Duke were precise comparable with Hill's elder season, truthful contempt being overmuch younger astatine 18, Flagg appears to beryllium likewise acceptable to modulation to the NBA game.

Similarities to Jayson Tatum

Tatum is different large helping with the size of a combo guardant but the crippled of a perimeter player, and helium is simply a spot much shooter and little earthy playmaker than Hlll. Flagg, successful galore ways, splits the stylistic quality betwixt his Duke brethren. While not arsenic earthy a constituent guardant arsenic Hill, Flagg is simply a amended creator and distributor than Tatum was erstwhile helium entered the NBA. Similarly, portion Flagg would request to make to go the shooter that Tatum has become, Flagg is simply a amended shooter coming retired of Duke than either Hill oregon Tatum were.

Here is simply a examination of each of these players' last play astatine Duke:

And this illustration shows the rookie numbers for Tatum and Flagg, with projections for Flagg's rookie play based upon his numbers having a akin college-to-pro modulation arsenic his predecessors:

Where Flagg should beryllium taken successful phantasy drafts

Flagg's 3-point full projection supra was modified, since it is improbable successful today's crippled that his 3-point measurement decreases erstwhile helium joins the NBA. If anything, this whitethorn inactive beryllium blimpish for his 3-point rate, but connected the full these numbers are illustrative for the benignant of accumulation mightiness beryllium expected of Flagg arsenic a rookie.

These numbers enactment him being a top-40 phantasy enactment arsenic a rookie.

In points leagues, these averages would fertile Flagg No. 28. Among tiny forward-eligible players, that would slot him betwixt Jaylen Brown and Franz Wagner.

In class leagues, Flagg's projected operation of all-around accumulation with bully percentages and comparatively debased turnovers was bully capable to get him into the top-25, slotted among tiny forwards betwixt Kevin Durant (16th) and Jalen Williams (30th).

This would suggest helium should besides travel disconnected the committee successful the archetypal 4 rounds of phantasy hoops drafts.