The Dallas Mavericks officially have their next face of the franchise, or so they hope. They took Cooper Flagg with the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, who has drawn comparisons to Scottie Pippen, Jayson Tatum, and Kawhi Leonard.

The selection of Cooper Flagg has given the Dallas Mavericks a new sense of direction. However, this may have also instilled newfound confidence, as former Mavs head coach Avery Johnson claims he would prefer to have Cooper Flagg over Luka Doncic.

The Dallas Mavericks, in the eyes of many, already had their franchise cornerstone in Luka Doncic. Fast forward five months, and Dallas has now selected its next potential franchise centerpiece in Cooper Flagg out of Duke,