Cooper Flagg came into the NBA with hefty expectations, and his rookie season with the Dallas Mavericks lived up to the billing.
Flagg did not take long to adjust to the demands of professional basketball. He became the first 18-year-old in NBA history to register a 40-point game, and later in the season, the youngest player ever to score 45+ points in back-to-back games.
The Rookie of the Year race was closer than many expected with former Duke teammate Kon Kneuppel putting up a valiant fight, but Flagg built too strong a case.
But how does he stack up to the very best? We’re comparing Flagg’s historic rookie season to LeBron James and Michael Jordan’s first seasons in the league.
Cooper Flagg matches LeBron’s output with better efficiency
Statistically, there’s not much to separate James and Flagg. The big edge he has over the King’s 2003-04 season is in how efficiently he was putting the ball in the hoop.
James naturally has the playmaking edge. He’s one of the best passers of all time.
But this just shows the level Flagg has been playing at, and he’s going to be scary when that jumper gets consistent.
On the defensive side of the ball, there’s a strong argument for the Mavericks star being the more accomplished defender at his age.
Coming into the league as the youngest number-one overall pick since LeBron, Flagg will continue to be compared to the 41-year-old. It’s not just because of their age entering the league, but because this is probably the most-hyped wing prospect we’ve seen since James came out of the 2003 draft.
But Flagg has also done enough to be compared to Jordan, who might well be the greatest rookie to grace an NBA court.
Flagg the first since Michael Jordan to lead all stat categories
MJ was a phenom from the moment he joined the Chicago Bulls in the 1984-85 season. He was a bit older, 21, and it was evident in how he dominated the league from what felt like the first game.
But looking at the Mavericks’ player stats from last season, Flagg’s own dominance is clear to see. He became the first rookie since Jordan to lead his team in points (1,473), rebounds (466), assists (316), and steals (84).
Flagg can’t chat to him when it comes to scoring across his rookie season — Jordan averaged an insane 28.2 points per game on 51.5% efficiency — but he does have the single-game edge. His career-high night of 51 points exceeds the 49 Jordan managed as a rookie.
They are the only two rookies in the last 50 years to score multiple 45+ point games, with Flagg managing three to Jordan’s two.
The fact that Flagg can be held up next to two of the greatest rookie years of all time shows what a generational talent he is. The hope down in Dallas will be that a second-year leap is on the horizon for their teen sensation.
They need to find the right pieces to put around him, but as we can see from the comparisons here, there’s little doubt that Flagg is destined for superstardom.
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