2025 NBA Mock Draft Post-Combine Predictions with Pro Comps, Cooper Flagg Analysis

Pro Comparisons: Jalen Johnson, Kevin Garnett

There won’t be much of a predraft process for Cooper Flagg. Aside from mandatory drilling and testing at the NBA combine, the No. 1 overall pick will likely only meet with the Dallas Mavericks.

Flagg should provide an instant rookie impact with his frontcourt athleticism, high-IQ passing and defensive activity, but his ball-handling, creation and shotmaking are improving at rapid rates. While two-way versatility should help Flagg adapt to any situation or fit, the on-ball development we saw at Duke suggests it won’t be long before offense is running through him.

Team Fit: The Luka Dončić trade obviously left Dallas without a long-term centerpiece, and Flagg is a perfect fit to fill that void. More immediately, his play-finishing will shine alongside Kyrie Irving, once Irving returns from his March ACL tear, and the Mavs’ defense will be all kinds of disruptive with Flagg, Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II all filling the frontcourt—provided there’s enough shooting to throw out the jumbo look as a change-of-pace option. —Zach Buckley, NBA Analyst