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While most top picks enter the league with little help and sky-high expectations, 18-year-old Cooper Flagg finds himself in a rare spot: joining a roster full of veterans with championship resumes, including Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson.
“A lot of people in this position or this situation aren’t granted this opportunity,” Flagg said during his introductory press conference. “So I just feel really blessed and grateful for the situation I’ve been given. I’m just looking forward to being a sponge. Just getting down here, I’m excited to just learn, soak it all in and learn from the guys that are older and have been through it all before.”
The Mavericks snagged the No. 1 pick despite holding just a 1.8 percent chance in the lottery, following a season derailed by injuries to Davis and Irving. T
hat lottery win came just a year after a Finals run led by Luka Doncic, who was traded to the Lakers this past season in a blockbuster deal that brought Davis to Dallas.
Even with Irving still recovering from a torn ACL, and Doncic gone, the core around Flagg remains strong.
“Those guys have so much knowledge,” Flagg said of his veteran teammates. “They’ve been through so much, and they have so much experience that it’s just going to be an incredible opportunity for me to learn and grow under them.”
Flagg isn’t shying away from expectations, though seems to be taking a grounded approach.
“I’m coming in just trying to learn and trying to get better every single day,” Flagg said. “If I can do that to the best of my ability, I think expectations and pressures that other people will put on me and our team, that will kind of work itself out. So I’m just trying to come in and be the best that I can be and just win at the highest level.”
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