The Dallas Mavericks got the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft after winning the Draft Lottery. This has kicked up a veritable hornet’s nest of speculation and intrigue. At the center of it all is Duke’s Cooper Flag — who’s touted to be the number one pick this year.

And 9x All-Star Paul George pointed out a parallel that leaves Cooper with the chance to do something incredible. But only if he can make the best out of a bad situation.

Allow us to set the scene. PG was in conversation on his podcast with former NFL players Ryan Clark and Channing Crowder. Crowder talked about the weight of expectations brought on by being a hyper prospect.

He brought up no.2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Travis Hunter and how teams don’t really fear him, even if Hunter is one of the brightest prospects the league has seen in years. He said the same would happen to the projected number one pick in the 2025 NBA Draft — Cooper Flagg.

But Paul George took this opportunity to pivot. No matter how hyped the young talent, pro athletes who play at the highest level will never be afraid of them.

Just like players in the NBA never feared LeBron James. “I think that happens across, you know, any sport, regardless of who it is. Bron comes in the league. I don’t think people was like, oh, shit, here comes Bron. Like, we know how good he is. We’ve heard about him. We’ve watched and followed him,” said George.

But now things are wildly different. In his prime, LeBron James instilled fear into teams. They knew that if James was switched on, their best efforts could easily prove futile. This fear factor meant that the Cleveland Cavaliers suddenly became a team that could beat you on any given night — because of LeBron.

Well, once he’s in the league, Cooper has the opportunity to do exactly what Bron did. Put the work in, and give players in the league a reason to fear him. But to do that, Flagg will face a challenge he’s never faced before.

Cooper Flagg faces an uphill battle with glorious rewards

Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison ended the era of Luka Doncic this season. They went from being the 2024 Western Conference Finalists to exiting the Play-In tournament this year at the hands of Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies. GM Nico Harrison was trying to build a title-winning team that can win now.

However, all he ended up doing was messing with the Mavs’ future. But now, they have a lifeline, a chance to get back what they lost.

By some miracle (or clever planning, if you ask LeBron James,) the Mavs won the Draft Lottery. And now, they can bring in Cooper Flagg to partner him with Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis — two of LeBron’s former teammates.

So, they’re good now, right? Not really. AD is 32 and injury-prone, while Kyrie is  33 and coming off a scary ACL injury. It’s safe to say Flagg isn’t playing with the best versions of these players.

So, he may end up facing more pressure than what comes from just being a rookie. Fans may cling to him as the new ace up the Mavs’ sleeves — the one who can get them the title Nico promised.

But if he doesn’t shrink from the challenge and rises to it…Well, we really could have the new LeBron on our hands. After all, people forget that the Cavs had a 17-65 record in the season before they drafted the Akron-born sensation. Tanking or not, that’s not a desirable record.

Then, LeBron’s arrival doubled their wins. He became the symbol of Cleveland’s progress. A scion of a new era.

And that’s what  Cooper Flagg can become for the people of Dallas. A start of a new era after the end of Luka’s. But to do that he’ll need to play with more confidence than he’s ever had, at a level he’s never seen.

The rewards are glorious if he does it. The city of Dallas will surely adore him like they did Luka Doncic. And Cooper would be well on his way to fulfilling his potential and perhaps exceeding the lofty hopes we have for him.