Cooper Flagg's rookie season has been a struggle. But the Dallas Mavericks' top pick revealed one veteran has been a constant source of support. Kyrie Irving's guidance has been crucial during a difficult year.

As a top draft pick, Cooper Flagg was expected to make an immediate impact, especially alongside Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis. However, the season hasn’t gone as planned, with the team struggling to a 23–46 record and heading toward the lottery.

Amid the challenges, Flagg shared that injured veteran Kyrie Irving has been a steady source of support, as he revealed during a sit-down interview with Malika Andrews on ESPN.

“He stepped in as a great vet for me and was there giving me guidance because there were definitely times where I was shaken up,” Cooper Flagg said, via ESPN’s NBA Today and Ron Harrod Jr. He admitted the season tested him in ways he hadn’t experienced before.

“I’d never lost that much in my life,” Flagg said, before adding, "but just to hear him say that I'm doing everything I need to be doing and just to stay with it and stay positive, it definitely helped me out a lot."

After being used to constant success as a high school phenom and college standout, Flagg has had to deal with a completely different reality in the NBA, especially after the team reshaped its roster by moving Anthony Davis at the trade deadline.

Despite the early hype around Cooper Flagg, his grip on the top spot is starting to slip as competition heats up, shifting the narrative around his rookie season.

Momentum now appears to favor his former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets instead, with several NBA legends suggesting the race may already be decided.

Cooper Flagg Not Worthy of Rookie of the Year?

“He should be clear-cut Rookie of the Year,” former All-Star John Wall said during a pregame broadcast, making it clear he’s backing Kon Knueppel over 2025’s No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg.

And if that wasn't enough, “The efficiency, consistency, it’s outrageous,” Hall of Fame playmaker Steve Nash said, praising Kon Knueppel’s maturity and overall impact this season.

Even Blake Griffin weighed in on the shift, saying Knueppel has been “spectacular from start to finish,” making it clear that Cooper Flagg is now playing catch-up in a race he was once expected to control.

What's worse, for the first time all season, Flagg is no longer the favorite, as Knueppel’s odds have surged to 70% while Flagg’s have dropped to 28%, despite Flagg still putting up strong all-around numbers.

Now, as the Dallas Mavericks prepare for a three-game homestand starting Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks, the spotlight is firmly on how the 19-year-old responds.

That said, are Cooper Flagg’s current stats enough to justify the early hype, or were expectations simply too high from the start? What do you think?

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Written by

Sauramita Debbarma

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi