No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg makes debut with Dallas Mavericks: "It's a dream come true to be drafted"
No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg made his Dallas debut Friday afternoon.
The 18-year-old was joined by Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison and head coach Jason Kidd during an introductory press conference Friday shortly after landing in Dallas.
Flagg said it was a dream come true to be drafted, and he looks forward to learning from fellow No. 1 draft picks Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis.
"I plan to be a sponge and learn from the guys who have been through it all before," he said.
Kidd seemed nothing short of impressed with Flagg and his maturity, saying he's a gift and the team is blessed to have him.
Flagg was a sensation in his only year playing college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. Flagg was the consensus college player of the year, only the fourth freshman to win the Wooden Award, after averaging 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds while leading Duke to the Final Four.
The 6-foot-8 forward led the Blue Devils in all five major statistical categories, and has already proven his game can hold up against the pros when he played well last summer during an invite to the U.S. Olympic team's training camp.
"I'm excited to give him the ball against the [Los Angeles] Lakers and see what happens," he said.
Flagg is joining the Mavericks almost five months after the shocking trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers and since then, fans have been less than pleased with Harrison, even chanting "fire Nico" at the team's draft party.
Harrison said he thinks that drafting Flagg will help heal his relationship with fans.
"We're in a win now mode and Cooper adds to that," Harrison said.
Flagg will wear No. 32 for the Mavericks.
