Cooper Flagg, Chosen First, Brings More Than Great Statistics

There's data to illustrate why Cooper Flagg was the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft on Wednesday night. He was, for example, the first player with 500 points, 100 assists, and 30 blocks in a single ACC regular season. But the Dallas Mavericks are getting more than an amazing all-around player, they're adding someone who's—at age 18—widely admired and capable of breaking the image of hateable Duke superstars. The reasons include:

• Relentlessness: Flagg is constantly disruptive at both ends of the floor: "diving for loose balls, celebrating teammates, talking trash, flexing after dunks," per the Guardian.
• Demeanor: It's hard to find a reason to dislike the hustling power forward. After a frustrating call, he moves on, as he did in the Final Four against Houston.
• A mind for this: Brian Scalabrine, a former NBA player who's been training with Flagg for years, likened him to LeBron James mentally, per NBC News. "LeBron has a beautiful mind when it comes to this game," Scalabrine said. "Cooper's brain is right on par with those guys. They just process the game differently."

• In-game learning: "He can read the game and figure out what's needed from him for his team to have success," said Grant Hill, another former Duke star. "He assesses what's happening in the game and has the talent and ability to provide what's needed." When Flagg was 13, his trainer alerted Scalabrine to that skill, telling him the prodigy was competing with University of Maine players. "The first 15 minutes he's feeling it out," Matt Mackenzie said, "and the last 15 minutes he's the best player on the floor."
• Toughness developed: Flagg told NBC his earliest memories of competition are going one-on-one against his twin brother, Ace, in the driveway. "Without fail, any time we played, someone's running inside to Mom crying because someone hit them," Cooper Flagg said. They were so competitive, he said, because "You never want to lose to your brothers."
• He's No. 1: Flagg's family was at his side Wednesday evening in New York when he spoke after stepping onto the stage to acknowledge his selection by the Mavericks. "I'm feeling amazing. It's a dream come true, to be honest," he said, per ESPN. "I wouldn't want to share it with anybody else."
• The Guardian has a list of Duke villains, featuring the oft-reviled Christian Laettner, here.
• The Washington Post has a look at Flagg as a replacement for Luka Doncic on the Mavericks here.