The ping-pong balls have spoken: Cooper Flagg could also be headed to Dallas to begin his NBA profession. And a fanbase that misplaced Luka Dončić this season might have a brand new star to cheer for.
The Mavericks received the NBA draft lottery on Monday evening, giving them the No 1 decide in subsequent month’s draft – and the primary probability to take Flagg, the consensus participant of the yr who led Duke to the Closing 4 in his lone school season.
Dallas bucked big odds to get it finished, with solely a 1.8% probability to win the lottery coming into Monday. A Mavs staff that went to the NBA Finals final season – then enraged their followers by buying and selling away Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers – left Chicago with the largest prize.
San Antonio – with back-to-back rookies of the yr in Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Fortress – may have the No 2 choice, Philadelphia will decide third, and Charlotte fourth.
Flagg averaged 19.2 factors, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists whereas main Duke to the Closing 4 in his lone school season. He shot 48% from the sphere, 39% from three-point vary, 84% from the foul line and was the Related Press nationwide participant of the yr.
And he’s had success in opposition to NBA gamers already. Final summer season, when the US Olympic staff held their coaching camp in Las Vegas upfront of the Paris Video games – the place the Individuals received gold but once more – Flagg was a part of the choose staff introduced in to scrimmage in opposition to the Olympians. Flagg, who was 17 years outdated on the time, greater than held his personal in these exercises.
Utah will decide fifth, Washington sixth, New Orleans seventh, Brooklyn eighth, Toronto ninth, Houston tenth, Portland eleventh, Chicago twelfth, Atlanta thirteenth and San Antonio 14th.
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