The Dallas Mavericks have gotten off to a 2-2 start to the 2026-27 NBA season, but one of the biggest storylines around the league thus far regarding the team is the breakout play of second-year forward Cooper Flagg. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Flagg is coming off a Rookie of the Year season and looks on pace to potentially make his first career All-Star appearance.

Cooper Flagg’s early play for the Mavericks has been good enough that former NBA player turned ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins is already comparing him to LeBron James.

“When you talk about the most complete players in the game, there’s only a handful of guys I’d put in front of him,” Perkins said during a recent segment of ‘NBA Today.’ “There’s nothing he can’t do. If you need him to get downhill off the pick and roll, he can do that. He’s versatile defensively. He’s bringing it up, he’s setting up the offense. His patience, it gives me LeBron James-type vibes. When he gets in the lane, he’s finishing in traffic.”

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Flagg has missed one game this season due a shoulder injury he sustained during the Mavericks’ win against the Indiana Pacers last week, but he’s since returned to the lineup. In the three games he’s played, he’s averaging 25.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 3.7 steals and 1.7 blocked shots with splits of 56.5 percent shooting from the field, 35.7 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 90 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

The Mavericks and Flagg face a big test, however, on Wednesday as they host the Oklahoma City Thunder.