Mavericks’ Jason Kidd thinks it would be ‘unbelievable’ for Cooper Flagg not to win Rookie of the Year

The Dallas Mavericks, after sabotaging themselves by trading Luka Doncic away for a substandard package, lucked into the first overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft and rescued the team’s future by stumbling upon Cooper Flagg.

Flagg has since proven himself to be one of the best first overall picks in recent history, and his 51-point night on the third of April despite the Mavericks’ 139-128 loss to the Orlando Magic is further evidence that the sky may not even be the limit when it comes to the 19-year-old superstar in the making.

However, Flagg’s 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year award candidacy may not be as ironclad as college teammate Kon Knueppel’s. Knueppel has been very consistent for a winning Charlotte Hornets team, and there are some voters who might prioritize Knueppel’s contributions for a winning side over Flagg’s performance for a tanking Mavericks squad.

Be that as it may, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd still believes that it would be ridiculous if Flagg were to miss out on that award.

“He should be Rookie of the Year. It’s unbelievable, the country is not watching the same thing that we get to watch on a daily basis,” Kidd said in his postgame presser, via Noah Weber of The Smoking Cuban.

"He should be Rookie of the Year. It's unbelievable, the country is not watching the same thing that we get to watch on a daily basis."

Mavs head coach Jason Kidd after Cooper Flagg dropped 51 points

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— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 4, 2026

Cooper Flagg has grown his game exponentially with the Mavericks

Flagg began the season as the Mavericks’ point guard, and his on-ball reps seem to have prepared him for the responsibilities he’ll be shouldering in his life as a superstar in the NBA.

Since then, Flagg’s scoring has improved game after game, and his all-around game has been incredible as per usual. As a 19-year-old rookie, Flagg is averaging 20.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists on 47/29/82 shooting splits.

His three-point shooting needs to improve moving forward, but Flagg is already so advanced in his development that it shouldn’t take long for the Mavs to become a force to be reckoned with once more.

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