Everyone who thought Cooper Flagg would not live up to the hype can start signing those apology forms.
Former NBA champion Tony Allen already did.
Allen had doubts about Flagg being able to live up to the expectations that came with the former Duke Blue Devils star when he entered the NBA, believing that the Dallas Mavericks rookie would just end up being in the same tier as Andrei Kirilenko and Brent Barry.
Allen is now singing a different tune, admitting that he was way off in his assessment.
“I was absolutely wrong,” Allen said during an appearance on the “To The Baha” podcast.
“I truly want to take that back, but unfortunately, I can’t, man. He’s been showing me so many signs of a superstar. There was one game he had 40 not too long ago, and the way he was playing both sides of the floor, that was surprising to me. Those breakaway dunks, electrifying. His ceiling is way higher than I thought. Way higher than I thought.”
Tony Allen issues an apology to Copper Flagg, who he initially thought was similar to Andrei Kirenko or Brent Barry.
— Mavs Film Room 🐴🎥 (@MavsFilmRoom) January 14, 2026
“I was absolutely wrong… He’s been showing me so many signs of a superstar… He’s doing it on both sides of the ball… His ceiling is way higher than I… pic.twitter.com/JngtPRp0Vc
Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, had a slow start to his pro career, as he averaged just 13.4 points and shot only 41.0% in his first five games. But he’s gotten better since. He turned heads in December, when he averaged 23.5 points, while shooting 51.6%.
Flagg isn’t just scoring for Dallas. He is also consistently setting up his teammates and making great plays on defense while providing enough highlights to electrify NBA fans.
So far in the 2025-25 NBA season, the 19-year-old Flagg is putting up 18.8 points, 6. Boards and 4.2 dimes per game.
Dallas fans may have yet to move on completely from the team’s shocking divorce with Luka Doncic, but Flagg is providing the Mavericks with a reason to believe in the franchise’s future.
