Cooper Flagg hasn’t played in a regular season NBA game yet, but ESPN already has him ranked among the top 100 players in the league.
The rookie forward from Newport was chosen first overall in the NBA draft this summer and is expected to have an immediate impact for the Dallas Mavericks this season.
ESPN’s NBA Rank, a yearly projection of the best players in the league, has Flagg ranked as the 52nd best player heading into the 2025-2026 campaign.
He is the only rookie on the list, according to ESPN. The rankings for the top 50 players will be announced later this week.
“The 18-year-old Flagg, who might be the most anticipated American prospect since LeBron James, arrives in the NBA in a distinctive position of being a No. 1 pick on a veteran-heavy roster with playoff aspirations,” wrote ESPN NBA insider Tim MacMahon as part of the rankings.
The NBA Rank list is created with input from 150 reporters, editors, producers and analysts, according to ESPN. The network released the list of players ranked 100-51 on Tuesday. Players ranked 50-11 will be announced on Wednesday and the top 10 will be unveiled on Thursday.
NBA teams each have 15 roster spots during the regular season and there are 30 teams in the league, meaning there are roughly 450 total players to start the year.
Flagg is ranked just behind Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, and just ahead of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso. Both Green and Caruso are NBA champions.
The Dallas Mavericks start preseason action against the Thunder on Monday, Oct. 6.