NBA Notes: Mavericks, Cooper Flagg, Nuggets, Aaron Gordon, Nets

Mavericks

Cooper Flagg is the reigning Rookie of the Year. Does he build on that or will it be one of those Sophomore Slumps type of deals?

ESPN broached the topic its latest pressing questions for every team, preseason edition.

Flagg is literally and figuratively growing up before our eyes,” wrote ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “He got taller over the summer after his Rookie of the Year season, measuring at 6-foot-10 without his shoes. The fact that the 19-year-old Flagg is still growing serves as symbolism of his seemingly limitless ceiling.”

This is true. The ceiling is high. So are the expectations.

“Fair or not, Flagg will always be compared in Dallas to Luka Doncic, who was a first-team All-NBA selection in his second season,” MacMahon wrote. “Conventional wisdom is that Flagg is on the trajectory to ascend to that level of stardom. How soon can he get there?“

Nuggets

We all know about Nikola Jokic. But the question surrounding the Nuggets is always whether he has enough help.

Well, the answer will be no if the top players around him can’t stay on the floor. That includes Aaron Gordon, as ESPN’s Anthony Slater noted.

In his six seasons with the Nuggets, Gordon has only improved as a player and elevated as a fit next to Nikola Jokic,” Slater wrote. “His importance has never been greater, but his availability has never been more in question. Gordon sat out 31 games two seasons ago and 46 games last season. Both playoff runs also ended with a hobbled Gordon dealing with a hamstring strain and a calf strain that either had him significantly limited or sidelined.”

In other words, Jokic without consistent help isn’t likely enough to get overly excited about. Gordon can be among the critical guys who can help change all that.

Denver’s depth has eroded around Jokic, but when Gordon is healthy and productive on the wing, they still have as complete and feared of a five-man starting unit as any team,” Slater wrote. “But how often will he be out there? Word is he is geared and ready for camp.”

Nets

It seems as if the Nets will not be great again. But can they at least show some promise on a more regular basis? That was the question posed by ESPN.

“The Nets invested in a long-term rebuilding plan: think of those first-round picks Sean Marks held onto in the 2025 draft, rather than attempting to aggregate them for impact players. But then lottery reform happened, forcing the Nets to press the fast-forward button in July,” wrote ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill. 

In other words, now is no time to tank. Question is, does Brooklyn really have a choice?

“Trading for Julius Randle upgraded their talent, as did drafting another point guard in Mikel Brown Jr.,” Goodwill added. “Can this team look competent without the benefit of knowing another high draft pick is on the way?”