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Par Joël Pütz | Journaliste sportif
Expected like the messiah by fans and NBA media alike, Cooper Flagg will face enormous pressure and expectations from his first game in the league. Shaquille O’Neal recently gave him some important advice.
Cooper Flagg to the Mavericks is now a done deal. The Duke big man was selected with the first pick, as everyone had been expecting for months. In a few months, he’ll be playing on the NBA court for the first time. The start of a great career, we hope… even if the rookie isn’t going to have an easy time.
Given the colossal expectations surrounding him (he’s even been described as Victor Wembanyama’s future rival), the slightest underperformance will be thrown back in his face. So, Flagg has little room for error in the media department… Shaquille O’Neal knows something about this and has explained to him how to launch his career:
Shaquille O’Neal advises Cooper Flagg before his debut
Just take your time. You know, good thing about NBA and our culture and Texas culture, they going to give you room to breathe. First year, we wanna see what you do. Now if you show us you can do some, that second year, we’re gonna be expecting some. After that second year, no more excuses.
We going need you to step it up, but he comes from a great family background. He’s a fine player. The Mavs have always been an excellent first-class organization. They’re gonna treat him well. They’re gonna teach them the things you need to know. I look forward to watching them play.
The message is clear: if the promise is there in 2025-26, Flagg will have no choice but to confirm the following season. It must be said that the long-term future of the franchise now rests on him, while Dallas has parted ways with Luka Doncic. The good news is that the guy is the type to want to fulfill his ambitions, as he explained before the draft:
I think a quote my mom likes to say a lot, “If you’re the best player in the gym, then you need to find a new gym”. So for me, it was thinking about what I had left to do in high school, how much that would push me to become a better player. For me, that decision wasn’t too hard.
