He’ll get the time if he’s good enough. A lot of times rookies bodies aren’t ready for the NBA grind. LeBron got plenty of playing time his rookie year… I suspect we’ll be seeing around 25-30 minutes a game from Cooper Flagg this year, but you never know. The fact he got shut down in preseason so early to work on his body full time sort of shows he has the skills, they just need to prepare him physically.
Well, it’s understandable, he’s only 18 years old. And although he’s the same age as LeBron was when he got drafted, LeBron was on a whole different level. He had the potential to become one of the greatest players in history right from the start. As for Flagg, let’s give him time to reach his potential. Everything is still new, and the hype hasn’t settled yet. But if he can become as good as Luka offensively before his rookie contract ends and if the Mavs stay healthy, that will definitely boost their chances in the Playoffs.
Despite the hype around Flagg, we or at least I haven't hear him being called as a "Generational Player" the same as how the media called Wemby back when he's still a rookie. He had the potential to be an all-star, or a bust depending on his health still, and we've seen all-star caliber players that got ruined because of injuries.
I don't really expect too much from him in his rookie season. It's just good that he's surrounded by talented players in Dallas. I mean he can play 3 or 4 there and still contribute on offense, and in defense as well. The hype isn't as high compared to Wemby, but in the next few years, I expect him to be an all-star player already. Health, health, and health. He needs that and with how built Dallas is right now, they can clinch the playoffs TBH despite the West being stacked with great players. I don't see them as title contenders though.
Will he be as good as Luka? It's a different scenario already for me. When Luka's the rookie, he's been surrounded by average and mediocre players that's why he's doing everything for the team hence, the great stats. Now for Flagg, he's been surrounded by better players so stats-wise, don't expect too much because other players will fill those stats still. Defense is where he can excel though.