Cooper Flagg averages 25 points and Kendrick Perkins sees 'LeBron James-type vibes'

Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg has played only three games so far this season, but the second-year star is already one of the biggest storylines in the NBA. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft is coming off a Rookie of the Year campaign and now looks well on his way to a first career All-Star appearance.

The buzz got louder this week when former NBA player turned ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins put Flagg's name beside a four-time champion. "When you talk about the most complete players in the game, there's only a handful of guys I'd put in front of him," Perkins said during a segment of NBA Today. "There's nothing he can't do."

Perkins then ran through the full checklist. If Dallas needs Flagg to get downhill off the pick and roll, he can do it. He is versatile defensively, he is bringing the ball up, and he is setting up the offense. "His patience, it gives me LeBron James-type vibes," Perkins said. "When he gets in the lane, he's finishing in traffic."

The numbers behind the hype

Flagg is backing up the compliments with a stat line that looks almost too tidy. Through three games he is averaging 25.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 3.7 steals and 1.7 blocked shots while shooting 56.5 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from three-point range and 90 percent from the free-throw line.

He did miss one game after suffering a shoulder injury during Dallas' win over the Indiana Pacers last week, but he has returned to the lineup without missing a beat. The Mavericks sit at 2-2 heading into their toughest test of the young season, a home meeting with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.

Three games is still a small sample, but if Flagg keeps posting numbers like these, Perkins' LeBron comparison will start to read less like early-season hype and more like a scouting report.