League executives: Best Rookie Flag will help

Which rookie does ESPN experts think will be awarded the NBA Rookie of the Year?

1. Cooper Flag (Dallas Mavericks, No. 1): 17 votes

2. Dylan Harper (San Antonio Spurs, No. 2): 2 votes

Also received: Trey Johnson (Washington Wizards)

Best Rookie Flag will lead the Mavericks into the playoffs

The leading early rookie candidate of the year is not surprising: Flag was selected as the No. 1 pick, and he is considered not only the most promising player, but perhaps the most suitable player for the NBA game in this year's rookie. The Mavericks he joins are expected to rely on him as Kyrie Irving tore his ACL in March and is recovering. Flag's ball-handling skills, body position and defensive influence are expected to come in handy immediately.

As some of our voters mentioned, one side condition is that Flag may not end up leading the scoring list in the rookie. He is still growing into a shooting creator, and the Mavericks don't necessarily need him to take too much responsibility in that regard. His 31 points in the summer league (before Dallas decided to give him a break) helped highlight Flag's ability, but in a team with many veterans, he might not need to be a key figure in turning the situation around. Other rookies, including Ace Bailey and Johnson, were assigned to the rebuilding team, and they likely have more room to play, but are not expected to win too many games.

Overall, voters generally predict that Flag's star influence and winning contribution will be the key factors that determine the award's attribution. “I guess players like Bailey or Johnson may be better than Cooper when they are rookies,” said an Eastern Conference executive, “but Cooper Flagg will make a more meaningful contribution to help Dallas get into playoff range.”