LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The Dallas Mavericks won the top pick in the National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft lottery on Monday, leaving them in pole position to select talented top college prospect Cooper Flagg.

The Mavericks — who had only a 1.8 percent chance of landing the top pick under the NBA’s complex lottery rules — have now been gifted with a golden opportunity to rebuild following their shock decision to trade Luka Doncic in February.

“It’s been a rough year for us as we all know,” said Dallas legend Rolando Blackman, the four-time All-Star who was chosen by the club to represent the Mavs at Monday’s draw in Chicago.

“But the important part of the whole thing is that we’ll get a chance to move our franchise forward.”

The 18-year-old Flagg is the overwhelming favorite to be selected with the No.1 pick at the 2025 Draft, which will be held from 25-26 June at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward declared for the draft last month after just a single season in college basketball with Duke University in which he was named as national player of the year.

Many observers see Flagg as a generational talent, citing his rare blend of size, athleticism and skill, which helped him average 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in college basketball.

“His highlights, his statistics, the ways he impacted the game on both ends of the floor, really in every category, was off the charts,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said last month.

Asked on Monday what Flagg could bring to the Mavericks, Blackman replied: “Well the main factor is that he can hoop. He can play.”

“There are a lot of great players in that draft class, and the important thing is that we’ll see how the guys get together and make the team better.”

Flagg meanwhile told ESPN he had not given much thought about his likely draft destination.

“I didn’t try to think about it too much,” Flagg said.

“I feel like it’s kind of out of my control. So I’m just going through the process like everybody else and trying to enjoy every single moment.”

The 14 teams which didn’t make the NBA playoffs entered the draft lottery, although the Houston Rockets, who finished second in the Western Conference, were included due to previous trade deals.

Elsewhere in Monday’s lottery, the San Antonio Spurs won the second pick in the draft, with the Philadelphia 76ers third.