The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery delivered plenty of surprises on Monday night—none bigger than the Dallas Mavericks landing the No. 1 overall pick despite having just a 1.8% chance, the lowest odds per DraftKings Sportsbook.
With that top pick now secured, the Mavericks are widely expected to select Duke phenom Cooper Flagg, considered the consensus No. 1 prospect in the upcoming draft. Flagg has already started participating in drills at the NBA Draft Combine and briefly spoke to reporters during media sessions.
In a group interview with fellow top prospects, Flagg was asked who he believes is the most underrated player in the NBA. His answer came instantly:
“I would say Tyrese Haliburton,” Flagg said. “People hate on him and call him overrated all the time, say he’s not that good—but he’s just such a good basketball player.”
Flagg’s defense of the Indiana Pacers star comes just months after The Athletic published an anonymous player poll naming Haliburton the league’s most “overrated” player.
Despite the criticism, Haliburton has used it as fuel. Now, he has the Pacers on the brink of a second straight trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. Indiana leads the Cleveland Cavaliers 3-1 heading into a pivotal Game 5 on Tuesday night.
Over the past two seasons, Haliburton has developed a reputation as one of the league’s most clutch performers. He’s hit two game-winning shots already in this year’s postseason. Consistently productive, Haliburton has averaged over 17.5 points and more than nine assists per game across the last four seasons—topping 10 assists per game in two of those years.
With rising stars like Cooper Flagg already showing admiration, Haliburton’s reputation may be due for a reassessment.
