Dave Cowens vs. Cooper Flagg Season by Season Comparison
Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Cooper Flagg and Dave Cowens, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.
Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.
Dave Cowens played 11 years in the NBA, 10 more than Cooper Flagg, who played 1. Dave Cowens had the first of his seasons in 1970-71, while Cooper Flagg had his rookie season in 2025-26. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achievements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.
Their Careers | |||
| Player | Total Seasons | Playoffs Played | NBA Years |
| Dave Cowens | 11 | 7 | 1970-71 to 1982-83 |
| Cooper Flagg | 1 | 0 | 2025-26 |
Comparison Season by Season |
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Jump to season: | ||
Rookie Season |
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| Dave Cowens | Cooper Flagg | |
| Season | 1970-71 | 2025-26 |
| Team | Boston Celtics | Dallas Mavericks |
| Honors & Awards |  Rookie of the Year | - |
| All-Rookie First Team | - | |
| Playoffs | Did Not Play | Did Not Play |
Rookie Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| Dave Cowens | 81 | 38.0 | 17.0 | - | - | 15.0 | 2.8 | - | - | - | 4.3 | 6.8 | 16.1 | .422 | - | - | - | 3.4 | 4.6 | .732 |
| difference: | +80 | +6.0 | +7.0 | +5.0 | +2.8 | -1.3 | +2.8 | +3.1 | +.114 | +1.4 | +2.6 | +.268 | ||||||||
| Cooper Flagg | 1 | 32.0 | 10.0 | 1.0 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 13.0 | .308 | 0.0 | 1.0 | .000 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.000 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| * Neiher Dave Cowens nor Cooper Flagg played in the postseason in their season 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Additional Years |
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* Dave Cowens played 10 seasons more than Cooper Flagg in the NBA. In that period—his seasons 2 to 11, from 1972 to 1983—Dave Cowens played in 7 Playoffs and won two NBA Championships. In those 10 extra years over Cooper Flagg, Dave Cowens got these achievements: | |
| Honors & Awards | 1 Season MVP 3 All-NBA Second Team 1 All-Defensive First Team 2 All-Defensive Second Team 8 All-Star Game 1 All-Star Game MVP |