Dallas Mavericks' Cooper Flagg, left, the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft, smiles at head coach Jason Kidd, right, as they respond to questions during an NBA basketball press conference at the team's practice facility on Friday in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

DALLAS (AP) — Cooper Flagg didn’t wait for Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison to break the silence with an opening statement as the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft was introduced to a packed Dallas news conference.

“Hello,” Flagg said about the time the clock struck noon Friday.

The 18-year-old former Duke star only grew more comfortable from there, two days after walking across the stage in Brooklyn to be greeted by Commissioner Adam Silver.

Flagg was deferential to the history of European stars Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic — the latter being the generational talent traded in February, before the Mavs magically landed the potential of their next face of the franchise despite just a 1.8% chance to win the draft lottery.

The Associated Press men’s college player of the year quickly declared his love for Mexican food and barbecue — the same question all the Texas newcomers get — and easily rattled off Mount Rushmores for the NBA, and the WNBA.

For those wondering, Flagg’s NBA picks were Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, and he appropriately skipped the last names of the last two. The WNBA choices were Candace Parker, Brittney Griner, A’ja Wilson and, after a brief pause to think, Caitlin Clark, “because she’s changed the game so much.”

Of course, Flagg is about to join quite a collection of names in Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson, all three with NBA titles on their resumes.

Although fellow Duke alum Irving won’t join Flagg on the court until possibly January as the nine-time All-Star recovers from a torn ACL, the Mavs are expecting a return to the playoffs after falling short in 2025, a year after Irving and Doncic led Dallas to the NBA Finals, where the Mavs lost to Boston in five games.

Throw in third-year player Dereck Lively II — another ex-Duke player, and one who visited Flagg going into his only season with the Blue Devils last fall — and there are plenty of reasons to believe Flagg gets a softer landing than many top picks who end up in rebuilding situations.

“He’s very lucky to have veterans, future Hall of Famers,” said coach Jason Kidd, a Hall of Fame point guard who was the second overall choice by the Mavericks 31 years ago. “When you talk about Kai and Klay and then AD, just understanding the vets are going to protect him and help him, and they’re going to push him.”

Flagg flew to Dallas with Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont and both of their families. Among those at the team’s practice facility near American Airlines Center was Mark Cuban, the high-profile former owner who sold a majority stake a year and a half ago to the Las Vegas-based Adelson and Dumont families.

As for the Eastern Conference’s Central Division, the draft likely didn’t do much to change its balance of power for the immediate future.

The only Central Division team with a first-round pick was the Chicago Bulls, who bet on Noa Essengue’s long-term upside by using the No. 12 overall pick on the 18-year-old French forward. A few of their Central rivals then added more experienced college players in Thursday’s second round.

Indiana added a pair of 23-year-old guards, as they acquired the No. 38 pick from San Antonio to take Marquette’s Kam Jones and then chose Liberty’s Taelon Peter at No. 54. Detroit also added a 23-year-old guard by selecting Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier at No. 37. With the first of its two second-round picks, Cleveland took 21-year-old Duke guard Tyrese Proctor at No. 49.

Chicago Bulls

Needs: The Bulls were seeking frontcourt help, particularly at center with veteran Nikola Vucevic entering the final season of a three-year, $60 million deal.

Who they drafted: They took Essengue, an 18-year-old French forward, at No. 12 overall. In the second round, they acquired the No. 55 pick from the Los Angeles Lakers and selected Lachlan Olbrich, a 21-year-old forward from Australia.

NBA comparison for Essengue: His ball-handling skills and ability to finish and defend have drawn comparisons to Pascal Siakam and Nicolas Batum. But he will need to improve his shooting. Essengue turns 19 in December.

Detroit Pistons

Needs: The Pistons could use some size and outside shooting. They lacked frontcourt muscle when burly forward Isaiah Stewart missed much of the first-round playoff matchup with the New York Knicks. Detroit also needed to make more 3-pointers in the closely contested series. The three-time championship franchise finally has a star to build around in All-NBA third team guard Cade Cunningham. Now, it needs time to determine if former first-round picks Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland can help Cunningham on the perimeter.

Who they drafted: They used the No. 37 overall pick on Lanier, a 6-4 guard who averaged 18 points his lone year at Tennessee after spending four seasons at North Florida.

Indiana Pacers

Needs: With centers Myles Turner, Thomas Bryant and Isaiah Jackson all potentially hitting free agency, Indiana’s most glaring hole is frontcourt depth. Indiana would like to re-sign Turner, a deal that could send the Pacers into the first salary cap apron. Finding an experienced big man would be ideal. Even after losing Tyrese Haliburton to a torn Achilles tendon, Indiana still has plenty of backcourt bodies.

Who they drafted: Indiana obtained the No. 38 overall pick in a trade with San Antonio and used it on Kam Jones, who earned Associated Press All-America second-team honors at Marquette. They used the No. 54 pick on Peter, who had 13.7 points per game at Liberty this year after previously playing for Tennessee Tech and Arkansas Tech.

Milwaukee Bucks

Needs: Damian Lillard’s torn Achilles, Gary Trent Jr.’s unrestricted free agency and Kevin Porter’s potential free agency (he has a $2.5 million player option) creates plenty of backcourt questions. The Bucks also could use a young big man. Brook Lopez and Jericho Sims are unrestricted free agents, and Bobby Portis could join them if he doesn’t pick up his $13.4 million option

Who they drafted: In the second round, the Bucks used the 47th overall pick on Bogoljub Markovic, a 6-11 forward from Serbia. Markovic turns 20 on July 12.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Needs: Cleveland doesn’t have many roster holes, but it does have a need for a big body in the middle to add depth. The Cavaliers have Jarrett Allen and NBA defensive player of the year Evan Mobley, but not much else when it comes to someone with size and who can be physical in the paint. That need was apparent during their second-round playoff loss to Indiana.

Who they drafted: The Cavs used the 49th overall pick on Proctor. They also had the No. 58 selection and took Saliou Niang, a guard from Senegal. Proctor is a good playmaker and shot 40.1% on 3-pointers last season. He could fill a need if the Cavs are unable to re-sign Ty Jerome or Sam Merrill, who are unrestricted free agents. The 21-year old Niang is a good defender but needs work on his jumper. He is expected to be with Virtus Bologna in the Euroleague next season.

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AP sports writers Steve Megargee, Larry Lage, Michael Marot, Joe Reedy and Andrew Seligman contributed to this report.