Mavs' Cooper Flagg Says He's 'Competitive as Hell,' Will Do Whatever It Takes to Win

If there's one shared quality among the best athletes in the world, it's an almost-insatiable competitive hunger. Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg seems to share the trait.

"I want to do whatever it takes to help the team win, no matter what that is," he told Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News. "Off the court, I'm 18. I'm young, but I'm competitive as hell."

Expectations are sky high for the top overall pick in June's draft, especially with Flagg expected to handle some play-making duties with Kyrie Irving sidelined to start the year. But his goal is to play within himself.

"I'm just going to try and be myself and I'm going to push myself to be better day and day," he added. "Make the most out of every day and not try to live up to certain player's expectations or things like that. I'm just going to try and be myself and really just try to get better every single day."

The Mavericks lucked out in a major way when they won the NBA draft lottery and the rights to select Flagg. All indications to this point are that he'll eventually develop into a star. He certainly seems to have the demeanor to do so.