Cooper Flagg Hyped by Mark Cuban, Jason Kidd After Impressive Mavs Summer League Games
The Dallas Mavericks lost Saturday's Summer League game to the San Antonio Spurs, but that result didn't really matter.
The franchise's bright future did.
Cooper Flagg poured in 31 points on 10-of-21 shooting from the field as a point-forward who was seemingly in control of everything that happened on the floor. He won the battle-within-the-battle against No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper, who finished with 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting.
"We're looking at being unselfish, playing hard and playing the game the right way," Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said of Flagg, per Kelly Iko and Jared Weiss of The Athletic. "When you talk about stock, we're looking at those things. We're not worried about makes and misses. Just making the right play."
So what are the early impressions?
"Oh, he's gonna fit right in. He's gonna be fine. He'll be perfect."
It wasn't just the high point total that stood out from Flagg's performance. He grabbed four rebounds, blocked a shot and looked perfectly comfortable handling the ball. That meant plenty of pick-and-rolls and drives into the lane, which is one reason he shot 13 free throws as he played through contact.
And he did all that while still adjusting to the NBA level.
“I think I've been solid. I'm exhausted,” Flagg said after also finishing with 10 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals in his Summer League debut against the Los Angeles Lakers. "I'm not used to bringing the ball up like that. Had somebody on my hip every time I brought the ball up the court 94 feet. I think I did a solid job of bringing it up against pressure and setting up different actions."
That combination of size and athleticism at 6'9" to go along with the ball-handling skills is going to make him a nightmare matchup for opposing defenses.
"He's big," Mavericks minority governor Mark Cuban said. "People don't realize that. And he's not just tall; he's thick. And he's only 18—he can still be growing and could end up being 7 feet tall for all we know. But he's not some skinny, wiry guy. He's physical, athletic. Might not be the quickest guy in the NBA, but for his size, he's going to be up there in that combination."
Cuban also pointed out that Flagg is walking into a better situation than many No. 1 overall draft picks considering the Mavericks also have Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and D'Angelo Russell and will surely be looking to realistically compete in the loaded Western Conference as soon as this season.
"You've got multiple Hall of Fame players," Cuban said, per Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. "You've got Klay [Thompson], you've got [Kyrie], you've got AD. Who gets to be mentored like that? And that takes the pressure off, too. [Victor Wembanyama] when he first came in, all eyes were on Wemby. Where Wemby went, that's where the Spurs went.
"[Flagg] doesn't have to carry a team. That's huge, it allows him to work on the parts of his game that make him better as opposed to worrying about how we're going to get this win."
Flagg remains the long-term franchise cornerstone for the Mavericks and their best chance at finding extended success after the Luka Dončić trade, but having so many veteran leaders around him also gives him time to ease into the NBA and fully adjust throughout his rookie season.
If his early Summer League performances are any indication, that will be a problem for the rest of the NBA.
