Cooper Flagg Says 'I'm Exhausted' After New Role for Mavs' NBA Summer League Loss

Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg felt firsthand how helping to initiate an NBA offense can be a physically demanding task.

The Mavs occasionally used the No. 1 overall pick as their offensive engine in Saturday's 76-69 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, and it was an adjustment.

"I think I've been solid. I'm exhausted," he said after the game, per The Athletic's Kelly Iko and Jared Weiss. "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."

Flagg scored a game-high 31 points on 10-of-21 shooting. Only finishing with one assist elides how frequently he was asked to create off the dribble.

The Mavs signed D'Angelo Russell to be a stopgap at point guard with nine-time All-Star Kyrie Irving recovering from a torn ACL. Dante Exum re-signed as well to give the frontcourt more depth.

Still, Dallas might be counting on Flagg to play a high-usage role, especially when Russell is on the bench. Assuming that's the case, summer league is an opportunity to begin ironing out one of the few flaws in his game.

"Flagg isn't the sharpest isolation player in terms of creating high-percentage looks," Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman wrote in his predraft scouting report. "Executing without turning the ball over in traffic could be a challenge early in his career."

Every rookie faces a learning curve in the NBA. Beyond the work he'll put in on the practice floor, it sounds like there's a lot of cardio in Flagg's future.