Cooper Flagg Showcases Two-Way Star Potential in Mavs Summer League Debut vs. Lakers
The Dallas Mavericks took down the Los Angeles Lakers in their Las Vegas Summer League opener on Thursday night, and Cooper Flagg made some jaw-dropping plays despite having a subpar shooting night.
Photo Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images
It has been an insane offseason for the Dallas Mavericks, to say the least. After initially feeling like the franchise only had a two or three-year window to compete with its aging stars following the Luka Doncic trade, the Mavs hit the jackpot by winning the NBA Lottery with just a 1.8% chance. That led to the team drafting 18-year-old phenom Cooper Flagg, who finally made his long-anticipated Mavs debut at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas against Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.
In front of a packed and rowdy crowd at Thomas & Mack Center, the Mavs captured an 87-85 win over the Lakers in what was a fun back-and-forth affair. Flagg got his first Summer League bucket in style, as he got a steal and went coast-to-coast for an emphatic dunk on the other end of the floor.
Flagg finished with 10 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and one block in 32 minutes of action. It was his first real game since Duke was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament, and that rust showed, as he shot just 5-of-21 from the field and 0-5 from beyond the arc.
“I would say that might be one of the worst games of my life,” Flagg said. “But now we got the win, so that's what really matters to me. My teammates, Miles [Kelly], Ryan [Nembhard], Jordan [Hall], they held it down. They did what they had to do, so I'm just glad we got the win.”
Despite Flagg’s shooting struggles, he displayed his ability to be a winning player when it mattered most. With the Mavs down 85-84 with just 1:09 remaining, Flagg rejected Lakers’ DJ Steward at the rim, then ran down the court and assisted Mavs’ two-way contract player Ryan Nembhard on a go-ahead 3-pointer just six seconds later to seal the win. Flagg only had one turnover in his 32 minutes while bringing the ball up the floor more than he’s used to.
You can check out the full game highlights below, including that closing sequence, courtesy of our Mavs Twitter friend Panda Hank:
“I was looking forward to it,” Flagg said of being on the ball more. “It was fun. It’s new for me, bringing it up, having that full-court pressure. I’m not in full game shape, so I was tired, [but] it was fun to experiment with some new things.”
Two big things that stood out to me while watching Flagg in his first NBA Summer League game were how 1) how big he actually is, and 2) how comfortable he looked despite being in a new environment, playing in a new role bringing the ball up the floor more, and playing in his first real game in nearly four full months. Fans shouldn’t be concerned with his 5-of-21 shooting night, because come October, he’ll have much more high-end talent surrounding him with less burden to create most of the offense.
The Copper Flagg era officially began for the Mavs on Thursday night, and man, did it feel good to see him look the part of a No. 1 overall draft pick with high potential. We’ll see what else No. 32 has in store as the Mavs take on the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday in Las Vegas. Stay tuned to Mavs Step Back for more NBA Summer League coverage!