Cooper Flagg’s NBA Summer season League debut drew as a lot curiosity as attainable for an exhibition recreation in the summertime. Along with it being the primary time followers may see the No. 1 general decide of this 12 months’s NBA Draft on the courtroom, his Dallas Mavericks had been going through the Los Angeles Lakers and Bronny James.
Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Heart was packed on Thursday as everybody watched Flagg, believed to be the NBA’s subsequent generational star, battle the son of the face of the league for the previous 20 years.
Whereas James has proven indicators of progress and is engaged on his recreation in his second NBA Summer season League forward of his sophomore season, the primary story was how Flagg fared.
Should you ask the previous Duke Blue Satan how he carried out, you will hear him solely deal with what he did not do effectively.
“One of many worst video games of my life,” said Flagg when requested to judge his play.
It was removed from all dangerous, although, particularly when you think about it was his first professional recreation.
Flagg scored 10 points, changing on simply 5-of-21 pictures in 32 minutes. For a participant billed as a future prime decide since early highschool and who averaged 19.2 factors per recreation because the Nationwide Participant of the Yr throughout his lone school season, an inefficient displaying like he had on Thursday is much under his standard customary.
Along with his 10 factors, Flagg added six rebounds, three assists and three steals. He confirmed he can do excess of simply put the ball within the basket.
Flagg facilitated for others and created offense, one thing the Mavericks will depend on him to do instantly as Kyrie Irving recovers from season-ending surgical procedure. With Irving not anticipated to return till the spring of 2026 on the earliest, Dallas could flip to Flagg to run the offense and function its level guard early within the season, even when that does not in the end change into his function when the staff is absolutely assembled.
Past his statistics, Flagg showcased his expertise, making what ESPN reporter Tim McMahon known as “profitable performs” in his recap. One instance was when Flagg turned a steal into a dunk the opposite means.
