The Dallas Mavericks, as with any debut, would do well to take the bad with the good.
In a much-hyped matchup against Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers, No. 1 overall selection Cooper Flagg overcame scoring issues in his summer league debut Thursday, July 10 to help push the Mavericks to an 87-85 victory.
It was uneven and inefficient — Flagg scored just 10 points on 5-of-21 shooting (23.8%), adding six rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block. He looked very much like someone who played his first competitive game of basketball since April 6. He also looked very much like someone who was dropped into a group of new teammates with whom he had little chemistry.
“That,” Flagg said after the victory, “might be one of the worst games of my life.”
Yet, Flagg also flashed traits that should elevate him into a dependable scorer and facilitator in the NBA, perhaps reaching All-Star and All-NBA levels. He was most comfortable Thursday night in transition, pushing the ball up the floor to create easy dunks and layups, or sucking defenders into his space to leave teammates wide open along the perimeter.
No example was more illustrative than the sequence that produced the eventual game-winning shot.
With the Lakers holding a one-point lead with 1:11 left to play, Flagg rotated on help defense to swat away a layup try from Los Angeles guard DJ Steward. He then found the ball in transition, pushed his way into the paint and drew three Lakers defenders, before spinning and finding a wide open Ryan Nembhard, who sunk the go-ahead 3.
Also on show were his raw edges, like an unorthodox release that will certainly be the focus of his shooting coaches, one that positions the ball at a slight angle. Perhaps because of the added distance of the 3-pointer in the NBA, Flagg missed all five of his attempts from beyond the arc, despite his shooting it 38.5% in his lone season at Duke.
“I was obviously a little nervous,” Flagg said. “It’s a new environment, a lot of new fans and whatnot. So I was a little nervous and a little excited, but just happy to be here. It’s a dream come true, so I’m just trying to enjoy the moment.”
In the 31:43 Flagg played, he was often the primary ball handler, bringing the ball up the floor and initiating the offense.
In fact, literally seconds after Dallas won the opening tip, the Lakers threw a quick blitz at Flagg, who calmly moved the ball along to avoid the pressure.
Flagg committed just a single turnover on the night, and it came on a drive to the basket, when he slipped on a wet spot on the floor.
On the other hand, he failed to score even a single point in the second half, missing all six of his attempts after intermission.
Yet, Flagg is built for contemporary offense in the NBA: his blend of size, speed, agility, control and ball handling make him a versatile, plug-and-play asset, and it makes it easy to forget that he’s only 18 years old.
It also makes it easy to forget another hyped summer league debut.
Nearly two years ago to the day, Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama struggled to nine points on 2-of-13 shooting (15.4%), while scooping eight rebounds and five blocks.
That Flagg could impact winning, in spite of his scoring struggles, shows maturity that will serve him well.
Patience will serve both Flagg and the Mavericks, and Dallas should embrace Flagg’s early mistakes, providing him the space and opportunity to grow. It helps that Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, the 1994-95 Rookie of the Year, was a No. 2 overall selection, and Kidd has shown every indication that he will allow Flagg to find his way.
“I couldn’t really get into a rhythm,” Flagg said. “It’s a different environment, obviously very different from college. It’s probably very different from what the real NBA is going to be like. The coaches had a lot of confidence in me. They’ve been telling me they want me to experiment, try some new things, and I was trying to be aggressive. That’s new for me, too.”
At this stage, experimentation is good. Necessary, even.
For Flagg to excel, he’ll need to lean into that exploratory work. And for the Mavericks to also excel, they would be wise — at least early on — to let him fail.
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