Cooper Flagg Impresses in his NBA Preseason Debut, Star in the Making

The Dallas Mavericks may have struck gold. After making the insanely poor decision to trade Luka Doncic in the middle of his prime, the Mavericks were handed a gift. They lucked out and got the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

That pick was Cooper Flagg, one of the most hyped American prospects in decades. Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game in his one year at Duke. He enters the NBA with sky-high expectations.

Flagg played his first NBA preseason game this week, and he looked as good as advertised. In 14 minutes of playing time, Flagg put up 10 points, six rebounds, three assists, and a block. While maybe not the most insane statistics, everyone was impressed with his debut. 

Flagg’s coach, Jason Kidd, said, “He was great. Cooper did an incredible job for us. He's been doing this for us since training camp started in Vancouver. You've got to see the defensive side. You've got to see the playmaking. And then the scoring ability. He was really, really good tonight."

Flagg’s new teammate, Max Christie, also had high praise for the 18-year-old. “I think he eased into the game really well. You could just tell that his passing is really good, and I think he handled pressure really well…He seemed like he belonged, as we all know…He’s picking up on concepts really early…He just did everything at a very high level…It’s only going to get better.”

It looks like Flagg is starting his NBA career off on the right foot. The Mavericks really did strike gold.