Cooper Flagg’s bittersweet debut with Mavericks: “It wasn’t great”

Bittersweet Debut for Cooper Flagg with the Mavericks

In his highly anticipated NBA debut, Cooper Flagg, the first draft pick, experienced a night of ups and downs with the Dallas Mavericks. Despite the high expectations and a promising start, the final result was not what the young player had hoped for. In the first offensive possession of his career, Flagg led the transition, assisting Anthony Davis for a spectacular play that delighted the fans. However, the dunk attempt was unsuccessful, setting the tone for a night with mixed results. Flagg finished the game with 10 points, the result of 4 out of 13 field goals. The 6’9″ player started as a point guard, an unusual position for him, and committed three turnovers without recording any assists.

“It wasn’t great,” Flagg commented when evaluating his performance. “Obviously, I didn’t play incredibly well, but we have to leave this behind and focus on Friday.”

Cooper Flagg

The match was dominated by Victor Wembanyama, from the San Antonio Spurs, who shined with 40 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks. Stephon Castle, also from the Spurs, added 22 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals, being Flagg’s main defender. Dylan Harper, the second draft pick, had a more outstanding debut, scoring 15 points in 23 minutes off the bench. Davis, who led the Mavericks with 22 points, attributed Flagg’s performance to first-game jitters.

“It’s his first game. He’s a rookie,” Davis said. “He’s coming off an obviously good preseason, but when the first game comes in a packed stadium, on national television… I don’t know if he’s a social media guy or not, but you saw it, it was all ‘first pick Cooper Flagg versus Wemby’ and all that. So you start hearing it, and I’m not sure if it affected him, but it’s first-game jitters when it comes down to it. So he’ll be fine.”

Anthony Davis

Flagg managed to grab 10 rebounds in his 32 minutes, becoming the fifth Mavericks player to achieve a double-double in his NBA debut. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd felt Flagg’s debut was positive, despite the statistics.

“I think he played well. Now, the stat line won’t say that, but nobody in this room is in his shoes. As a rookie, he did well and he will learn from this game. We all will, and we’ll be better the next time we take the court,” Kidd commented.

Jason Kidd

According to data, the Mavericks scored only eight points in the 19 possessions in which Flagg brought the ball up. The team plans to use Flagg alongside P.J. Washington and Davis in a system focused on ball and player movement. Flagg attempted few shots in the first half, but was more aggressive in the third quarter, scoring 4 of 11 field goals. The Mavericks were outscored by 29 points with Flagg on the court, the worst +/- of the game.

“I’m excited to move forward,” Flagg said. “Obviously it hurts, the first loss like that, but I’m just trying to look towards the next one, turn the page and be ready. We know we have to be a lot better than that, so staying positive and being ready and focused on the next one.”

Cooper Flagg