Cooper Flagg hits the floor for the Mavericks and manages to deliver a rounded performance despite struggling with his shot.
• Summer League: Complete Coverage
LAS VEGAS — He missed 16 of 21 shots, including all five attempts from deep, and airballed his first and final shots. And those who saw his NBA 2K26 Summer League debut still came away with a consensus gut feeling: Cooper Flagg is right on pace to be a problem.
But, how is that, exactly?
“He didn’t try to do too much and say hey, I’m the No. 1 pick and I’m going to show you why,” said Mark Cuban, the former Mavericks majority owner and still the self-proclaimed biggest fan of the team. “He played basketball.”
Oh, and this:
“He’s … only … 18,” said Cuban, pausing between those words. “My daughter just graduated high school last month and he’s younger than her.”
So that was the vibe Thursday at Thomas & Mack Arena, where the only red flag was his inability to drop shots — for whatever that’s worth — after one game in what amounts to pickup basketball. Beyond those misses, Flagg dropped enough hints about the rest of his game to confirm his draft status in Dallas’ 87-85 win over the Lakers.
The rebounding, sense of direction, flow, command of the floor and defense were all apparent. Those are the intangible products of a player who brings advanced hoop smarts and maturity despite his age. In the final moment on Thursday, he had a block and, in transition, threw the assist for the go-ahead basket.
Also — and this must be emphasized — the number of rookies in the past with much-anticipated Summer League debuts who couldn’t make shots is vast. Wasn’t it just two years ago when Victor Wembanyama shot 2-for-13 and had one blocked? At 7-foot-4?
How has he done since then?
Such is the marvel and the misnomer of these games, which can fool observers one way or the other. They are best taken in stride, on a game-by-game and case-by-case basis, before erasing them from memory as soon as possible.
COOPER FLAGG’S FIRST BUCKET IN A MAVS UNIFORM IS A BIG-TIME SLAM ‼️#NBA2KSummerLeague on ESPN pic.twitter.com/h7Ta564bS8
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Mavericks coach Jason Kidd wants to use Flagg at times next season at point guard, a potentially problematic position until Kyrie Irving returns from Achilles rehab. Flagg has certain advantages at 6-foot-9 as well as a sure dribble, although there was a moment against the Lakers that sent a stir through the crowd.
Flagg was posting up the only player with a larger following — 6-foot-2 Bronny James, who was making a return trip to Summer League. The son of LeBron managed to poke the ball loose, then grab it.
But, a whistle, and an incredulous look by Bronny, and a smattering of boos. Foul?
James entered this Summer League seeking to showcase his defensive skills, which could lead to increased playing time next season. Another aspect of his game still requires work: he missed six of his eight shots, including the potential game-winner on a step-back 3-pointer.
But, Summer League.
As for Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick said: “I was trying to be aggressive. That might be one of the worst games of my life … but I’m going to be alright. Just glad we got the win. So that’s what really matters to me.”
He hasn’t had too many nights like this. Not at Duke, not in high school, not even at the Team USA training camp last summer.
And Josh Broghamer, who’s coaching the Mavericks this summer, added: “They were trapping him, full court even. He made the right play, over and over again. Right now, we’re all just focused on the next day.”
Yes, a next-day approach is wise for a rookie and a team who are also anxiously focused on next season.
No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg leads Mavericks to 87-85 win over the Lakers on Day 1 of the NBA 2K26 Summer League.
When the Mavericks beat the Draft Lottery odds to capture the No. 1 pick, it was both a stroke of fortune and a franchise-saving moment. The Mavericks were left reeling from a public relations debacle when they traded Luka Dončić, saw Anthony Davis suffer a groin injury in his first game in Dallas, had Irving tear his Achilles, then failed to make the playoffs. All this happened roughly a year after Dončić lead Dallas to the 2024 NBA Finals.
When they secured the No. 1 pick, Cuban said, “Whatever challenges we had, we now have hope. That changes everything. We just got to hold on until Kyrie gets back.”
And that means Flagg must produce like a player who projects as a generational talent, although there’s a twist: He’s the rare No. 1 pick who isn’t joining a rebuilding team. This is less like Wembanyama joining the Spurs in 2023 and more like Tim Duncan joining the Spurs — and former MVP David Robinson — in 1997.
On next season’s Mavericks team, “You’ve got multiple Hall of Famers,” said Cuban. “You’ve got Klay (Thompson), you’ve got Kyrie, you’ve got AD. That takes all the pressure off, too.
“Wemby, when he first came in, all eyes were on Wemby. Where Wemby went, that’s where the Spurs went. (Flagg) doesn’t have to be the No. 1 player on the team, and that’s huge for him. He can work on parts of his game that need work. And he’s just 18.”
He has plenty of time to shake that 5-for-21 shooting, numbers that probably won’t even define his Summer League, much less his rookie season.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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