It’s no secret that the Dallas Mavericks are desperately trying to turn the page on what might be the most scrutinized front-office blunder in modern NBA history. Just over a year ago, Nico Harrison pulled the trigger on a blockbuster that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, a move that has aged like milk.
While Davis managed a mere 29 games in a Dallas uniform (finishing with a lackluster 16-13 record) before being shipped off to the Washington Wizards this week, Luka has been a supernova in Hollywood. Doncic leads the league in scoring and has already posted 31 games with 30 or more points this season alone. The dream of pairing AD with Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg is dead, but in its place, the Mavericks have discovered that their 19-year-old rookie isn’t just a consolation prize, he’s a phenomenon.
Cooper Flagg Enters MJ Territory with Historic Scoring Surge
The mandate in Dallas is now undeniably clear: build around Cooper Flagg at all costs. Despite the team currently mired in a six-game losing streak, Flagg has been an absolute flamethrower. Over his last four outings, the Duke product has dropped 49, 34, 36, and 32 points, making him the youngest player in NBA history (19) to record four consecutive 30-point games.
But it’s the versatility that has scouts drooling; averaging 9.3 rebounds during this stretch, he’s the first rookie since Michael Jordan in 1985 to post four straight games of 30+ points and 5+ boards. The comparison to Jordan is even more striking when you consider the experience gap. Jordan arrived in the league as a 21-year-old with multiple seasons at North Carolina; Flagg is doing this as a 19-year-old “one-and-done” freshman.
His 151 total points over this four-game span also place him alongside Allen Iverson as the only rookies to hit that 150-point mark in any four-game window. If Dallas can leverage their upcoming cap space to find the right veteran pieces to complement the Flagg-Kyrie duo next season, the post-Luka era might not be as dark as fans feared.
Record-Breaking Milestones and a Date with Luka
Flagg is already rewriting the record books for teenagers, holding the record for most points scored by an 18-year-old (42 points) and a 19-year-old (49 points). With every game, his confidence grows, and he seems to be absorbing the pace of the professional game at an accelerated rate. While his outside shooting remains a work in progress-the primary area of development for the next few summers-his ability to get to his spots is already elite.
However, the individual brilliance hasn’t translated to the win column just yet. Dallas faces a brutal road schedule before the All-Star break, with stops in San Antonio and Phoenix before the most anticipated game on the calendar: a trip to Los Angeles to face Luka Doncic.
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