Cooper Flagg’s rapid rise has reshaped the Dallas Mavericks, turning early doubts into renewed hope for the franchise’s future.
When the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis earlier this year, questions immediately arose about who would assume the leadership role within the team. Very few would have predicted that the answer would be rookie Cooper Flagg.
For head coach Jason Kidd, Flagg is anything but an ordinary teenager. Despite his young age, he has already shown a level of maturity comparable to players who have spent several years in the NBA.
“He’s only 18 years old. But it seems like he’s been in this league before. He plays the game the right way,” Kidd said, expressing confidence that Flagg can help the Mavericks turn things around as they attempt to overcome their current struggles.
Dallas currently holds a 10-17 record in the Western Conference, but Flagg has continued to establish himself on the court. Through 26 games, he is averaging 34 minutes, 18.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. His breakout performance came over the weekend, when he scored 42 points against the Utah Jazz, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to record a 40-point game.
That performance allowed him to surpass the previous mark held by LeBron James, who never reached the 40-point threshold at that age and posted a career-high 37 points in December 2003 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Can Dallas hold on to Cooper Flagg?
Flagg’s emergence has quickly solidified his status within the organization, and many are now calling for the franchise to protect him to avoid repeating the same mistake they made with Doncic. For some fans, the rookie has the potential to become the next Dirk Nowitzki, a player capable of etching his name in gold in Dallas history. The German legend spent all 21 seasons of his career with the Mavericks, from 1998 to 2019.
A native of Maine, Flagg has now placed the spotlight firmly on himself, and there is little doubt that interest around the league will continue to grow. If Dallas were ever to part ways with him, it would likely be viewed as a front-office failure, especially since Flagg has made it clear that the Mavericks hold a special place in his heart as the team that believed in him first.
“It means a lot that this is my first city [in the NBA], and God willing, whatever happens, I hope it’s the only city,” Flagg said during a holiday event.
For now, Flagg ranks 36th in the NBA in total scoring with 479 points. That figure is not far off from what Doncic has produced this season, as the ninth-leading scorer in the league has accumulated 659 points. While fans questioned the decision back in January, it now feels as though Doncic has become part of the past, and the rookie represents the future, not just for this season, but for the entire Mavericks project moving forward.
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