Tim MacMahon
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- Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009
- Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks
- Appears usually on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM
THIS ISN’T THE means Cooper Flagg envisioned his rookie season unfolding.
Flagg anticipated to be the uncommon No. 1 choose who will get playoff expertise immediately, feeling lucky to have landed with a franchise that featured just a few veteran future Hall of Famers after the Dallas Mavericks cashed in 1.8% probabilities to win final spring’s draft lottery.
Reality has been a tough distinction as Flagg’s season rolls previous the halfway level. The Mavs are 18-26 and in twelfth place within the Western Conference, placing Dallas on the trail to getting one other single-digit draft choose to pair with Flagg.
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Anthony Davis, acquired because the centerpiece of final yr’s blockbuster deal that ultimately led to basic supervisor Nico Harrison’s early-season firing, has performed solely 20 video games this season as a consequence of a wide range of accidents. He would possibly by no means put on a Mavs uniform once more, pending commerce discussions main as much as the Feb. 5 deadline as he recovers from ligament injury in his left hand.
The return date of Kyrie Irving, the co-star on the Mavs’ 2024-25 NBA Finals crew, as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered in early March stays to be decided. He has but to be cleared to observe, and whereas Irving has made it clear that he hopes to play this season, sources anticipate that, contemplating the Mavs’ place within the standings, there will likely be discussions about suspending his comeback till subsequent season.
As disappointing because the season has been for Dallas, Flagg is getting usually rave evaluations from opposing coaches, scouts and executives polled by ESPN.
“He’s better than advertised, if that’s possible,” a Western Conference scouting director mentioned.
FLAGG STRUGGLED with effectivity early within the season when he was beginning at level guard, a place he had by no means performed. Mavs coach Jason Kidd ended that experiment after the primary seven video games, with 6-foot-9 Flagg averaging 13.6 factors, 6.3 rebounds and a couple of.9 assists whereas taking pictures solely 38.8% from the ground.
Flagg has averaged 19.9 factors, 6.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists whereas taking pictures 49.2% from the ground in 34 video games since shifting again to primarily enjoying his pure ahead place.
“I think it’s a lot of pressure and a lot of responsibility that comes with being a point guard, and I don’t know if I was ready for that or if I was ready to handle that right off the bat,” Flagg mentioned in November. “I tried my best, and I mean, that’s not to say I can’t go back to it and can’t work on it and get better, but I think it’s just worked out where it’s been better to have somebody else helping out, relieving pressure. … It wasn’t perfect, but I think I learned a lot through that.”
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Even when Flagg struggles, he stands out to opposing coaches and executives. Philadelphia’s Nick Nurse famous Flagg’s skill to “regather his composure” all through video games regardless of coping with the psychological and bodily fatigue that comes with enjoying heavy minutes whereas dealing with plenty of duties.
“His greatest strength is his competitiveness,” a West GM mentioned. “He’s a motherf—er.”
Several coaches have commented on Flagg’s relentless effort no matter circumstances.
“When he doesn’t play well, I still really like watching him play because of the way he plays,” Nuggets coach David Adelman mentioned. “The intensity, I think that takes you a long way because you’re going to go through ups and downs when you’re young. He’s really impressive.”
Flagg’s mix of measurement, talent and really feel for the sport is exclusive, but it surely’s his aggressive character that earns essentially the most reward from folks across the league.
“It’s very rare that you get a guy that is that skilled and he plays the hardest of anybody on both sides of the floor,” an East scout mentioned. “That’s a winning player.”
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Cooper Flagg goes coast-to-coast for two
Cooper Flagg grabs the rebound and finishes on the different finish of the ground with a layup.
FLAGG ARRIVED IN the NBA with as a lot hype and anticipation as any American prospect since arguably LeBron James 23 years earlier than.
James was the one frequent reference level for Flagg’s offensive manufacturing as an 18-year-old. Flagg, who turned 19 on Dec. 21, broke James’ NBA information for essentially the most factors (42) and assists (11) in a sport at 18. James is the one participant ever to attain extra factors per sport at that age, averaging 20.2 factors as an 18-year-old, in contrast with Flagg’s 18.8.
Talent evaluators think about Flagg’s scoring to be considerably of a nice shock. He was the consensus top-ranked participant on draft boards due to his all-around affect, however there was some skepticism that Flagg might be a main scorer, particularly early in his profession.
“I actually thought his offense would take longer than it has,” a West basic supervisor mentioned. “All these guys being out has given him freedom to explore and expand his game. He’s so big, and he’s realized he can just get to his spots. I’ve always thought he’d be that 1B [offensive option], but he’s an alpha for your team. He plugs every gap.”
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Flagg, the one rookie to rank among the many high three in his class in whole factors, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals, is the betting favourite for Rookie of the Year. His main competitor for that honor is Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel, Flagg’s roommate final season at Duke. Knueppel is averaging 19.0 factors, 5.3 rebounds and three.5 assists per sport. He’s taking pictures 43.5% from 3-point vary and is on tempo to shatter Keegan Murray’s rookie report of 206 3s made.
Flagg’s most obtrusive weak spot is his 3-point shot (28.6%), a side of his sport that folks across the league predict will develop as he reworks his shot mechanics throughout offseason work. But he is taking pictures 53.5% contained in the arc, beating defenders with a mix of talent and physicality, a daunting thought contemplating that he’ll add vital bulk and power as his physique matures.
“The biggest thing that stands out to me is his athleticism,” a West scout mentioned. “If I’m the GM here, I’m adding as much shooting as possible and building around him for a long time.”
Flagg has already proved to be an impressive driver regardless of Dallas’ spacing points as a consequence of a scarcity of perimeter taking pictures. According to NBA Advanced Stats, Flagg ranks twelfth within the league with 339 factors off drives, taking pictures 53.5% in these conditions.
Scouting studies notice that Flagg is particularly efficient as a left-handed driver and finisher regardless of being a pure righty. He’s the one participant within the league with not less than 60 made layups and dunks together with his left hand and together with his proper hand, based on ESPN Research. He has 109 tried layups and dunks together with his left hand this season, the second most of any righty within the league, trailing solely Atlanta’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker, based on GeniusIQ monitoring. He additionally typically makes floaters and hooks in visitors together with his off hand.
“His ability to finish with both hands in traffic at the rim and just outside the lane and restricted area is impressive,” an East scout mentioned. “He’s a hard left driver. I think teams will pick up on that more and more, which could lower his efficiency.”
Flagg has wowed the league’s veterans together with his poise, prompting three-time MVP Nikola Jokic to say {the teenager} “looked really mature out there” after Flagg’s 33-point, 9-rebound, 9-assist efficiency in a Dec. 23 win over the Denver Nuggets. Flagg has proven that he is remarkably comfy as the first choice closing video games. He ranks seventh within the league in clutch factors (72) and assists (13) in clutch conditions, outlined because the rating being inside 5 factors within the closing 5 minutes of regulation or time beyond regulation.
“He’s what everyone thought he would be,” a West professional personnel director mentioned. “He’s 18 years old and closing out games — making shots and making plays to close games. That’s just not normal. That’s something really special.”
ESPN’s Matt Williams contributed to this story.
