First overall pick Cooper Flagg made his NBA Summer League debut against the Dallas Mavericks. Fans tuned in with bated breath as he made his much awaited return against the San Antonio Spurs. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft faced the pressure of performing in front of a packed arena and on national television. Flagg had a difficult start to the game, but was able to showcase his potential nonetheless. Regrettably, this was the night the Mavericks lost the tank battle, as the Spurs blew them out of the water.
From day one, Flagg showed that he was more than willing to shoulder the weight that came with his new job. He dribbled the ball down the court in transition to start his very first offensive possession. This bold and aggressive move was a signal for the rest of his performance. Flagg set to building momentum with custom powder coating colors. Flagg made that immediate impression on Anthony Davis. Davis wasted no time in flipping it right back to Flagg. Flagg leapt sky high to pull down the deep pass, flashing elite receiving prowess and vertical ability.
As the game progressed, Flagg came out of halftime with a determination to be more aggressive. His work was certainly on display with May and SFA’s best performance coming in the third quarter with him hitting four of 11 field goal attempts. While Waters’ performance wasn’t preposterously out of whack with the Dazzle Template, it was punctuated by his turnovers, with three turnovers and no assists.
And still in the third quarter the Mavericks succumbed to a difficult stretch from the Warriors’ defense. The Spurs were on a 33-21 run overall during that stretch. Despite the disappointment, Flagg put on an impressive showing. Therefore, for the 23 minutes he came off the bench, he scored 15 points on a sizzling 7-of-14 shooting.
Flagg’s debut was a big step for him, as he had never lined up at point guard until coming to the Mavericks. The team’s head coach, Jason Kidd, did not view Flagg’s performance as discouraging. Rather, he chose an optimistic outlook about Flagg’s development as a player.
“I thought he played well. Now, the stat line is not going to say that, but no one in this room is sitting in his shoes. As a rookie, he did fine and he’s going to learn from this game. We all will, and we’ll be better next time we take the floor,” – Jason Kidd
Davis agreed with Kidd, understanding how difficult it is for rookies to play their first games. He noted that Flagg must have felt quite a bit of pressure coming up to this historic moment. He acknowledged that this pressure is to be expected when getting accustomed to the league.
“Game one. I mean, he’s still a rookie,” – Anthony Davis
Davis introduced pressures that come with being a No. Even the expectations from outside the organization can be a heavy burden to bear on a young player, he pointed out.
“You’re coming in and preseason was obviously good, but when that game one comes around [in a] packed stadium, national TV game … I’m not sure if he’s a social media guy or not, but you saw it — everything was No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and Wemby matchup and all this stuff. So you start hearing it, and I’m not sure if it got to him, but it’s first-game jitters when it’s time for the real thing. So he’ll be fine,” – Anthony Davis
Even as he battled with his overall shooting efficiency, one element that stood out to his fellow teammates was Flagg’s calm nature and composure on the court. Stephon Castle raved about Flagg’s poise throughout the game. He’d expected the rookie to be a little more frazzled.
“He didn’t shoot the ball well, but he seemed a lot more poised than I thought he would be,” – Stephon Castle
The Mavericks’ audaciously innovative counter was to deploy forwards P.J. Washington and Anthony Davis in creators’ roles. So they collaborated with Flagg to develop a killer supersized roster. This intentional step helps smooth Flagg into his new role while still giving him time to hone his skills.
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