Mavericks Rookie Cooper Flagg Admits Issue With His 31-Point Game

Mavericks Rookie Cooper Flagg Admits Issue With His 31-Point Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

After a rather underwhelming Summer League debut, Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg bounced back against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.

In the battle of the two Texas teams, Flagg exploded for 31 points on 10-of-21 shooting. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft also had four rebounds and an assist, while committing just two turnovers.

Flagg outshined 2025 No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper, who had 16 points for the Spurs. Harper, however, had six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.

While the Mavs ended up losing 76-69, it was still an overall encouraging showing for Flagg. After all, in his first game against the Los Angeles Lakers, he was 5-of-21 from the field en route to scoring just 10 points.

After the game, Flagg talked about his play and noticeable improvement, a clear sign that he has gotten more comfortable with the level of play. Nonetheless, he acknowledged that it still wasn't a great performance, pointing out his free throw shooting as a key issue.

The 18-year-old forward was 8-of-13 from the free throw line, something that Flagg says his mom won't be happy about.

"Missed a bunch of free throws, my mom probably isn't very happy with that," Flagg said while talking to the media following the game, per Joey Mistretta of ClutchPoints.

Cooper Flagg said his Mom probably isn’t happy with him missing free throws. Overall, he felt like he played well today, however. pic.twitter.com/KC12DOOpBq

— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) July 12, 2025

There's certainly room for improvement for Cooper Flagg, but there's no denying that he showed against the Spurs the talent and skills that made him the best prospect in the class of 2025.

Flagg and the Mavericks return to action on Monday against the Charlotte Hornets. It will be an interesting matchup, as Flagg faces off against his former Duke Blue Devils teammate Kon Knueppel — the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 draft.

Related: Cooper Flagg's Physical Appearance is Turning Heads Before Summer League

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 13, 2025, where it first appeared.