Mavericks rookie forward Cooper Flagg has been given a surprising Summer League performance grade by an expert.
Dallas Mavericks rookie forward Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 pick out of Duke University in last summer's 2025 NBA Draft, has been given a surprising Summer League performance grade.
The 6-foot-9 pro, who at 18 is the youngest player in his draft class, suited up for just two games before the Mavericks shut him down.
Dallas notched a 1-1 record in those two tilts, against the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. Flagg averaged 20.5 points while posting a .357/.214/.571 slash line, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks.
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Gilbert McGregor of The Sporting News awarded Flagg a good-not-great Summer League grade for his two bouts, and suggested the 2025 Naismith Award winner had room for improvement going forward.
McGregor ultimately gave Flagg a B-plus Summer League game.
"Flagg is in a unique situation as a No. 1 pick because he is joining a team that expects to contend," McGregor writes. "He'll have a healthy diet of shot attempts to begin his career, but he will fall in line behind Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving when healthy."
Dallas won that Lakers matchup, 87-85. Flagg scored 10 points on a rough 5-of-21 shooting line, grabbed six rebounds, dished out four dimes, blocked a shot and swiped a steal.
"Against L.A., Flagg wasn't forcing the issue and looked comfortable as a No. 1 option, a role Dallas can afford to ease him into," McGregor writes of Flagg's Summer League debut. "His activity on and off the ball is a reminder of how malleable and coachable he already is, and the sequence of a game-saving block into a game-winning assist sums up what makes him special in the eyes of coaches and scouts alike."
In his final Summer League clash, a 76-69 loss to the Spurs and their rookie lottery picks Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant, Flagg scored 31 points while connecting on 10-of-21 shooting from the field, pulled down four boards, passed for one assist and nabbed one block.
"Flagg was able to capitalize on straight-line drives, got out in transition and his shot looked fluid on catch-and-shoot 3s in addition to dribble pull-ups," McGregor notes of Game 2. "The shot won't always fall like that, but he's already showing signs of improvement from the solid shooting he displayed during his lone season at Duke."
Category: Basketball
