Mavericks Showcase Rookie Cooper Flagg with Record Summer League Performance

The Dallas Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, hoping he will quickly become their new franchise player following the trade of Luka Doncic. Flagg has been compared to NBA greats like Kevin Garnett, Larry Bird, and Kawhi Leonard, with analyst Chris Broussard suggesting Flagg may even surpass Garnett offensively. In his NBA Summer League debut, Flagg struggled but rebounded strongly with a 31-point performance against the San Antonio Spurs, marking the highest Summer League scoring output by a No. 1 pick since 2017. Despite this standout game, the Mavericks decided to shut Flagg down for the remainder of the Summer League to preserve him for the regular season. At just 18 years old, Flagg's versatility on both offense and defense has impressed observers, and his ability to impact games in multiple ways was evident during his time at Duke. The Summer League matchup also featured the No. 2 pick, Dylan Harper, who had a solid game against Flagg, highlighting the promising young talent entering the NBA this year.