Cooper Flagg Pulls Off Clutch Play to Win Summer League Debut

Cooper Flagg called it “one of the worst games” of his life, but in his Summer League debut the No.1 overall pick still made the play that mattered most.

The Flagg is waved on Coop’s debut! 🏁

Cooper Flagg made sure to produce some highlights in his #NBA Summer League debut, coming up with a clutch block in the Mavs 2 point win over the Lakers! 🔥

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“That’s what he does,” Mavericks assistant coach Josh Broghamer said. “He makes winning plays, whether it’s offense or defense. I think that’s as advertised. So whether it’s the right pass or it’s a defensive possession or scoring the ball, that’s what he does.”

Flagg’s shooting was another story. He finished with ten points on 5-21 shooting, including 0-5 from beyond the arc. Bronny James led the way on locking Flagg down on defense.

“He’s got like a half a foot on me, so I’m just trying to stand my ground,” James said. “I got to stand my ground down there and make sure I’m not getting bullied anywhere on the court. He’s great. I mean, I watched him all in college and he’s an amazing player. I have the utmost respect for him. He’s going to be something special.”

Jason Kidd on Dallas wanting Flagg to expand his game, “When you have someone like Cooper, who can handle, who can shoot, who can pass, you want the ball in his hands. He’s a great decision-maker. He did that at Duke. He did that at high school. He’s going to have some mistakes. We all did. We all threw it in the stands once in a while. But I think just his poise as an 18-year-old is incredible.”

Flagg did most of his damage in transition. His first bucket came on a tomahawk dunk after a steal, followed by a baseline fadeaway and an and-one layup. The only half-court bucket came on a tough turnaround over Bronny James.

“The coaches have a lot of confidence in me,” Flagg said. “They were telling me they want me to experiment, try some new things. I was trying to be aggressive. That’s new for me, too. I would say that might be one of the worst games of my life. We got the win, so that’s what really matters to me.”