Cooper Flagg has been thrown into the deep end from the moment he arrived in Dallas, and on November 28th, the rookie will face the biggest test of his young career: a meeting with Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The game is the first matchup between the teams since last February’s blockbuster Doncic trade, a deal that permanently linked the former Mavericks superstar and the franchise’s new face.
The 18-year-old addressed the storyline surrounding his first showdown with Doncic.
Flagg made it clear he is trying to keep things simple, despite the attention surrounding the narrative-filled match up.
“I would say to me, it’s another game,” Flagg said via Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. “I know there’s gonna be a lot of other things that go into that game and through a lot of these guys’ mindsets and whatnot. For me, it’s just another game. I’m trying to survive day-by-day, take everything one day at a time, one game at a time. Right now, we’re just trying to find ways to win.”
The Mavericks have undergone significant changes since the trade.
Former general manager Nico Harrison, who orchestrated the stunning move, was fired two weeks ago. Now, all focus shifts to building a roster around Flagg and speeding up his development.
Part of that growth includes shoring up areas of his offensive game. John Hollinger of The Athletic gave a blunt assessment after watching the rookie up close.
“The other area for focus is that Flagg has to be a consistent perimeter threat, something that is holding back the rest of his game in the half court. Entering Monday, he was at 27.7 percent from three this season, and he record-scratched out of multiple potential three-point attempts Saturday,” Hollinger wrote.