Cooper Flagg's first summer league game: Top plays, takeaways and future impact

Cooper Flagg made his highly anticipated debut for the Dallas Mavericks connected Thursday successful the NBA 2K26 Summer League against the Los Angeles Lakers and Bronny James.

The matchup, which boasted the highest mean summons terms for a summertime league crippled since Victor Wembanyama's debut, saw Flagg people a monolithic dunk for his archetypal points arsenic a pro. Flagg, the No. 1 prime successful the 2025 draft, finished with 10 points, six rebounds and 4 assists arsenic Dallas bested Los Angeles, 87-85. James finished with 8 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists.

What tin we decipher from the No. 1 wide pick's archetypal crippled arsenic a Maverick? Our NBA experts measurement successful connected wide takeaways, his champion infinitesimal and what portion of his crippled made the top impact.

Flagg could beryllium an instant unit for Mavs

There person ne'er been immoderate doubts astir Flagg's athleticism. At lone 18 years old, the 6-foot-8, 220-pound Flagg possesses a prototypical NBA physique and the benignant of explosive popular that makes a assemblage gasp respective times per game.

Blend those carnal gifts with Flagg's full-speed shot handling quality and consciousness for the game, and it's casual to spot wherefore Mavericks manager Jason Kidd got a vibe of young Grant Hill erstwhile studying the No. 1 pick's film.

Flagg should beryllium an instant unit arsenic a modulation discourtesy weapon. That facet of Flagg's crippled was connected afloat show successful his archetypal authoritative outing successful a Dallas uniform, though helium didn't find his groove successful the halfcourt discourtesy against the Lakers.

Flagg's archetypal bucket was a ferocious tomahawk dunk to decorativeness a one-man accelerated interruption that helium started with a steal. He pushed the gait again connected the adjacent possession earlier hitting a creaseless baseline fadeaway implicit the Lakers' 2024 first-round prime Dalton Knecht. And Flagg delivered a breathtaking dime connected the Mavs' pursuing possession, a look-ahead laser from beyond halfcourt portion pushing the shot again. It won't amusement up successful the container people due to the fact that Dallas halfway Moussa Cisse couldn't finish, but it's not hard to ideate Dereck Lively II oregon Daniel Gafford converting that walk into a rim-rattling dunk.

Flagg's operation of athleticism and consciousness besides created the astir important series of the night. He soared to swat distant a layup attempt, pushed the gait again and recovered defender Ryan Nembhard for a wide-open 3 to springiness the Mavs the pb for bully with 59.1 seconds remaining.

It was a unsmooth shooting nighttime for Flagg (5-of-21 from the floor, 0-of-5 connected 3s). But it was amusive to ticker him tally the break, which helium seems acceptable to bash arsenic soon arsenic helium steps into the league. -- Tim MacMahon

Flagg's dunk ignites summertime league crowd

The Thomas & Mack Center assemblage was truthful anxious for Thursday's extremity betwixt the Mavericks and Lakers that they mercilessly booed the referees astatine the extremity of the Brooklyn Nets and Oklahoma City Thunder crippled preceding it. Not that they disagreed with the validity of the instrumentality foul called connected Brooklyn rookie Ben Saraf successful the waning seconds, they conscionable were fed up with immoderate whistle that would get successful the mode of Cooper Flagg yet taking the floor.

Once the crippled tipped off, the fans' gratification for seeing Flagg officially works his beingness successful the league was further delayed.

Flagg's archetypal authoritative statistic of the summertime league was a missed fadeaway from 12 feet coming 18 seconds into the archetypal quarter. Less than 30 seconds later, helium was backmost successful the boxscore, this clip for fouling Lakers guardant Darius Bazley connected the boards.

Nearly 30 seconds later, Flagg took his 2nd changeable -- this clip from 3 -- and missed again.

He was inactive scoreless erstwhile helium subbed retired for the archetypal clip with 5:38 remaining successful the first. But aft a speedy break, helium checked backmost in. And it happened. Lakers defender DJ Steward threw a walk that Flagg pounced on, swiping it retired of the passing lane and powering down towards the different extremity to decorativeness the fastbreak with a coast-to-coast tomahawk.

The assemblage got what they came for, erupting successful a roar that echoed done the arena.

Flagg finished 5-for-21 from the field, notching 10 points, six rebounds and 4 assists successful an 87-85 win.

A forgettable line, astatine best. But helium made a infinitesimal happen. You ne'er hide your first. -- Dave McMenamin

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Kyrie Irving fired up aft a Cooper Flagg bucket

Cooper Flagg cashes a step-back jumper, which gets Kyrie Irving connected his feet.

Flagg's accumulation extracurricular of the scoresheet

Flagg changeable conscionable 5-for-21 and didn't people successful the 2nd fractional of his summertime league debut. But there's nary crushed to interest astir 1 disconnected shooting nighttime -- his committedness is predicated connected his quality to worldly the stat expanse successful truthful galore ways beyond scoring.

At Duke, Flagg averaged 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. For context, the lone NBA players to mean akin numbers (7-4-1-1) successful those categories past play were do-it-all forwards Scottie Barnes and Jalen Johnson. The players successful NBA past with the astir specified seasons are Kevin Garnett (10 times), Giannis Antetokounmpo (8) and Chris Webber (7).

Flagg fundamentally matched his collegiate averages successful 32 minutes connected Thursday, with six rebounds, 4 assists -- helium would've had much if his teammates had knocked down much 3-point attempts aft Flagg's kickout passes -- 3 steals and 1 block. He besides tallied conscionable 1 turnover, contempt facing dense shot unit from Lakers defenders.

That all-around accumulation is simply a ample portion of Flagg's appeal, and a crushed for optimism arsenic helium enters his rookie run for an ostensible contender. Playing adjacent to Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, D'Angelo Russell and yet Kyrie Irving, Flagg won't request to pb his squad successful shots, arsenic helium did connected Thursday. But helium volition beryllium astir effectual if he's capable to lend successful each different facet of the crippled -- peculiarly connected defense, wherever his playmaking imaginable already has him looking similar a game-changer. -- Zach Kram

Flagg's size volition situation the NBA

Flagg's size was the archetypal happening that jumped retired to maine against NBA opposition. Listed arsenic 6-foot-9, Flagg is projected to commencement his vocation astatine tiny guardant for the elephantine Mavericks, who boast a frontcourt of the 6-foot-10 Anthony Davis and the 7-foot-1 Dereck Lively II.

To unfastened the game, Flagg was defended by erstwhile first-round prime Darius Bazley, nominally the Lakers' starting halfway astatine 6-8. That benignant of cross-matching antiaircraft assignments won't beryllium an enactment erstwhile helium plays alongside Davis and either Lively oregon 6-10 Daniel Gafford, who tin punish smaller defenders successful a mode cipher other connected Dallas' summertime roster can.

Against shorter opponents, Flagg's size should convey aggregate benefits. When helium runs pick-and-rolls, Flagg volition person wide passing lanes implicit the apical of defenders. That's thing Kidd encouraged Giannis Antetokounmpo to utilize portion coaching a young Antetokounmpo with the Milwaukee Bucks. He's intelligibly pursuing a akin playbook with Flagg.

At the antiaircraft end, Flagg's size allows him to marque item plays arsenic Kram quantified. A 7-foot wingspan, astir arsenic ample arsenic lottery halfway prime Derik Queen (7-foot and one-half), means Flagg volition perpetually beryllium a beingness successful passing lanes.

Ideally, the Mavericks volition yet find a helping stopper, enabling them to deploy Flagg connected mediocre shooters arsenic an progressive assistance defender. For now, Dallas mightiness request Flagg to support the opponent's champion perimeter menace erstwhile P.J. Washington Jr. is connected the bench. -- Kevin Pelton