Cooper Flagg’s first official game in the NBA will be against the San Antonio Spurs on October 23 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. While he has played regular minutes in the Mavericks’ preseason campaign thus far, it will be fair to say that Anthony Davis had an idea of his vast skill set beforehand.
After all, the first overall pick of the 2025 draft did take part in a practice Team USA scrimmage back in July 2024, when Davis and co. were preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics. And well, even as a 17-year-old, Flagg looked well in his comfort zone according to his Dallas teammate.
“Zero nerves. He went out and balled,” AD revealed when asked about his first impression of the suspected prodigy, per ESPN. The then-Duke superstar was utterly impressive in a practice game for the Team USA select squad. He swung the scrimmage with a late three-play scoring burst that helped the Select Team rally from a double-digit deficit.
This was followed by a baseline turnaround over Jrue Holiday, after which he drilled an off-dribble three over Davis himself, following it up with another an and-1 tip-in over Bam Adebayo.
“He was cooking. He definitely stood out. Guys obviously were hearing the name, and we all knew who he was. But a lot of guys tend to, I don't want to say be hesitant, but when you're going against guys like myself, Bron, Steph [Curry], you see these guys and it's like, ‘Oh s—,” Davis revealed.
Flagg revealed afterward that he definitely felt like “he belonged” and “could be out there” in the NBA, something Davis’ testimony confirmed.
“You look up to and you idolize these guys, and now you got to go play against them. You kind of get nervous, which is normal. But for him, he has the utmost confidence in himself,” the ten-time All-Star revealed.
There is no doubt that Flagg is one of the most-hyped prospects to ever join the league. However, as far as the evidence, including his preseason outings suggests, the 18-year-old is well and truly ready to take the NBA by storm.
