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With Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg making his Summer League debut, it was no doubt a frustrating one for the No. 1 overall pick, who shot five of 21 from the field. While Flagg himself would be brutally honest about the Mavericks' debut, the Summer League head coach took a more positive spin on the performance.
Dallas would beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 87-85, on Thursday as Flagg totaled 10 points with rough shooting numbers, including missing all five attempts from three-point range. He would also have six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a block, which was the root of Summer League head coach Josh Broghamer's praise of the Flagg, according to ESPN.
“That's what he does,” 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.”
Broghamer is also the team's assistant coach to Jason Kidd on the main roster, who would also be interviewed at halftime by ESPN, talking about Flagg and the attention he gets, like how he was double-teamed on the first possession of the contest.
“I thought that was out of respect,” Kidd said. “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.”
Mavericks' Cooper Flagg gets real on Summer League debut
It was no doubt a different feeling for the Mavericks rookie in Flagg as he's getting a taste of the NBA level, despite it being the Summer League. Still, he was the No. 1 pick for a reason, as there is grace for any rookie in their first game.
Still, Flagg would be candid, saying how Thursday “might be one of the worst games of my life.”
“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.”
“Shots weren't falling, but that's going to happen,” Flagg continued. “It's going to be nights like that. It is somewhat new to me. I haven't probably taken that many shots before, so that's somewhat new. I'm going to try and figure it out. But new experience, so I'm excited to keep playing and move forward.”
Flagg's next chance to bounce back for Dallas will be on Saturday against the San Antonio Spurs.
