The Dallas Mavericks are sinking fast at 5-14, staring at what already feels like a long, disappointing season after going all-in on the blockbuster Luka Dončić-Anthony Davis trade. With Davis missing his 14th straight game and the supporting cast struggling to find rhythm, the burden on rookie forward Cooper Flagg has grown heavier, and so have the growing pains.

But one All-Star big man isn’t buying the early-season criticism.

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, fresh off Miami’s 106-102 win over Dallas on Monday night, made it clear that Flagg’s struggles should come with patience, not panic.

“He’s not scared of the moment,” Adebayo told Zach Weinberger after the game. “He’s growing up faster than people think. By the end of the season, I feel like he’s going to be one of them ones that’s hard to guard because he’s going through those moments now early in the season.”

That warning comes as Flagg continues to fight through an uneven rookie campaign, one made even more complicated by losing Davis, the team’s defensive anchor and secondary offensive star, for nearly a month.

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Still, the No. 1 pick showed flashes in Miami, finishing with 12 points and clutch free throws in the final minutes that tied the game at 1021102. Dallas even had a chance to take the lead, but a costly inbound turnover, stolen by Adebayo, shifted momentum back to Miami, where Tyler Herro sealed the game in his season debut.

P.J. Washington led the Mavericks with 27 points, while Max Christie added 15 and Klay Thompson chipped in 13. But without Davis, the Mavericks once again struggled to close.

Flagg’s late-game poise, though, didn’t go unnoticed, especially by the man who ripped the ball away on the deciding play.

For a Dallas team desperate for positives, Adebayo’s endorsement matters. The rookie is going through it, the losses, the pressure, the expectations, but the Heat star’s message was clear: The struggle now might be exactly what turns Flagg into a problem later.

For the Mavericks, that’s one future sign of hope in an otherwise bleak present.