On Wednesday night, the Dallas Mavericks battled against their old rival Phoenix Suns in their first game in the post-Nico Harrison era. Harrison did make plenty of blunders during his time in charge, namely trading away Luka Doncic when there was no need for him to do so. But at the very least, he left the Mavericks with a sliver of hope in the form of Cooper Flagg after they struck gold in the 2025 NBA Draft lottery.

Flagg has a long way to go before he establishes himself as a superstar in the NBA. But he's already shown plenty of flashes of being one of the most impactful two-way players in the association — as long as the Mavericks do not miscast him as a primary ballhandler. Against the Suns, he did show how much of a monster he could be on the defensive end, introducing himself to Devin Booker with an impressive block at full extension to swat a high-arching floater from the Suns star.

What made Flagg such a tantalizing prospect to begin with was his high defensive ceiling. Some experts were projecting him to have Anthony Davis or Kevin Garnett-esque impact on that end of the court, and thus far, he's showing how disruptive he can be as young as he is at the moment.

With a few more years of NBA basketball under his belt, it should be an inevitability for Flagg to become one of the best two-way players in the league for the Mavericks.

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Mavericks struggle to put an end to the bleeding

Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington (25) reacts against the Milwaukee Bucks during the first quarter at American Airlines Center.
Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

It sure seems fitting that the Mavericks would face the Suns for their first game since firing Harrison. Dallas used to dominate this Phoenix side, even contributing to their downfall with the way they beat them in the 2022 NBA playoffs. But this season, the Suns have all the good vibes in the world — unlike the Mavs.

At the time of writing, the Mavs are down by 15, 95-80, entering the fourth quarter. Flagg has been solid, putting up 15 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks. They have 12 more minutes to try and get back to winning ways.