The Dallas Mavericks have a bright future with No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg on the roster. In Summer League, the 18-year-old appeared in two games. He endured a forgettable shooting performance in his first outing before bouncing back with a tremendous game. However, Flagg reportedly wanted to play a third contest, via Keith Smith of Spotrac.

“Since we selected him, he’s been everything we thought he’d be and even more,” A Mavs from office executive said of Cooper Flagg, via Smith. “Tremendous kid on and off the court. Here’s a good story for you: He shot like crap in his first game here (Las Vegas). Second game he dominated. We had a plan to play only two games.

“Cooper comes to us and the coaches and asks to play a third game. We laughed and told him, ‘No. You’re good.’ And he goes, ‘I just don’t want people to think the good game was a fluke.’ All we could do was laugh, but it shows how much he wants to be great.”

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Cooper Flagg scored 31 points in his second and final Summer League contest. He demonstrated his elite potential in both games, but his scoring took a step forward in the second matchup. There certainly are not many people — if any — who think it was a fluke. Cooper Flagg is the real deal and he has an opportunity to become a superstar.

The Mavs will be one of the most interesting teams to follow in the NBA throughout the 2025-26 campaign. They will certainly receive plenty of attention with stars such as Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson playing alongside Flagg. Additionally, Kyrie Irving is expected to return from injury at some point as he is currently recovering from ACL surgery.

The Mavs' future was questionable after trading Luka Doncic, but adding Cooper Flagg could help them become a true contender once again.