The Dallas Mavericks lost a nail-biting game to the Utah Jazz in a 133-140 loss in overtime tonight. But the main silver lining for the Mavericks was that Cooper Flagg scored 42 points with seven rebounds and six assists while shooting 48.1% from the floor to become the only 18-year-old in NBA history to record a 40-point game.
Following the loss, NBA fans took to social media and made their feelings heard on the No. 1 overall pick’s performance. While some were unhappy that it came in a loss, most were delighted to see a breakout performance from the young prospect.
“This kid’s gonna be a big problem in the league.”
“Can’t believe they wanted to call him a bust.”
“Wemby never did this before😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭, Flagg is the best prospect since Bron.”
“This is a generational talent you’re seeing.”
“He’s going to be better than Luka.”
“He’s gonna erase Luka’s Mavs legacy and win an MVP and a ring.”
During the postgame press conference, Mavericks’ head coach Jason Kidd also addressed this performance from Flagg despite their loss.
“There’s a lot of positives we can take from this, [we were] short-handed, Cooper Flagg, I think the first NBA player at age 18 with 40, five, and five. Pretty impressive night,” said Kidd initially.
“I think we said this when we drafted him. The more time he spends on the floor, the more he sees and the better he gets. So he displayed that tonight,” Kidd further added.
Cooper Flagg has now tied Mark Aguirre’s franchise record for the most points in the rookie season for the Mavericks, who were short-handed tonight as Anthony Davis joined the long list of injured players.
Therefore, stepping up on a night when his team needed him the most, only to fall short by thin margins, is a positive sign for the Mavericks and a necessary confidence booster for Flagg to become more comfortable on the offensive end of the floor.
Over the last seven games, Flagg has really turned up his offensive production and averaged 25.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.0 blocks while shooting 54.5% from the field. As compared to his season averages, 18.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks while shooting 48.1% from the floor, his offensive production has certainly seen a boost.
At the beginning of his career, most analysts and experts felt Flagg’s key strengths lay on the defensive end of the floor. But this performance proves he has the capability of being just as big a threat on the offensive end of the floor as they deem his defense.
After this loss, the Mavericks have now fallen to 10-17 for the season and will now face the Pistons in their next game on Thursday, December 18, a highly anticipated clash between two No. 1 overall picks, Cooper Flagg and Cade Cunningham.
