The Dallas Mavericks may not be winning too many games at the moment, but there is a bright spot in the form of rookie Cooper Flagg, who appears to be hitting his stride. Despite the Mavericks’ narrow 116-114 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night, Flagg delivered his best professional performance to date. He tallied a career-high 26 points, along with nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals, leading his team in scoring.
In doing so, Flagg made a bit of history. As highlighted by Tim MacMahon of ESPN, Flagg tied LeBron James as the youngest rookie in NBA history—at 18 years and 324 days old—to score 25 points or more in a single game. What makes this feat even more impressive is that Flagg was playing with a sprained thumb, which was heavily wrapped during the game. Despite the injury, the Mavericks rookie turned in the best performance of his brief NBA career so far.
The sky is the limit for Flagg, and his early-season struggles with shooting should not raise too much concern about his long-term potential. Even LeBron James had rough shooting nights early in his career. Within his first 10 games, James had outings where he shot as low as 3-for-12 and 3-for-11 (twice) from the field. Yet, he went on to become arguably the greatest basketball player to ever grace the planet.
While it may take a lot for Flagg to follow in James’s footsteps, the early-season panic around him seems somewhat overblown. It should only be a matter of time before he fully hits his stride.
### Mavericks Have Opportunity to Build Around Young Talent
LeBron James became great so quickly with the Cleveland Cavaliers that they struggled to surround him with other young talents to grow alongside him. The current Mavericks team, however, is not close to contention, which presents a different opportunity.
With the team’s current positioning, Dallas could compete for a top draft pick next year, potentially adding promising prospects such as Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cameron Boozer to their roster. This youth infusion could provide the Mavericks with a strong foundation, giving Cooper Flagg and the team a chance to develop together and build toward a brighter future.
https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-cooper-flagg-ties-lebron-james-for-insane-nba-record
