Cooper Flagg, Mavericks
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Cooper Flagg has had two consecutive double-doubles where he's scored 30 or more points.
At 19, Cooper Flagg has impressed many in his first year in the NBA. In his recent game, he had a double-double with 34 points and 12 rebounds as the Dallas Mavericks lost the Houston Rockets 111-107.
It was the second consecutive game where Flagg finished with a 30 plus points double-double. He became the first teenager in NBA history to record consecutive 30-point double-doubles. In the game before, Flagg finished with 49 points and 10 rebounds against the Charlotte Hornets.
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Cooper Flagg is the FIRST TEENAGER in NBA history to record consecutive 30-PT double-doubles 🤯
Flagg continues to show how talented he is and makes a strong case to be considered for the Rookie of the Year award. He is also showing why the Mavericks selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft.
Cooper Flagg Has Been Impressive in Recent Games
Though the Mavericks are on a three game losing, their rookie sensation has stepped up and has been playing some of his best basketball of the season. During the game against the Rockets, there was a lot of physicality that Flagg was dealing with, but he knows that’s what the league is all about.
“I definitely felt some contact, but at the end of the day the refs are the ones making the call, so it is what it is,” Flagg said. “I just got to play through it. That’s part of the game.”
“It’s not the first time in my life that I haven’t got calls and it’s probably not going to be the last. So, whatever it is I just got to keep playing through it.”
Flagg has played in 45 games and has settled in well during his rookie season. In his last two games, he has scored a total of 83 points. His 49-point performance against the Hornets was a career-high for the rookie.
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said he admires Flagg’s winning mentality. “He’s built to win,” Kidd said. “He’s going to try to do everything to help the team win. He’s done that all season and so as a group, we need some consistency for our health – that way we can win out.”
“That’s one of the biggest things that we have to be better at is our health. Understanding what we have and right now it’s just next man up mentality and holding down until we get healthy.”
Cooper Flagg is One of the Top Rookies in the League
Flagg is currently leading all rookies in points per game at 19.8. He’s also second in rebounds per game and fourth in assists per game. In his first year, Flagg initially came into a Mavericks team who had all-stars on the team and before the season, Anthony Davis talked about how Flagg would not have so much pressure in his first year.
“For him, he’s coming to a team that’s established,” Davis told the Athletic before the season. “We have veteran talent. He doesn’t have to do as much as a normal No. 1 pick has to do. We are still going to ask him to be Cooper Flagg for sure. But the pressure is not going to be on him as much as a usual No. 1 pick who is going to one of the worst teams in the league.”
Flagg is one of the leaders on the team in points per game. With Davis out with an injury and Kyrie Irving still out with an injury, Flagg has stepped up tremendously. He’s played the point guard position on numerous occasions for the Mavericks and has looked comfortable with the ball in his hands. It will be exciting to see how he finishes his first NBA season.