LAS VEGAS (AP) — Cooper Flagg may not have been happy with his professional debut on Thursday night in the NBA Summer League, but he still drew some rave reviews after the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 87-85.
“Super fun to play with, he’s a super unselfish guy,” teammate Ryan Nembhard said. “All he wants to do is win. Can guard five positions, can score the ball really well.”
Flagg finished with 10 points on 5-for-21 shooting, including 0 for 5 from 3-point range. The rookie also had six rebounds, four assists, three steals and the biggest block of the night.
With 1:10 remaining and the Mavericks trailing by one, Flagg blocked Los Angeles shooting guard DJ Steward, and Nembhard capitalized at the other end with a 3-pointer to give Dallas its 87-85 lead.
“Obviously, it wasn’t his night tonight, but the gravity he has out there helps other guys get good looks,” Nembhard added. “He’s a super talent, and it’s been fun to play with him so far.”
Mavericks summer league coach Josh Broghamer said considering the team had just four practices to get acclimated with one another before arriving in Las Vegas, he was impressed with the effort in the second half.
“Once they played basketball, you saw that ball moving. Cooper making the right decisions, Ryan making our decisions, Jordan Hall, so that was something to me that by second half, those guys all played basketball together,” Broghamer said.
Broghamer said he was especially impressed with Flagg’s conditioning after seeing how the Lakers picked him up full court defensively, trapped him from the outset, and continued to play him physically.
“I think he just makes the right play over and over again, and shots will fall,” Broghamer added. “He makes winning plays, whether it’s offense or defense. I think that’s as advertised. Whether it’s a right pass or defensive possession or scoring the ball, that’s what he does.”
Flagg, who played 31 minutes and 43 seconds, admitted he was nervous for his first professional game, attributing an entirely different environment from college to pro to his off night. But he also felt comfortable knowing his coaches and teammates had confidence.
Though Flagg said “that might be one of the worst games in my life,” Lakers second-year player Bronny James was also complimentary.
“He’s a quick, powerful, big,” said James, who finished with eight points and spent much of his time defending Flagg. “I watched him in college, an amazing player. He’s going to be something special.”
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