Tim MacMahon
FORT Worth, Texas – No. 1 overall draft pick Cooper Flagg prides himself on his ability to impact winning in a variety of ways, and that versatility was evident in his NBA preseason debut.
Flagg filled the box score during his half of work in the Dallas Mavericks’ 106-89 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder at Dickies Arena on Monday night. The 18-year-old rookie scored 10 points and contributed 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a blocked shot in 14 minutes.
“It’s a fun brand of basketball to play when the ball is moving,” Flagg said. “It was fun.”
All of Flagg’s points came during a two-minute, 38-second burst in the second quarter. After grabbing a defensive rebound, Flagg went coast-to-coast for a contested layup for his first points with 5:32 left in the quarter. He knocked down a 3-pointer as a pick-and-roll ball handler the next possession. Flagg also made a pair of free throws after being rooted on a spin move in the paint and hit 3 more off the dribble.
Flagg shot 3 of 6 overall and 2 of 3 from 3-point range. He didn’t commit a turnover, playing a clean game while handling some of the Mavs’ point guard responsibilities.
“I take what the defense gives me,” Flagg said. “Just keep it simple, making the right play – passing or shooting, whatever it is.”
Flagg’s most impressive highlight came 85 seconds into the game, when he drove in from the weak side to Isaiah Joe’s driving layup attempt, a stop that sparked a fast break, Anthony Davis finished with a dunk on the other end.
“You got to see the defensive side, you got to see the playmaking and then the scoring,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “He was really, really good.”
The defending champion Thunder did not bring any of their regular starters on the back-to-back preseason trip, which included a victory over the Charlotte Hornets in Charleston, South Carolina, on Sunday night.
