Cooper Flagg’s path to superstardom in Dallas may not start with the 3-point line.
Yes, his rookie-year numbers from deep were part of the conversation all season long. Flagg shot 29.5 percent from three, and if he wants to make an All-NBA jump, that number has to come up.
He’s spent the offseason working on it, too. But the bigger swing skill for him is sitting a few feet closer to the basket.
The real separator for Flagg is his mid-range game.
That part of his offense already showed real promise as a rookie. As the season went on, he looked more comfortable pulling up from mid-range off the dribble, and his bigger scoring nights often came with plenty of those shots mixed in.
He looks closer to becoming a dominant mid-range scorer than a knockdown shooter from long distance, and that matters. A better 3-point shot would stretch defenses, but a dependable mid-range jumper would make him far tougher to scheme against because he can create those looks himself.
That fits neatly with the rest of his game. Flagg’s bread and butter is finishing at the rim, where he’s strong with either hand and has a floater in his toolkit.
The next step is not just getting to the paint, but using that gravity to create even more damage from the middle of the floor. He’s shown he can get to his spots, and his high release point makes his shot tough to bother.
He also leans on a spin move once he gets into the paint, setting up a fadeaway jumper that could become a real weapon if he keeps refining it.
For a player trying to become a superstar, that kind of shot creation matters. Flagg said he has been working on creating his own shot ahead of his second season, and that should feed directly into his mid-range development. Most of his mid-range attempts are likely to come off the dribble, especially with him expected to be a focal point of Dallas’ offense again.
That’s the kind of skill the best wing scorers in the league rely on. Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, Kawhi Leonard, and Jayson Tatum can all get to their mid-range jumper whenever they want, and they all know how to create their own shot. Flagg is trying to move into that lane.
There’s also a bigger roster wrinkle hanging over all of this. Kyrie Irving and Flagg are set to be a strong on-court pairing, but that won’t last forever.
Flagg is 15 years younger than Irving, and there’s a chance Dallas moves on from Kai at the trade deadline. If that happens, the pressure on Flagg to generate offense from the mid-range only grows.
His rookie year at least showed he’s willing to take those shots. Now the task is turning that willingness into consistency.
Getting more comfortable with the ball in his hands will be crucial, and it may be one of the biggest keys to the superstar leap everyone keeps talking about. The 3-point shot still matters, but for Flagg, the real unlock is being able to create and convert from the mid-range whenever he needs it.
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