Cooper Flagg’s NBA China Games stop looked every bit like a coming-out moment, even before the ball went up. His face was plastered on buildings to hype the event, and he unveiled his personal New Balance logo at a mall in Macao. Then he backed up all that attention on the floor.
Across two games, Flagg logged a combined 45 minutes and produced 33 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals and two blocks. He went after his own looks, but he also kept finding teammates and opening up the offense. For a player who already finished last season leading the Mavericks in total points, rebounds, assists and steals, it was another reminder of why the team views him as its future centerpiece.
“He’s going to lead this franchise into the future. You can definitely bank on that,” Kyrie Irving said.
“He deserves a lot of the praise he’s gotten because he’s carried a lot. … He’s wise beyond his years.”
Flagg still won’t turn 20 until December, but he said the game is starting to slow down now that he’s got a season under his belt. That confidence was a big part of his message after the trip.
“I felt at points last year I was going in blind a little bit,” he said. “Obviously, I hadn’t been through a lot of those experiences before.
So, I think just having that this year is a big help. Just feeling prepared, feeling ready.
There’s a lot less to worry about.”
Irving, meanwhile, gave his own update after returning to the court Sunday for the first time in 19 months. He said he hasn’t started thinking about retirement yet, and explained that his outlook is rooted in everything he’s gone through with injuries and rehab.
“Ever since I came into the league, I’ve learned a lot of lessons about my body, a lot of lessons about getting knocked off kind of the top spot, or where you are at your peak, and then having to go through some of those rehab sessions and just kind of reconstruct who you are on the court,” Irving said. “And I’ve had the, I don’t want to call it a luxury, but I’ve had the experience of just having traumatic injuries and coming back, and I’m grateful I’ve been able to lean on that experience. So I’m gonna keep playing as long as I love just being in the NBA, being around camaraderie, being in a locker room.”
There was also another encouraging sign for Dallas in Zaccharie Risacher, who followed up Sunday’s work with another solid outing. He scored 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting and is starting to make a real impression after being acquired in a trade with Atlanta this summer.
“We challenged Zach to simply rebound better, and he got a couple offensive rebounds,” coach Dusty May said. “He’s got great instincts for the ball.
So he’s really just learning how to play off of his teammates, and then you throw P.J. (Washington) in, you throw Kyrie in, and so these guys are all still learning themselves.
There’s several combinations that have never played together, and we’re figuring it out on the fly.”
Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News also examined the trip’s economic upside in a subscriber-only story, along with how it could one day connect to a new facility in Dallas.
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ESPNs Brian Windhorst is already sounding like a believer in Cooper Flagg, and for Mavericks fans, that should feel like both validation and frustration. Flaggs rookie season gave Dallas plenty to hang onto, with the young forward leading the team in multiple statistical categories and looking like the kind of player who can anchor the franchises next era.
What Windhorst pointed out, though, is that the national spotlight still hasnt caught up to what Flagg is doing. He suggested the leagues television choices continue to lean toward established stars and bigger markets, which helps explain why Dallas is getting less national attention than its talent level might warrant. For a team trying to build around a rapidly rising rookie, that kind of oversight only adds to the sense that the rest of the league may be late to the party. [Read more 🡒]
Dwight Powell Is Forcing A Mavericks Decision They Didn't Expect
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What makes the situation tricky is that Powell is not just filling a short-term role. If he earns a roster spot, Dallas could find itself weighing a move it probably did not expect this early, especially with roster space always at a premium and room for veteran holdovers never guaranteed. For a player brought back to provide stability, Powell may end up forcing the Mavericks into a decision about how much they value that presence versus the flexibility they still need elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Kyrie Irving Update Has Mavericks Fans Eyeing A Very Different Season
There was already a little buzz around Kyrie Irving when he flashed in preseason, looking sharp enough to remind everyone why Dallas has spent so much time thinking about what his presence can mean. In the game against Houston in China, he put up 17 points in 17 minutes, a tidy glimpse of the scoring burst and pace that can change the feel of a Mavericks lineup in a hurry.
The bigger picture around him is still taking shape, though, and it has a lot to do with how the organization views his next chapter. The Mavericks see a path where Irving is not only back on the floor, but also helping steer younger teammates through the daily grind of a season, with his return carrying the potential to alter the teams ceiling in a way that felt far off not long ago. [Read more 🡒]