Cooper Flagg’s jump toward superstardom is starting to show up in the simplest place on the floor: the free-throw line.
That was the clearest takeaway from his Wednesday night performance against the Houston Rockets, when he poured in 32 points and added five rebounds, two assists, three steals and one block. The scoring was loud.
The shot creation was real. But the most telling development was how often he got to the stripe.
For a player who finished his rookie season with Rookie of the Year honors and then closed the year with a string of huge outings, this is the kind of progress Dallas Mavericks fans were waiting to see. The leap in year two is often where stars separate themselves, and Flagg is already flashing that next gear.
He went 11-for-13 from the free-throw line on opening night, a sign that his offensive game is getting harder to contain. Last season, he averaged just 4.9 free throws per game and shot 13 or more free throws only three times.
Even with an unfavorable whistle and under 30 percent shooting from three, he was dominant as a rookie. If the free-throw attempts keep climbing, the scoring numbers could explode.
That kind of pressure changes everything. It forces defenders to play him differently, and it can put foul trouble on opponents early. When that happens, Flagg has even more room to dictate how a game is played.
The physical growth is part of the story, too. He looks stronger going through contact, and he’s not being knocked off his line the way he was last season. Against Houston, he absorbed contact better, stayed on balance and finished through it instead of getting sent sprawling or stripped away from the play.
His offseason work on becoming a better creator showed up as well. Flagg looked comfortable pulling up for mid-range jumpers off the bounce, and that threat opens everything else.
Defenders have to close harder, which gives him more chances to draw fouls. Overplay the jumper, and he can attack the rim.
Sit back, and he’s got space to work.
Flagg was a relentless slasher as a rookie, but now he seems to understand more clearly how to use his body to his advantage. The result is a more complete offensive player, one who can still score even when the jumper isn’t falling. And if this new free-throw habit sticks, year two could get a lot more dangerous for everybody else.
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