As the Dallas Mavericks gear up to host the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night, all eyes are on rookie forward Cooper Flagg, who’s quickly becoming more than just a promising young talent-he’s becoming a focal point in Dallas’ present and future.
The Mavericks, sitting at 19-30, are in the middle of a three-game skid and in desperate need of a spark. That challenge won’t get any easier against a Celtics squad that enters at 31-18 and continues to hover near the top of the Eastern Conference.
Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, marking the first meeting between the two teams this season.
Ahead of the matchup, Flagg reflected on the 2024 NBA Finals-Boston’s most recent trip to the championship round-and how much of that series he caught as a fan before entering the league.
“I watched a good amount of it,” Flagg said. “I was pretty busy but I definitely tuned into most of the games.”
That Finals run, of course, featured the Mavericks as well, led by Luka Doncic before his blockbuster trade to the Lakers last February. Flagg, now a key piece of the post-Doncic era, spoke with admiration about that Dallas squad’s depth and grit during their playoff push.
“They were incredible,” Flagg said. “They had two guys playing at a really high level.
I mean the whole team was playing at a really high level, 1 through 8, or whatever it was. They had a lot of really tough guys playing at a high level.”
Now, Flagg’s not just watching playoff-caliber basketball-he’s playing in it. And despite the Mavericks’ struggles in the standings, the 19-year-old has been a bright spot in an otherwise rocky season.
Through 45 games, Flagg is averaging 19.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He’s shooting a solid 48.4 percent from the field, though his three-point shot remains a work in progress at 28.9 percent. Still, for a rookie logging 34 minutes per night, his production is nothing short of impressive.
Cooper Flagg spoke on his observations from watching the 2023-24 Dallas Mavericks team in the NBA Finals facing the Celtics.
— Abby Jones (@_abigaiiiil) February 3, 2026
“They were incredible. They had two guys playing at a really high level. I mean the whole team was playing at a really high level, 1-8, or whatever it… pic.twitter.com/pCMooOvy1Y
And lately, he’s been taking things to another level.
Over his last seven games, Flagg has upped his averages to 24.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and one steal per game. He’s also improved his shooting efficiency, hitting 51.5 percent from the field and 31 percent from beyond the arc in that stretch, all while playing slightly fewer minutes at 31.3 per game.
He’s coming off back-to-back performances that speak volumes about his rapid development. On Saturday, he dropped 34 points, pulled down 12 boards and dished out five assists in a tight 111-107 loss to the Houston Rockets. Just two nights earlier, he exploded for a career-high 49 points in a 123-121 loss to the Charlotte Hornets-a game that doubled as a headline-grabbing rookie showdown with former Duke teammate Kon Knuppel.
Those kinds of numbers aren’t just eye-catching-they’re historic territory for a first-year player. And while the Mavericks haven’t been able to translate Flagg’s breakout into wins just yet, his emergence is giving Dallas something to build around.
As they prepare to face a Celtics team with championship aspirations and a deep, battle-tested roster, the Mavericks will be leaning heavily on Flagg once again. His growth isn’t just a silver lining-it’s the foundation of whatever comes next for this franchise.
Tuesday night might not be a playoff rematch, but it’s a measuring stick. And for Cooper Flagg, it’s another chance to show that he’s not just part of the Mavericks’ rebuild-he might be the cornerstone.