Cooper Flagg may be the youngest player in the NBA, but you wouldn’t know it by the way he plays - or the way he carries himself. At just 19 years old, the Dallas Mavericks rookie is already turning heads across the league, and his head coach, Jason Kidd, sees something special brewing.
After a career-high 49-point performance against the Charlotte Hornets, Kidd wasn’t fixated on the box score. He was focused on something deeper: Flagg’s mindset.
“He’s not about numbers. He’s about wins and losses,” Kidd said after the game.
“That’s who he is. For a young man who thinks that way, he’s going to be a champion sooner than later.”
That’s not just lip service. Coming from Kidd - a Hall of Fame point guard and NBA champion himself - those words carry weight. Kidd knows what championship DNA looks like, and in Flagg, he sees a player wired for winning.
Now, let’s be clear: the 49-point outburst was eye-popping. Flagg went toe-to-toe with his former Duke roommate, Kon Knueppel, and nearly willed the Mavs to a win.
It took some clutch free throws from Knueppel to seal it for the Hornets, but Flagg’s performance was the kind of game that makes you sit up and take notice. Not just because of the scoring, but because of the context.
Flagg was coming off an ankle injury that kept him out of the previous game. No signs of rust.
No hesitation. Just a full-on assault from all three levels of the floor.
That kind of bounce-back effort isn’t just about talent - it’s about mentality. And that’s exactly what Kidd is talking about.
This is a 19-year-old who’s averaging just under 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists per game - on an efficient 48 percent shooting clip. He’s not just putting up numbers; he’s doing it while playing meaningful minutes on a team with playoff aspirations. And he’s doing it with poise beyond his years.
There’s a maturity to Flagg’s game that stands out. He doesn’t force the issue.
He doesn’t chase stats. He plays within the flow, makes the right reads, and when the moment calls for it, he takes over.
That’s what separates the good rookies from the great ones - and why he’s currently the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year.
What Kidd sees in Flagg isn’t just a hot start or a flashy night. It’s a foundation.
A competitive edge that doesn’t waver, even in the face of injury or defeat. It’s the kind of mindset that championship teams are built around.
And for a Mavericks squad that’s already seen what greatness looks like with Luka Dončić, having another young cornerstone with that kind of drive? That’s a scary proposition for the rest of the league.
Cooper Flagg is here. And if Jason Kidd is right - and he usually is - he won’t just be a star. He’ll be a champion.