Cooper Flagg already proved he can fill up a box score. Now the new Dallas Mavericks coach is talking about just how far that can go.
Dusty May, who was hired away from the University of Michigan, said Flagg’s ceiling this season could look like something far bigger than simple scoring numbers. In a visit with 105.3 The Fan, May said the 19-year-old can post nights with 10 or 15 assists and 10 or 15 rebounds, while still bringing the scoring punch Dallas knows he has.
“With Coop, it’s just continuing to add to his game,” May said in a visit with 105.3 The Fan. “There’s a real responsibility to make sure he becomes the absolute best he can be. And when you have the drive, the competitive spirit, and then the versatility as a player that he has, the sky’s the limit.”
Flagg’s rookie season gave plenty of reason for that kind of optimism. He won Rookie of the Year on April 27 after averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.2 steals in 70 games. He and Michael Jordan are the only rookies since 1973-74 to lead their teams in total points, rebounds, assists, and steals.
May stopped short of putting Flagg in Jordan’s class, but he did point to the same kind of drive and positional versatility.
“To be 19 years old and to have all of this thrown at him like he has, it’s a real testament to his maturity and the people that surround him to keep him grounded, because he’s a normal guy,” May continued. “But at every level of basketball he’s impacted winning at the highest level, and so that’s what we expect him to do here, whatever the game requires.”
The production is already there. Last April, Flagg scored 51 points in a loss to the Orlando Magic at American Airlines Center, becoming the youngest player in NBA history with a 50-point game. He also had four 40-point games last season, the most by a rookie since Allen Iverson in 1996-97.
Dallas is asking him to carry even more now. The Mavericks finished 26-56 last season and are in the middle of a reboot, with the regular season set to open Oct. 21 at Houston at 7:30 p.m. CT.
May sees Flagg as the center of it all.
“I think he’s so unique,” May added. “He could get 10 assists, 15 assists.
He could get 10 or 15 rebounds, and then obviously we all know he can score the ball in a number of ways. So it’s going to be fun to be a part of his journey.”
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