Cooper Flagg Shines in Spurs-Mavs Rematch, as Wembanyama Shares Rookie Wisdom
When Cooper Flagg made his regular-season debut against the San Antonio Spurs back in October, it wasn’t exactly the coming-out party fans were hoping for. He struggled to find rhythm, finishing with just 10 points on inefficient shooting, albeit adding 10 rebounds in a double-double that felt more gritty than glamorous.
Fast forward to Thursday night, and the rookie looked like a completely different player-confident, assertive, and every bit the rising star Dallas hoped for when they drafted him. Flagg dropped a career-high 32 points, grabbed six boards, dished out four assists, added three blocks, and swiped two steals in a performance that, despite the Mavericks’ 135-123 loss to the Spurs, turned plenty of heads around the league.
This wasn’t just a bounce-back-it was a statement.
And standing across from him on the court was someone who knows exactly what it feels like to carry the weight of a franchise’s future: Victor Wembanyama.
Wemby’s Message: Trust the Process
After the game, Wembanyama-who’s quickly becoming both a dominant force on the court and a thoughtful leader off it-offered some words of advice to Flagg. The message? Patience and perspective.
"The truth is that you can't make anything happen in the moment," Wembanyama said. "You can't make everything happen just like this.
Winning, not winning, it is going to come. You have to trust your organization, and that's my opinion."
That kind of insight doesn’t come from reading a playbook-it comes from living it. When Wemby was drafted first overall by the Spurs in 2023, San Antonio was deep in a rebuild.
The wins were few and far between, but the vision was clear. The front office had a plan, and Wembanyama was the centerpiece.
Fast forward to now, and the Spurs are beginning to see the fruits of that patience.
Flagg’s situation in Dallas is a bit murkier. The Mavericks entered the season with playoff expectations, boasting a trio of Flagg, Kyrie Irving, and Anthony Davis.
But Irving hasn’t suited up this year, and Davis has already been traded. Dallas currently sits 12th in the West-outside the playoff picture, and searching for direction.
That’s why Wembanyama’s comments hit a little differently. He’s speaking from experience, but also from a place of stability-something Flagg doesn’t quite have yet.
"In the meantime, waiting to win, what I try to do, what we try to do is do everything we can while trusting the process, trusting that we're getting better, that we're getting more mature," Wemby added.
A Battle of the Future
What made Thursday night’s game so compelling wasn’t just the box score-it was the glimpse into what the future of the NBA could look like. Flagg and Wembanyama aren’t just two of the most hyped prospects in recent memory; they’re already showing signs of becoming franchise cornerstones.
Wembanyama, for his part, had high praise for Flagg’s unique skill set.
"Not a typical profile of a player to guard, so not an easy guy to guard and not an easy guy to score on either, offensively," he said.
That’s not just a compliment-it’s recognition. Wemby sees in Flagg what many around the league do: a player who doesn’t fit into a traditional mold, and who could redefine what’s possible at his position.
The Clock Is Ticking in Dallas
While Flagg’s individual growth is promising, the Mavericks’ front office is now on the clock. With Luka Doncic gone and the team still reeling from that trade, there’s pressure-real pressure-to build something sustainable around Flagg. His talent is undeniable, but the NBA is filled with gifted players whose primes were wasted by poor roster construction or organizational dysfunction.
The good news? Flagg is already showing he can rise above the noise.
The better news? He’s got veterans like Wembanyama offering guidance-not just in words, but by example.
If Dallas can get the pieces right around him, Thursday night might be remembered as more than just a breakout game. It could be the night Cooper Flagg officially arrived.