Like Victor Vembanyama on his debut, Cooper Flagg missed his first

NBA debut Cooper Flagg they weren’t very good on wednesday night. Facing the Spurs of a Victor Vembanyama was releasedthe number 1 of the Draft from 2025 posted a mixed first outing with 10 points (4/13 shooting) and 10 rebounds. Nothing catastrophic, but far from the level at which everyone expects the young wing to embody the future of his franchise.

“not great”Cooper Flagg replied when asked to assess his performance. “Obviously I didn’t play well. But we have to move on and focus on Friday (against Washington). I was excited, but most of all, I can’t wait to continue. Obviously, the loss in the first game hurts, but you have to move forward, turn the page and prepare. We know we can do much better than that. You have to stay positive and always focus on the next one. Be perfect, but you have to adapt and improve the moment.”

No one plans to jump to conclusions, especially since a certain Victor Vembanyama did not shine during his time either the first NBA game in history. Two years ago, against these same Mavericks, the Frenchman finished with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 fouls, and the Spurs lost to the great Luka Doncic.

First match jitters

Accurately facing Victor Vembanyama, Cooper Flagg took his time to find his rhythm as a “leader”.

His first shots missed by a bit, and the lack of aggressiveness was felt. But after the break, he showed a better face, especially with three consecutive baskets at the end of the third quarter, including a great turnover on the Texas racket.

Enough to spot the talent, even if the overall performance remains muted. Also, former #1 draft pick Anthony Davis reminded us to put things in perspective. “It’s the first match. He remains a rookie.” underlines the former interior of the Lakers. “When it comes to the first game, with a full stadium and a national game – everyone on the networks was talking about the duel of Cooper Flagg against Webby. So, yes, you hear. The nerves of the first real match are normal. This will go well. This is the first match. We will all be better. »

Double-double in a position that is not his

Same story with Jason Kidd, who preferred to maintain a good rookie attitude. “I thought Cooper stayed within the game and to come away with a double-double in his debut is not bad at all.”the coach notes. “He took what the defense gave him. He made passes, he got down to the ground… He’s a player who’s not going to shoot every ball he touches. And I think he came back more aggressive in the second half. He played well. The stats don’t necessarily show that, but nobody here is in his position. For the rookies, he was better from this match. And we’ll learn everything from us.

On the bench, Kyrie Irving played big brother during the match, and Cooper Flagg has only one mission: to reward the Texas public. “(He told me) to keep my head up,” concludes Kyrie Irving’s advice. “It’s a long game, there’s a lot of possession left, so we just had to forget what happened and move on. I felt a lot of support. The fans were amazing, very energetic. We just have to give them more reasons to stay excited, it’s up to us. But they were great.”