D’Angelo Russell sends Cooper Flagg a warning to the rest of the NBA
The Dallas Mavericks are one of the most interesting teams in the NBA this season, and all that comes down to their No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg. All eyes are on the former Duke star as he gets his feet wet in the pros, starting to come together in three games after a rough debut.
Flagg is currently starting at point guard for the Mavs due to Kyrie Irving’s injury. Dallas brought D’Angelo Russell in free agency this offseason to help fill that void, but he’s currently coming off the bench while Flagg runs the show with the starting unit.
After Dallas picked up its first win of the season with a 139-129 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night, Russell sent a warning to the rest of the NBA about what Flagg is coming up with.
“Unbelievable,” Russell said of Flagg. “He’s just started. Everyone’s chasing that Flag.”
Flagg shot just 4-for-13 in his NBA debut, a loss to the Spurs in which Victor Vembanyama stole the show with his monster performance. He improved somewhat in his second game, 18 points in a loss to the Washington Wizards, but played some of his best basketball against the Raptors.
On Sunday night, Flagg scored 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting while draining a pair of 3-pointers. He also added four rebounds and four assists as he settled into his new role in the Dallas offense.
It makes sense that playing point guard would take some time to adjust to for Flagg, who spent a lot of time as a four during his time at Duke. He still handled the ball well and initiated the offense, but he also shared that role with guys like Kon Knuepel all year.
However, it is clear Flagg is picking things up quickly during his first week in the NBA and appears poised to be an impact player for this Mavericks team during his rookie season. Whether it will be enough to keep them in the playoffs until Irving returns remains to be seen, but it will be fascinating to watch his development throughout the season.
2025-10-27 15:14:00
