Cooper Flag wipes LeBron James off the shelves!

« It’s obviously an honor. It’s pretty cool to be in this position », coward Cooper Flagg thanks to ” amazing teammates and coaches » who said that » in the best conditions to succeed ».

This appreciation could logically be reciprocated given the performance of the Mavs rookie on the Clippers floor. His team was sorely lacking a win, and he set the tone from the start by being very enterprising on offense, with numerous free-throw line shots or breakthroughs, particularly left-handed finishes.

« He was aggressive during his 38 minutes on the floor », notes Jason Kidd who also appreciated his altruism and his investment in defense. And that, as his coach recalls, the day after the match against the Lakers where he narrowly failed to get a triple-double (13 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds). ” So we see that he is starting to understand what ‘back to back’ looks like. »

Before LeBron James

The 18-year-old did not seem to suffer from fatigue in this match. The proof is that he managed to finish well with an important jumper three minutes from the end, and above all a series of free throws secured in the money time.

« He did everything tonight. He had the ball – you can call him a point guard or whatever you want – but he was the one who led our offense. (…) At the end of the game he made these important shots for us. His mastery on both sides of the court, his very high competitive spirit, all of that was seen tonight, as well as yesterday, with the electric atmosphere against the Lakers. He never lets go », continues his coach.

Upon arrival, a terrific performance of 35 points (13/22 shooting including 0/3 on 3-pointers, 9/11 on free throws), 8 rebounds and 2 assists. A few days apart with a young LeBron Jameshe thus becomes the youngest player in NBA history to score that many in a game, joining “The King” as the only 18-year-old players to score 30 or more points.

Dallas’ Cooper Flagg (18 years, 343 days) tonight became the second-youngest player in NBA history to score at least 30 points in a game … behind only LeBron James (18 years, 334 days) and one night after Flagg became the youngest player to record 10 or more assists in a game.

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) November 30, 2025

Impact at both ends of the pitch

« He’s only 18, but he already seems to know this league and play the right way, so it was a pleasure to see him play tonight », further hails Jason Kidd, whose rookie especially had to get rid of Kawhi Leonard’s defensive pressure opposite. A player on which Flagg is also “ obviously wanted to copy » his game with the aim of influencing both sides of the court.

The mission is largely accomplished with this game. After the meetingthe journalist asks him if he sees himself as a shooter. ” I see myself as an impact player. Scoring adds to that impact, and yes, I think I can score at a high level, that’s for sure », retorts the newcomer, whose average points are now closer to 17 units.

As for the pressure of being the No. 1 draft pick playing on a team that has struggled since the start of the season, he puts it into perspective. ” I don’t feel any extra pressure. Things stand like this. (…) Being aggressive right now is obviously what suits me, and that’s what the coaches tell me a lot: I have to be aggressive. (…) My teammates have a lot of confidence in me and I can feel it. When they trust me, it just allows me to be free on the field », term-t-il.

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How to read statistics? MJ = matches played; Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive jump; Tot = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; Points = Points.