New precocious record going bad for Cooper Flagg

Hands crossed, sometimes staring into space… Cooper Flagg not the happiest man at the time to answer the journalists at the exit from his matchup against the Jazz. Which is understandable, because the young Mavs star wrote a new page in history, but his team lost.

« Obviously, we didn’t win. So it’s hard for me to want to be happy or anything », says the rookie, whose efforts were wasted by the Jazz in overtime. With Anthony Davis in civilian clothes on the Texas bench, Cooper Flagg still took matters into his own hands in the Mavs game, putting himself in the center.

« We played at Coop. He was killing them all game, so they finally tried to take him as a double. That doesn’t surprise me at all. I know exactly what he’s capable of. He is a special player, so there will be many more (games like this) to come », PJ Washington projects.

For this meeting in Utah, his teammate increased his quota of shots with 27 attempts, acting as a real “guy” for his team. It was he who allowed the Mavs to clinch overtime thanks to another “drive” finished with his left hand, before a crucial pass at the free throw line.

Better than LeBron James

He finishes with a performance of 42 points (13/27 on shots, 15/20 on free throws), 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks. Never has an 18-year-old player – who turns 19 on Sunday – scored so many goals in the big leagues. The previous record belonged to LeBron James, who scored 37 points against the Celtics on a single night in December 2003.

The person concerned is happy to explain his performance by making good use of ” inconsistencies », the fact that he is very aware of the “gap” in place for his partners – a sector in which he is proud of his team’s progress since the start of the season – and that he is himself, letting the game come to him.

« The more time he spends on the field, the more things he sees and the more he improves. And tonight he showed it », summarizes his coach Jason Kidd, who mobilized him for 42 minutes. Time to become the fifth rookie in the last 15 years to finish with at least 40 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. But also to tie the franchise record for a rookie, set by Mark Aguirre in 1981 (also in a loss).

He blames himself for the end of the match

So many CV lines that don’t make us forget the end of the game for the Mavs, who were in control of the game before suffering an 11-0 run to force overtime. An extra period during which his teammates and Cooper Flagg did not exist.

« I have to do better. I foolishly lost a few balls, missed a few easy baskets (…) We have to have good chances every possession, and whether it goes or not, as long as we shoot well, that’s what we have to remember in the end. “, claims the person in question.

On the rise in recent weeks, the No. 1 pick in the last draft provides him with priorities other than stats. ” I don’t really focus on all that. I’m more focused on being there, day in and day out, and trying to improve while helping our team get as many wins as possible. “, he shows at the end.

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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.