Cooper Flagg didn’t shy away from self-criticism after a rocky NBA summer league debut, calling the performance “not up to my standard” following the Dallas Mavericks‘ 87-85 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The No. 1 overall pick and former Duke standout finished with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists, shooting just 5-of-21 from the field and 0-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arc in nearly 32 minutes.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd — along with several front office members and teammates — sat courtside for Flagg’s debut, offering both support and a touch of humor in his evaluation.
“Are we playing too many minutes?” Kidd joked in a halftime interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews. “I think Cooper’s done an incredible job with all the minutes. He’s handled the ball. He’s gotten wide-open shots from teammates. He’s finished. I think you’ve seen a lot of what he can do in this league.”
The Lakers held Flagg scoreless in the second half, missing all nine field goal attempts. All but one of his made shots in the game came in transition as Flagg struggled to find his shot.
“I had a great seat,” Kidd said of a highlight dunk from Flagg. “I got excited to see No. 32 get an easy one and it was with a dunk. Again, he’s shown that he can handle the press. I thought the Lakers sent a double-team on the first play of the game. I think that’s out of respect.”
Despite the rough shooting night, Kidd remains encouraged by Flagg’s poise, playmaking and willingness to embrace the spotlight — even with growing pains. The buzz surrounding Flagg’s debut was undeniable. According to TickPick, tickets for the game were the most expensive in summer league history, with lower bowl seats going for $650 and courtside spots hitting $2,500.
“When you have someone like Cooper who can handle, who can shoot, who can pass, you want the ball in his hands,” Kidd said. “He’s a great decision maker. He did that at Duke and also in high school. So, you get to see it tonight. He’s going to have some mistakes, we all threw it in the stands once in a while, but I think just his poise as an 18-year-old is incredible.”
