The Dallas Mavericks announced that they were shutting down No. 1 overall 2025 NBA Draft pick Cooper Flagg after two Summer League games, and that action alone took a lot out of the top prospect. Flagg was used at the point guard spot regularly in both contests, and bringing the ball up consistently along with running the Mavericks' offense left the star prospect "exhausted."
"I think I've been solid. I'm exhausted," Flagg said after his second Summer League game, per The Athletic's Kelly Iko and Jared Weiss. "I'm not used to bringing the ball up like that. Had somebody on my hip every time I brought the ball up the court 94 feet. I think I did a solid job of bringing it up against pressure and setting up different actions."
Mavericks' head coach Jason Kidd said in an interview before the Mavericks kicked off their Summer League that he planned to put Flagg at the point guard position to get the top pick to adjust to running an offense. Despite having a deep offensive arsenal, Flagg rarely ran the show while at Duke. The 6'9 forward thrived in the two or three spots mainly in college, so this was a big adjustment.
Flagg struggled in terms of scoring in his first Summer League game against the Los Angeles Lakers. In an 87-85 victory, the rookie finished the contest with 10 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals on 5-of-21 (23.8%) shooting from the field and 0-of-5 shooting from three-point range. Despite his scoring prowess not being on display, Flagg still showed his ability to be a productive passer at the point and a disruptive perimeter defender.
It didn't take long for Flagg to find his footing, as he bounced back in a big way in his second Summer League contest against the San Antonio Spurs, featuring No. 2 overall 2025 NBA Draft pick Dylan Harper.
Flagg went for a game-high 32 points to go along with four rebounds and an assist on 10-of-21 (47.6%) shooting from the floor and 3-of-9 (33.3%) shooting from three in a 76-69 loss to San Antonio.
The rookie also played over 30 minutes in both games, which is a hefty number for a top overall pick in his first action. The new adjustments certainly took a physical toll on Flagg, and it will be intriguing to follow how Kidd implements Flagg at the point when the NBA regular season rolls around.