Two former Duke basketball players went at it on July 10th, as the Dallas Mavericks faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, went up against DJ Steward, another former Blue Devil who is spending the 2025 Summer League with Los Angeles.
The Mavericks ended up earning a comeback 87-85 victory to improve to 1-0 in the Las Vegas Summer League, but both former Blue Devils strung together solid performances.
Flagg, in his first action of the Summer League, went for 10 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a block on 5-of-21 (23.8%) shooting from the field and 0-of-5 from three-point range. Although the efficiency wasn't quite there offensively for the top draft choice, he created open looks for his teammates while initiating the offense. He disrupted the perimeter for the opponent defensively well and showed his ability to guard the one through four on the court.
His first bucket as a pro was also exactly what fans would expect, as he opened with a monstrous transition slam to get his scoring going.
As for Steward, he's continuing his memorable 2025 Summer League campaign. The 23-year-old went for 14 points, seven rebounds, and five assists on 6-of-14 (42.8%) shooting from the floor and 2-of-2 from beyond the perimeter.
Steward put together another solid performance and is striving to keep his NBA career alive. In the Lakers' opening Summer League game in the California Classic on July 5th, Steward tallied 20 points and six assists on 7-of-10 (70%) shooting from the floor and 1-of-1 from three.
Mavericks' head coach Jason Kidd said in a recent interview that he plans to play Flagg at the point guard position often throughout his rookie season in Dallas, and fans got the first taste of Flagg running the show in his Summer League opener. The Maine native was aggressive offensively, attacking the basket off the dribble well and finding open looks for his teammates. Although his outside shooting struggled, his willingness to take contested looks from outside right away is a promising sign to see.
Steward spent the 2024-25 season with the Memphis Hustle, the G-League affiliate of the Memphis Grizzlies, averaging 19.1 points and 4.8 assists a night on 49.9% shooting from the field. The former undrafted free agent is looking to ink a new contract after this Summer League is up.