Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) reacts after a three point basket against the Houston Cougars during the first half in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Cooper Flagg gets first NBA points against Lakers with authority

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Jul 10, 2025 8:39 PM ET

Cooper Flagg got his first taste of NBA action on Thursday night, as the Dallas Mavericks opened the NBA Summer League against Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers. The first overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft was ready to get to work, and Dallas planned to test him.

Jason Kidd wanted Cooper Flagg to play a lot of point guard in the Summer League, knowing that the better he develops his handle, the better the team will be as they wait for Kyrie Irving to recover from ACL surgery. The Lakers, knowing that, blitzed him and pressed him early and often.

There were some noticeable jitters in the opening minutes of the game, as Flagg was unsure of how to attack the Lakers' defense and missed his first two shots of the game. Once he got on the board, though, he did it with authority.

The Mavericks forced a turnover that Flagg scooped up, and he took it coast-to-coast in transition to slam it home through traffic with the one-handed spike.

COOPER FLAGG'S FIRST BUCKET IN A MAVS UNIFORM IS A BIG-TIME SLAM ‼️#NBA2KSummerLeague on ESPN pic.twitter.com/h7Ta564bS8
— NBA (@NBA) July 11, 2025

That dunk opened the floodgates for Flagg, as he came down on the next possession and hit a turnaround fade in the post, then got an and-one on a transition layup a few possessions later. It's clear he's still adjusting to his role in the Summer League and the ball pressure that the Lakers were applying in a Summer League game.

By the end of the first quarter, Flagg had 6 points, a steal, and a rebound, but he was just 3/9 from the floor.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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