Jul 10, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) looks on against the Los Angeles Lakers in the fourth quarter of their game at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Cooper Flagg's method for gaining chemistry with Mavericks teammates is a weird one

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 6:30 PM ET

It's still about seven weeks until the Dallas Mavericks will start the regular season against the San Antonio Spurs and Cooper Flagg will make his debut. Although there is still training camp and preseason games to go through, Flagg is trying to start building on-court chemistry early, but in a different way.

There are a few Mavericks dealing with injuries before the season starts. Kyrie Irving is recovering from a torn ACL, Dereck Lively II had bone spurs removed from his foot, and Anthony Davis had to repair a detached retina. Flagg's solution for that? NBA 2k26.

Ronnie Singh, aka Ronnie 2K, the Digital Marketing Director for NBA 2K, revealed that he's spoken with the star rookie and that Flagg is using it to see how he'll fit with his teammates.

“I’ve been talking to Cooper Flagg a lot the last couple of weeks, and he’s already trying to shape up how he’s going to fit into that team by playing the NBA2K26 game with him, integrated with Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis,” Ronnie said.

“He might not get to play with Kyrie for a minute, so it’s kind of cool that he gets to simulate that, see how the off-the-ball movement is. Our AI is so good. It really simulates the authentic experience of being on the court.”

Mavericks Ratings in NBA 2K26

NBA 2K26 released on Friday, September 5th worldwide, but some people did have early access to the game, such as some content creators and players.

Anthony Davis is the highest rated player on the team as a 93 overall, with Kyrie Irving close behind at a 90. Cooper Flagg is the third-highest rated as an 82, which may be a surprise to some, and then Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford are both 80 overalls.

P.J. Washington and Klay Thompson are both a little underrated as a 79 overall, while D'Angelo Russell may be slightly overrated at a 78, as he's coming off his worst season in the NBA. He has the same overall as Naji Marshall, who a lot of fans would argue had a better season last year.

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

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