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

Cooper Flagg's trainer details main focus ahead of Mavericks debut

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Sep 16, 2025 5:59 PM ET

Cooper Flagg is nearly a month away from making his NBA debut with the Dallas Mavericks, and he will have a lot on his plate with the Mavericks. With Kyrie Irving out for the first few months as he recovers from ACL surgery, Flagg is expected to have the ball in his hands a lot.

Recently, Flagg's trainer, Matt MacKenzie, recently spoke with RG.org and revealed what the 18-year-old is working on before the season begins.

︀︀“He has spent a number of hours in the weight room," MacKenzie. He has really enjoyed getting to know the new Mavs strength coach and his team… He wants to make sure that he is in a good place with his sports performance training. That’s where he’s put a lot of his emphasis.

"From a skills standpoint, he’s been spending a ton of time on the court with me and my team as well as the Dallas Mavericks’ assistant coaches. He’s really getting acclimated on what the expectations are going to be with him and within their offense. So he’s had a chance to dive into some film study. He has been really working on improving the time it takes to be able to get off clean 3s. He’s really been working on some different two-man games with different players on the Mavs team...”
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A Lot of Pressure on the Shoulders of Cooper Flagg

The Dallas Mavericks lucked out when they landed the first overall pick. They had a 1.8% chance to jump all the way up, the 11th highest odds, but still were able to. That saved the franchise from what could've been a decade of irrelevance.

The Luka Doncic trade with the Los Angeles Lakers severely angered the fanbase, to the point where many of them gave up on the franchise. The Mavs were projected to lose over $1 billion over the next few years because of a loss of revenue in ticket sales, merchandise, sponsorships, and more.

Landing Flagg has helped recoup a lot of that lost revenue, as season ticket requests and sponsorships started coming back in after that disastrous trade. But he has to prove he's worth losing a player of Luka Doncic's caliber, which is a tough ask for any player, much less a rookie.

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

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