Mavericks' Cooper Flagg praised for Summer League effort

Flagg gets great Summer League grade

"Flagg entered the summer league with a tremendous amount of hype as one of four players in college basketball history to win National Player of the Year during his freshman season. It's not surprising that Dallas decided to shut down the No. 1 overall pick after two games. He doesn't have much to prove," Salerno wrote.

"In his debut vs. the Lakers, Flagg shot 5 for 21 from the floor. He couldn't buy a bucket, failing to record a field goal after halftime. However, one positive was that he consistently got to his spots. The second game was a different story. Flagg had one of the best showings of any player at the event against the Spurs. He flashed what he was capable of doing on both ends of the floor and how he would fit in as the point guard/primary initiator. Overall, his first game was a "C" performance, while his second game was a solid "A." If he had played in more games, he would've had a chance to improve his grade."

Flagg is going to have a mixed bag of performances during his time in the league. Even as the top pick, Flagg will struggle at times.

The goal for the Mavs is to ensure Flagg's teammates can pick up the slack when he struggles and the former Duke forward can bounce back when his shot doesn't fall.

Summer League proved that both of those goals are attainable for the upcoming season.